6th October 2020
By Ruth Bushell
DIY Abortions are a symptom of an isolated society that values convenience over life and comfort over truth.
With the arrival of Covid-19 emergency legislation came the biggest change in abortion law since 1967.
In March the Government, without consulting Parliament, passed a law which allows women to be sent the two pills required for a medical abortion without having to be seen in person by a doctor. These changes to the law will be in place until the Covid pandemic is deemed over – or for up to two years. So far, it has been confirmed that they have caused the deaths of two women – although this is likely to rise as more investigations are carried out.
We argue that ‘at home’ abortions are indicative of a brittle society that kills casually, spurns those in distress and brushes deep societal problems under the carpet.
How does it do these things? Well, first of all, we have to look exactly at what happens during a ‘DIY’ at-home medical abortion.
Two pills are taken. The first is mifepristone which blocks the hormones needed for the fetus to grow. After 24-48 hours a second tablet, misoprostol, is taken which causes the body to expel the the fetus from the womb. Marie Stopes describes the process of this expelling in the following way:
‘It’s likely you’ll experience strong cramping and heavy bleeding for a few hours, although this varies for each person. The abortion will usually begin within a few hours, and is usually fully complete within 1 – 2 days. During this time it would be expected for you to pass the pregnancy tissue and blood clots that may range in size from small (the size of a pound coin) to quite large (the size of a lemon) – this is a normal part of the abortion process.’
The language here hides and diminishes the violence of this inherently unnatural event. Words such as ‘may’, ‘usual’, ‘normal’ are a mealy-mouthed way of covering their backs. Such hedging does not help the women involved, most of whom will have no medical knowledge and no idea what ‘normal’ is supposed to look or feel like. The phrase ‘pregnancy tissue’ also attempts to skirt around the fact that what happens during an abortion is a human body being expelled from their mother’s womb. It may be ‘normal’ in our strange world, but it is still a scary, painful thing to happen to someone.
The issue that has been raised most commonly in objection to DIY abortions is the lack of checks that are carried out. At home medical abortions are only deemed suitable for women under 10 weeks pregnant-but under the new law there is no way of checking that this is the case. If taken after the 10 week limit serious-even fatal-risks can occur such as extended heavy bleeding and sepsis.
Abortion provider BPAS announced that it was investigating eight cases of women taking the pills beyond the 10-week limit, but there will likely be many more. No ultrasound scan is required and no face to face meeting takes place. This effectively means abortion pills can be obtained by anyone who knows how to lie-leaving the door wide open for women to be coerced and rushed into abortions. Even before this law, women frequently went through the whole process of abortion without ever meeting anyone who suggested an alternative. With this change in law that is now standard practice. Even in the midst of a global pandemic abortion it seems cannot be stopped, no matter how dangerous it might be. Those dangers have been made abundantly clear by the tragic deaths of two women and of a baby born alive who later also died.
A number of women have also come forward to share the serious problems they’ve experienced after taking ‘DIY’ home abortion pills. One woman said she went through “hell” and thought ‘she was going to die’ after taking the drugs. Another said the physical process of the abortion was painful and “a lot worse than expected”.
The pro-abort lobby paint this new law as a step forward in women’s liberation, with women being ‘freer’ than ever to control their reproductive health with no ‘invasive’ face to face consultations. In reality however, this law sees an ironic and chilling turn towards backstreet abortions. Women are being left alone, with no proper medical care during or after the process. 
It is indicative of a society that wants nothing to do with other people’s crises, problems or suffering.
Our babies should be destroyed rather than seen, heard or cared for.
Language again also plays a part here. Even the phrase DIY, with its connotations of Ikea furniture and can-do Dads in bad shirts, contributes towards a false image. DIY implies free agency and creation, when in fact what happens is an act of destruction, potentially done out of nothing more than fear. The tragic reality of ‘at home abortions’ is countless women asking for help, being offered no alternative to abortion and then told to ‘do it themselves’.
The very idea of a pill has deceptive implications that have been exploited before in our history. Pills suggest wellness, a quick cure, a magical transformation. Pills are small and simple, easily hidden but containing immense power. In Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland pills (usually barbiturates) are now used for euthanasia. For death, as well as birth, a quick cure has been found. Aldous Huxley famously satirised the concept of the ‘cure all’ pill in Brave New World with his ‘soma pills’. They too glossed over the quandaries and sufferings of human existence and provided a fake form of happiness alongside a very real, uber-controlled society. But as ‘the savage’ says, without inconveniences and moral quandaries and suffering our life is incomplete.
‘I’m claiming the right to be unhappy.”
“Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat, the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind.”
There was a long silence.
“I claim them all,” said the Savage at last.”
We still have a ‘right’ to our suffering, and indeed it exists as much now as it ever did but increasingly it is endured alone. Part of being pro-life is being pro-all of life, its messiness and difficulties and suffering, all overcome through respect and love of our fellow man. We’re told we’re more connected than ever but when it comes to suffering we no longer want to be united with the rest of mankind. Life is only considered valuable if it gives pleasure and fun, anything inconvenient can be disposed of and the consequences hidden. This is a fake and dangerous expectation that is detrimental to the happiness it purports to bring. When a women is told that it is easy to get an abortion, that she can do it herself from the ‘comfort’ of her own home, she is told that her unborn child is utterly disposable. It is implied that to foster any kind of emotion over it is irrational and weak. This goes along with the traditional narrative of abortion, that its something that women do to be successful, to be free, to be modern. In fact it is simply another form of oppression. It tells women their success is predicated only on their economic value to society, on their ability to become as male as possible. By denying their life giving potential with the help of a couple of pills their lives can remain ordered and efficient and society need not concern itself with the ‘inconvenience’ of another child to raise.
During lockdown abortion has increased by 25 percent and there have been numerous reports of a massive increase in domestic violence, with the UN describing it as a ‘second pandemic’. This emergency law then is massively irresponsible and enables abusers to control their victims more easily than ever.
The consequences of this law need to be scrutinised and it is up to us to ensure they are. It is likely that supporters of the bill will attempt to have it drafted into common law once the emergency period is over. Already Right to Life has a campaign set up for writing to your MPs – you can participate here.
DIY medical abortions are a danger to the unborn, to women and to the fabric of a society that is already moving towards a false economy of convenience and comfort over reality, suffering and humanity. Let’s make sure they are kept out of our permanent law.
If you or someone you know has been affected by abortion then professional, confidential counselling is available from the following services:
