Complications from Abortions (Annual Report) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 16 of 2024–25
The Complications from Abortions (Annual Report) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Moylan (Conservative). It is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 13 December 2024. It would require the secretary of state to publish an annual report on complications from abortions in England.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) publishes annual statistics on abortion, including the rate of complications, based on information that abortion providers are required to report through the abortion notification system. However, there are limitations with this data. In November 2023, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities published analysis comparing the abortion complication rate indicated by the abortion notification system data with that indicated by hospital episode statistics, a separate data source. The Conservative government said this was a one-off analysis. Lord Moylan has said that the purpose of the bill is to require a similar report to be published annually.