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Chapter 34 - Abortion Training and Integration in the United Kingdom

from Section IV - Reproductive Health Services & Abortion Training: Global Examples

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2021

By
Patricia A. Lohr  and
Lesley Regan
Edited by
Uta Landy ,
Philip D Darney  and
Jody Steinauer
Uta Landy
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
Philip D Darney
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
Jody Steinauer
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
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Summary

Abortion has been legal in England, Scotland and Wales since 1967 when the Abortion Act was passed. The Act did not extend to Northern Ireland and abortion there has been highly restricted. Around 200,000 abortions are performed in Britain each year. In law, only doctors may authorize or perform abortions, but aspects of care can be delegated to other members of a healthcare team. Nearly three-quarters of abortions in the country are undertaken medically, a service mainly delivered by nurses and midwives. There are learning outcomes for abortion care in undergraduate medical education curricula and for post-graduate training in obstetrics and gynecology and community sexual and reproductive health care. However, a waning sense of responsibility by gynecologists to provide abortion care and, in England, a shift of abortion services away from National Health Service hospitals where training occurs to independent clinics, has resulted in fewer opportunities for practical exposure, role-modeling and mentorship. Formal education in abortion care for nurses and midwives is limited; most undertake professional development while working in an abortion service. Medical, nursing and midwifery colleges throughout the United Kingdom are actively working on improving the status of education in abortion care.

Keywords

Abortion in WalesEnglandScotlandPost Graduate Training of GynecologistsNational Health ServiceIndependent ClinicsSexual and Reproductive Health Care
Type
Chapter
Information
Advancing Women's Health Through Medical Education
A Systems Approach in Family Planning and Abortion
 , pp. 336 - 343
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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