According to the Royal College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (RCOG), women who have undergone abortions and are “deeply traumatized” are being prosecuted.
Patients’ data cannot legally be shared without their permission.
The new guidelines come in the wake of an increase in police inquiries concerning abortions.
Though these cases are uncommon, the RCOG advises women to seek medical attention when necessary.
Only when it is in the “public interest” can NHS employees violate confidentiality agreements to provide information to the police about potential crimes. Women who have abortions “never” serve the public interest, according to the RCOG, and they should be protected.
A healthcare professional must “justify” any disclosure of patient data or “face potential fitness to practice proceedings,” according to the first official guidelines of its kind.
According to the organization, it is “concerned” about the increased number of police inquiries that follow abortions and miscarriages and the potential impact on “especially vulnerable” patients.
The medical director of RCOG, Dr. Jonathan Lord, stated to the BBC: “A law that was intended to protect women is now being used against them.
“We just don’t think that would happen in other areas of healthcare. We have seen life-changing harm to women and their wider families as a direct result of NHS staff reporting women suspected of crimes.”
“We deal with the most vulnerable groups who may be concerned about turning to regulated healthcare at all, and we need them to trust us” .
According to Dr. Lord, some NHS employees may have given information to the police because they were “ignorant” of confidentiality laws.
