Woman sues over abortion distress

A woman from the north of England is suing the NHS for not warning her of the distress she would suffer after having an abortion.

The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, suffered a serious breakdown after having an abortion four years ago.

In what is the first case of its kind in Britain, she says that she was not told about the serious physical and mental damage the termination would cause.

Life, the pro-life charity, said the decision to sue was "courageous".

The woman says that at the time of the abortion she thought she was doing something wrong, but afterwards managed to put the experience behind her and got on with her life.

Three years later she gave birth to a baby boy and it was after that she experienced intense feelings of guilt and self-hatred

She said: "I realised what I'd lost... I just felt near a nervous breakdown then, so I had to go to my GP to ask for help."

Tears

The GP told her the feelings she had were not uncommon among women who have had terminations and directed her to a counselling group.

"Probably the first six sessions I spent in tears while she listened and since then we've been working through things like guilt and forgiveness," she said.

"It helps a bit but I won't ever be the same."

The woman, who worked in the NHS herself, was struck by the fact that before she had the abortion, no mention was made of any possibility of an adverse psychological reaction.

She knew from her own experience that before any surgical procedure, patients have to be warned of side-effects so that they can give "informed consent".

She decided to try to mount a legal challenge, which will say the NHS was negligent in not warning her of the possible consequences.

She said: "I just want to make the NHS aware of the approach they have on the wards, just to let them know what women are going through, how serious it is and I think they need to do something about it."

Mental health 'benefits'

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published national guidelines in 2000 on what women who are to have an abortion should be told.

"I realised what I'd lost... I just felt near a nervous breakdown then, so I had to go to my GP to ask for help"

Plaintiff

These include a list of possible complications like haemorrhage, uterine perforation, cervical trauma, and post-abortion infection.

However, the College says it does not advise clinicians to raise the possibility of psychological problems.