Written questions, answers and statements

Abortion: Analgesics

Show full question

Question for Department of Health and Social Care

UIN 110128, tabled on 2 November 2020

Question

Mary Glindon
Labour
North Tyneside
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to ensure the use of direct fetal analgesia prior to late-term abortions.

This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.

Answer

Helen Whately
Conservative
Faversham and Mid Kent
Commons

Answered on

1 December 2020

The Department does not set clinical practice. To support clinical practice, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guidelines ‘The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion’ and ‘Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’, which are available at the following links:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/abortion-guideline_web_1.pdf

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/rcogfetalawarenesswpr0610.pdf

Answered by

Department of Health and Social Care
Named day
Named day questions only occur in the House of Commons. The MP tabling the question specifies the date on which they should receive an answer. MPs may not table more than five named day questions on a single day.