An abortion is a procedure to end a...

Abortion is legal in the UK.

Another name for an abortion is a...

If somebody is considering an abortion, they must speak to a GP or pregnancy advice service as soon as possible.

An abortion can occur through...

Abortion

﻿Hello, I'm Mrs. O'Neill. And thank you so much for joining me today. This unit is all about intimate relationships with a focus on pregnancy and parenting, and this lesson about abortion. This lesson does contain elements of sex education and it might be a sensitive topic to you. So we recommend checking with a trusted adult before starting or doing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby. For this lesson you are going to need an exercise book or a piece of paper, so something to write on and something to write with. Hopefully you've already done our introduction quiz. If you haven't, just exit the video for a moment, pop back and do that first. And then come back to me to continue the lesson. The first bit of knowledge we're going to cover today is the Abortion Act of 1967 and its subsequent amendments. We're going to look at the law before and after 24 weeks of pregnancy. And we're going to consider the support available for individuals and couples who may be considering abortion. Let's look at our keywords for today. So, the term abortion. It's a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses either medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or the foetus from the uterus. A termination is another word often used to describe an abortion. So true or false? Ending a pregnancy through abortion is always a surgical procedure. Please point to the screen now. Let's check the answer. It is indeed false because a medical abortion is different to a surgical abortion. A medical abortion involves taking medicine or tablets that will end or terminate the pregnancy. But medical abortion is not available in all circumstances and can only be used in early pregnancy. Let's now look at the law around abortion with the Abortion Act of 1967. And there've been several amendments to that law in the years since 1967 that still now apply today. So we're making decisions about pregnancy. The choices people can legally make in relation to pregnancy are as follows. To either continue with the pregnancy. To consider adoption or fostering where the child will be given to the care of other adults who have been vetted and they'd been looked at and considered appropriate parents for the child. Or abortion within the provisions of the law. No matter what that decision, it's really important to get support from a health professional if there's any concern around pregnancy or the need for help and advice. And there are many nonjudgmental, local and national organisations who will give confidential support such as NHS Services and charities such as British Pregnancy Advice Service, Marie Stopes, Brook, and Shelter. Thinking about the options for somebody who is pregnant. One of these options is illegal. Which one is illegal? To consider adoption or fostering. To arrange to give the baby away in return for payment. Abortion within the provisions of the law. Or to continue with the pregnancy. Please point to the screen to the option that you believe is illegal, do that now. Let's see if you're right. Okay, to arrange to give the baby away in return for payment is indeed illegal. A later lesson in this unit, we'll look at something called surrogacy, which we'll discuss where there is an agreement to have a baby, and for that baby to be given to a set of parents, to read another set of parents is a really complicated issue. And when we look at surrogacy, we will discuss the idea of payment. But even in cases of surrogacy, payment is illegal. You're only allowed to cover the expenses of the pregnant person, not as a payment, as a direct payment, in terms of them profiting from having a baby for somebody. So a complex area that we'll come back to in future lessons. But yes, if you're pregnant and to give that baby away for money is illegal. So the 1967 Abortion Act and subsequent amendments states that an abortion must be approved by two medical practitioners. Carried out at an NHS hospital or an establishment approved by government. So that might be a clinic that has been set up to perform abortions, but it has to be obviously, a licenced, approved medical setting. Now, these requirements of there being two medical practitioners do not apply when a registered medical practitioner is of the opinion that the abortion is immediately necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. So in an emergency situation where it is felt by a medical professional that to save that woman's life or to prevent long-term injury, whether that be physical or mental, then an abortion can be performed without the agreement of a second medical practitioner. Only in those emergency circumstances. So two medical practitioners must approve the request for an abortion in most cases. Is that true or false? Please point to the screen now. Indeed, that is true. The only exception is when a medical practitioner is of the opinion that the immediate abortion is necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant woman or to prevent permanent injury. So let's look at the law, both before and after 24 weeks pregnant, because there is a distinction at that point in pregnancy. Let's start with a question, see if you know the answer to this. Do you know how many weeks in total a full term pregnancy lasts for? Is it 30 weeks, 35 weeks, 40 weeks, or 45 weeks? Point the right to answer. Have a guess if you're not sure. It's 40, well done if you got that right. So whether we informally say nine months pregnant, that is quite a loose term. And 40 weeks is considered a full term pregnancy. Medically speaking, actually at 38 weeks, there is also a classification of a full term. However, 40 weeks is the full length of a full term expected pregnancy. But not all pregnancies will go to full term. It doesn't mean at the end of the 40th week exactly, we can expect the baby to come along. And 40 weeks is what's expected, but many pregnancies will go even longer than 40 weeks, in some cases, although doctors will normally intervene after 42 weeks. And many pregnancies are shorter. Now, up to the 24th week of pregnancy, abortions are allowed if the pregnancy poses the risk to the physical or mental health of a woman or her existing children, or it is risky for the