by Ceren Sagir
Social affairs reporter

THE British Pregnancy Advisory Service raised concerns today about Therese Coffey’s appointment as health secretary, given her hard-line anti-abortion views.  

Ms Coffey, a Catholic who has also become deputy prime minister in Liz Truss’s new Cabinet, voted against same-sex marriage in 2013 and extending abortion rights to Northern Ireland in 2020.

She also opposed to making at-home abortion pills, introduced during the pandemic to allow safe treatments, permanently available in England and Wales.

Asked on Sky News about her stance on abortion, Ms Coffey said: “I’m conscious I have voted against abortion laws.

“What I will say is I’m the complete democrat and that is done, so it’s not that I’m seeking to undo any aspects of abortion laws.”

But the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said that having a health secretary “who would place their personal beliefs above expert clinical guidance is deeply concerning.”

While politicians are entitled to their own views on abortion, what mattered is whether their “personal convictions stand in the way of women’s ability to act on their own,” argued chief executive Clare Murphy.

She told the BBC that by voting to revoke access to at-home abortion care, Ms Coffey was going “against the advice of leading medical bodies, including Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives and the British Medical Association.

“Anti-abortion protest activity is escalating, with women and clinic staff facing intimidation while seeking to access and provide an NHS-funded service,” Ms Murphy pointed out.

“Every week, women with complex medical conditions are forced to continue pregnancies against their will because of a lack of appointments within NHS hospital settings.

“We need a health secretary who wants to improve access to a medical procedure that one in three women will need in their lifetime, not impose further restrictions.”