Americans who cannot access abortion should be offered free services in the UK, according to British doctors.
In an emergency debate in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to set aside the Roe v Wade ruling, the British Medical Association (BMA) agreed to put pressure on the UK government on the issue.
The statement was in response to the highly controversial move to end women’s legal right to abortion in the US. Currently, foreign patients can afford abortions in the UK.
Marina Politis, a medical student, proposed the motion on Wednesday: “Abortion is an essential health care … [some] cases, the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court is a death sentence.
“In other less risky pregnancies, this decision still eliminates an essential right of the individual to choose what happens to their own body.
“In the context of a hostile environment, we have seen rising rates of migrants. We must also provide care for safe abortion to all nationals seeking this in the UK, without subjecting them to advance rates of patients in the UK. ‘foreigner, and that must be regardless of the borders that go far beyond the United States.’
The motion was passed with 57% of doctors voting in favor of the clause calling for the UK to offer free abortions to all nationalities, 36% against and 7% abstaining.
Of the 80,000 women who receive abortions from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service each year, 4,000 are international patients.
Women whose governments do not cover the costs will pay between £ 480 and £ 1,510 for the consultation and procedure, depending on the method and how many weeks of pregnancy they have, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Speaking after the annual meeting of BMA representatives, Politis said she was “proud to see that our profession is committed to global reproductive rights.”
“It is of the utmost importance that we stand in solidarity with the American Medical Association and our American colleagues,” he told the Guardian. “The approval of this motion emphasizes that we do not support this dangerous erosion of reproductive rights, which is also an erosion of human rights.
“It is imperative that the approval of this motion be just the beginning and that this policy be enacted now.”
Members also agreed to publicly condemn the annulment of the Roe v Wade ruling and support American doctors who aborted. They called on the UK government to “strengthen itself [its] own abortion benefit ”.
Dr Lisa Egbert of the American Medical Association (AMA) said: “The AMA is grateful to the British Association for adding its voice by recognizing access to essential medical care as a fundamental human right.” .
Boris Johnson called the US court’s decision a “step backwards”, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also joined. to the widespread condemnation among world leaders. Joe Biden, the president of the United States, called the move a “tragic mistake.”