woman to continue with the pregnancy rather than have an abortion. So if in any way, somebody who is pregnant believes that their pregnancy poses a risk to either their physical or mental health, then they may seek advice and may seek consultation over having an abortion. And it will be legal for that abortion to take place if the two doctors, as we talked about before, agree on that situation being right for the woman. After 24 weeks of pregnancy, the law is different, because only in some circumstances would the law allow for an abortion. Those circumstances where the law allows for an abortion after 24 weeks are if it is needed to prevent grave permanent injury to the pregnant woman's physical or mental health. Or that continuing with the pregnancy puts the woman's life at greater risk than having an abortion. So in a nutshell, it's in quite extreme circumstances where abortions after 24 weeks are permitted. An additional criteria here is that there's a substantial risk. If there's a substantial risk that the child, if it were born, would suffer from serious physical or mental abnormalities. And that's discovered after the 24 weeks of pregnancy or if it's been discovered before, but it's taken some time to process and think about what that information means. Then after 24 weeks of pregnancy, an abortion would be allowed in that situation. So onto our next task. We are going to fill in the gaps within this paragraph. I'd like you to pause the video. I'd like you to copy out the paragraph. And where you get to a gap on the screen as you are copying, you're going to fill that gap with one of the words from the bottom of the screen. You're going to need to select the correct word. When you're ready to do that task, press pause. And press play when you have completed it, thank you. Thank you so much for rejoining me. Let's now have a look at the-- Thank you for rejoining me. Let's go through the answers. So for abortion before and after 24 weeks. Abortions are allowed up to the 24th week of pregnancy if there is risk to the physical or mental health of a woman or her existing children. Or if there is greater risk to the woman if she remains pregnant than not. The law allows an abortion after 24 weeks when it is needed to prevent permanent injury to the woman's physical or mental health, her life is at risk by not having an abortion, or there is a substantial risk that if the child were born, it would suffer from serious physical or mental abnormalities. Hopefully you got most of those answers correct. If not, simply amend your own answers. Well done for giving it a go. So let's now think about the support that is available if considering an abortion. It's so important people get support if they're considering an abortion so they can make an informed choice, get the medical and emotional support they need, and get that help in time if they decide to go ahead with an abortion. And as I said at the start of the lesson, there are many non-judgemental local and national organisations who can give the confidential support that's needed, such as the NHS, charities, BPAS, Marie Stopes, Brook, and Shelter. Shelter, particularly if there's an issue with housing and that's maybe a concern around bringing a new life into the world, whether or not your housing situation, your economic situation is something that would affect that decision. Shelter will offer a lot of support there. So there are several reasons why it's so important to get support from a local or national organisation if considering an abortion. Please identify the correct reasons from the list that now appears on the screen. So pause the video. Jot down the correct reasons for getting that support if considering an abortion. Then press play when you've completed the task and are ready to resume, thank you. Thank you for rejoining me. Let's see if your answers match mine. It's really important to get that support to make an informed choice, to get the medical help in time, to get the medical support and emotional support, and that is, of course, non-judgemental. Well done if you got those correct, or even if you got some of them incorrect, fantastic. So support from local or national organisations such as the British Pregnancy Advice Service, Marie Stopes and Brook will be non-judgemental and in confidence. Is that true or false? Point to the screen. It is indeed true. And if considering an abortion, organisations such as these will offer support in a nonjudgmental way and any details will remain confidential. So that brings us to our final reflection today. Why is it important to always seek support and advice if you or a partner has concerns about pregnancy? This is the same final reflection that you may recognise from our previous lesson about pregnancy signs, symptoms, and testing. And it's really important we revisit this question and think about it because you now, or your partner, at some point in the future, you yourself in the future, family member or friend may be in a situation where they find themselves pregnant and have worries, concerns, and are unsure about the steps that they need to take next. And knowing why support is important to get that emotional and to give that medical advice that's needed is really important. Please consider the importance of support. Keep that in the back of your mind should you ever need to call upon that in the future. Thank you so much for joining me today. Please don't forget to complete today's exit quiz. And I hope that you'll join me for the next lesson in this unit of work that's intimate relationships. Thank you, goodbye.

How many medical practitioners must agree to an abortion according to UK law?

Abortions are allowed up to the  .......... week of pregnancy in the UK.

An abortion may be performed after 24 weeks of pregnancy in the UK if...

The Abortion Act came into existence in the UK in...

There are several local and national pregnancy advice services who will offer support to anyone concerned about pregnancy. This support will be...

Approval by two medical practitioners (and exceptions to this rule)

The law before and after 24 weeks pregnant

Support available if considering abortion

This lesson will focus on the definition and legalities of abortion in the UK. It will also explain what support is available for somebody considering an abortion.

Lesson overview:Abortion

Core Content

Content guidance

Supervision Level

Intimate sexual relationships: Pregnancy and parenting: