Safeguarding for reproductive coercion and abuse

During the debates around whether or not telemedical abortion could continue in the UK permanently, concerns were raised that this would increase the risk of coerced abortions. These concerns, often promoted by anti-abortion organisations,1 2 help draw attention to two linked issues. First, there has long been awareness about some of the risks of reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA), but the issue in the UK has not been widely explored. Second, the continuing stigmatisation of abortion leads to differential understanding and regulatory control from other reproductive healthcare services, such as maternity care.