LONDON - Trials have been launched to see whether abortions can be carried out safely at GP surgeries in England, the Department of Health said on Wednesday.
Pilot schemes have begun at two unnamed hospitals to test whether early terminations, using so-called abortion pills can be carried out in "non-traditional settings".
"We are formally evaluating the safety and effectiveness of providing early medical abortion services in non-traditional settings, which in future, could be a community medical setting such as a doctor's surgery which has the appropriate medical expertise.
"The evaluation will be complete in the New Year and we will consider the results carefully before reaching a decision," a Department of Health spokeswoman said.
The law legalising abortions came into force in 1967 when there were some 20,000 abortions a year. Now there are around 200,000 abortions a year.
Pulse, a magazine for GPs, said the trials are being carried out in secret to avoid any disruption from pro-life campaigners. It said the scheme is part of a proposal to make abortion available closer to where women live.
However, some doctors were sceptical. Dr Fiona Cornish, a GP in Cambridge and treasurer of the Medical Women's Federation, said doctors would not want to take on the service because of time and funding constraints.
"We're already doing minor surgery, hospital follow-ups and family planning clinics," she told Pulse. "No doubt there would be no extra funding."
Abortion has recently returned as a political issue.
Last month, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee decided that the 24-week limit on abortions should be unchanged despite demands from campaigners for a reduction.
MPs said there was no scientific evidence to suggest that survival rates below the current cut-off point have improved, despite medical advances.
They also backed moves to make it easier for women to obtain an abortion, supporting proposals to remove the existing requirement for signatures from two doctors to approve the procedure.
The decision came as both the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Steel, one of the main architects of the 1967 Act, voiced concern that too many abortions are being carried out.
