The Government has launched a consultation on whether to make DIY abortion services permament. 

Abortion regulations were relaxed at the start of the pandemic so that pregnant women could have abortions at home up to the tenth week of their pregnancy. 

Controversial 'pills by post' services dispatch abortion pills to pregnant women after an e-consultation with a doctor.  The unborn child is then passed at home without direct medical supervision.

Before the pandemic, abortions could only take place in hospitals or abortion clinics approved by the Secretary of State. 

The consultation, launched on Thursday, asks whether the temporary rules should "end immediately", "become permanent", "be time limited for 2 years or end when the temporary provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020 expire", or "be extended for one year from the date on which the response to this consultation is published, to enable further data on home use of both pills for EMA and evidence on the temporary approval's impact on delivery of abortion services to be gathered".

Pro-life groups like Right to Life UK, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, and Christian Concern have raised concerns about the safety of DIY home abortion services. 

They have all called for the immediate suspension of DIY abortions, while Christian Concern has launched a legal challenge against the measures. 

Concerns have been raised elsewhere too. In July, police in the Midlands launched a murder probe after a woman used the pills by post service to abort her 28 week old baby. 

A leaked email sent by a regional chief midwife at NHS England and NHS Improvement warned of the "escalating risk" associated with DIY home abortions.

Abortion provider BPAS launched their own investigation into eight cases of women taking abortion pills at home after the 10-week limit, while an undercover investigation by Christian Concern found that abortion providers had sent pills to women who gave false names, dates of birth and gestational dates.

Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said: "This consultation provides an opportunity to further investigate the large number of serious safety and safeguarding issues that have arisen since the introduction of this temporary policy.

"Thousands of women have been put at risk from these 'DIY' home abortion schemes and we are calling on the Government to immediately suspend these services.

"Every day that these services continue, more women are put at risk. It's reckless to wait until after this consultation to decide on whether to end these dangerous services.

"The UK Government must immediately suspend the 'DIY' home abortion scheme, to protect the health of thousands of women across the country."