Abortion access concerns for Brighton and Hove

Labour councillor Amanda Grimshaw said that she had received “disturbing feedback” that women could not access a local clinic if their pregnancy was beyond the nine-and-a-half-week limit to take medication.

Councillor Grimshaw told a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting that the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic, known as Wistons, in Dyke Road, Brighton, had closed after 40 years

She told a meeting of the full council at Hove Town Hall that Wistons closed after MSI Reproductive Choices won a tender for the contract.

She called on council officials to work with local healthcare partners to ensure that local abortion services were running efficiently and providing a local service to those who needed it.

Councillor Grimshaw said: “I called (MSI) today to inquire about how to access procedures and was told that if a pregnancy was under nine and half weeks, medication could come in the post. And if the pregnancy was over that length, then a visit to a clinic was needed.

Amanda Grimshaw

“I asked where these clinics were and was told due to a refurbishment, clients needing the service would need to go to either London or Maidstone.

“I ask today why a new provider of the service was procured when its clinic needed refurbishment? How long has the clinic in the city been closed? What sort of service is provided?

“I now relate the word told to me by a young woman in our city who unfortunately had to access these services six months ago with the new provider.

“(She said) they originally tried to send me to London because the BPAS centre that was up the Seven Dials has closed. They don’t do it there any more. Their closest clinic is in London.

“The only one that operates now is the one up the County Oak Medical Centre, but it’s the only one in Brighton so trying to get an appointment is hard.

“You have to wait weeks. They sent me up to London to have a scan to see how far I was. I was literally there five minutes.

“I don’t understand why. They could have just seen me in Brighton. The service was terrible.”

Councillor Grimshaw said that having a termination was not an easy decision but should be a supported and efficient procedure.

She added: “Long waits, visits to London, a complete lack of flexibility and closed clinics is not what I want to see in our city.

“Our residents deserve better – and our services should be a beacon of light and inspiration for others across the UK and the world.

“While we look to the world and other areas of the UK, surely we must ensure our own house is in order as a priority to our residents.”

Councillor Grimshaw, who has previously spoken about her experiences as a domestic abuse survivor, shared her experience of attending the BPAS clinic and noticing how many other women had arrived from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Her comments came as councillors debated abortion rights and agreed to support women’s right to choose, including the Alliance for Choice in Northern Ireland and the Abortion Support Network.

They were debating a motion proposed by Green councillor Marianna Ebel.

MSI Reproductive Choices said that the County Oak clinic was open but that its site in Preston Road was being refurbished and would reopen on Monday, August 1.

MSI’s clinical services matron for Sussex, Rebecca Goldsmith, said: “While the Brighton centre premises were closed, we have continued to provide pre-assessment appointments, post-operative appointments and consultations from our four other clinics across Sussex.

“We also provide surgical abortion at several clinics for those requiring it, with all travel and accommodation costs for clients and anyone accompanying them covered by MSI.”

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