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Early medical abortion at home during and after the pandemic

Temporary measures were introduced in England, Scotland and Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic to allow both tablets for early medical abortion to be taken at home, providing certain conditions were met.

This short briefing examines recent decisions made by the UK and Welsh Governments, and by the UK Parliament, on whether to make the temporary arrangements permanent. It does not comment on the ethics of abortion.

In England and Wales, the temporary measures on early medical abortion have been made permanent. The Scottish Government has issued updated approvals, most recently in December 2024, which continue to allow both stages of early medical abortion treatment to be undertaken at home in certain circumstances.