We have to break the mould of the way abortions are carried out here

Ann Furedi, of the BPAS

Speedier abortions

Ann Furedi, of the BPAS, said the UK was increasingly looking to the US for new methods to meet targets.

She said the US made greater use of the abortion pill, used for pregnancies of up to nine weeks, meaning women spent less time in hospital.

She said methods such as this would need to be more commonly used in the UK to ensure speedier abortions.

"We have to break the mould of the way abortions are carried out here. We need to educate women about the options that are available."

She said more and more women were demanding a speedier service and were reluctant to spend longer in hospital than necessary.

"Women want abortions that are convenient to slot into their lives. They want to be able to come into the clinic and to be able to be treated and to be able to leave within a couple of hours."

Late abortions

At its conference, at the Royal Society of Medicine, London, on Wednesday, the BPAS will hear from a number of American experts about abortion services in the US.

But Professor David Grimes, of the University of North Carolina, warned that offering earlier abortions would not rule out the need for later abortions.

He said that although the US offered abortions within a week of a woman asking for one, there was still a large number of requests for second trimester abortions.

In the US up to 10% of all abortions are carried out between 12 and 22 weeks, mainly for disadvantaged women.

But he said it was vital women wanting an abortion were offered them as soon as possible.

"Delays are themselves unethical."

Time to reflect

Jack Scarisbrick, national chairman of the charity Life, said his organisation was diametrically opposed to any plans to cut the time it took for a woman to have an abortion.

He said women needed time to think and reflect on what they were doing and that rushing them through on an abortion "conveyor belt" would not give them this time.

"What women want is the chance to calm down they need to have more space. We want the abortion industry to wither away because that is what is best for women."