I had an Early Medical Abortion about 3 months ago now, and I recall it with perfect detail. I was assured by the nurse that the pain would be like bad period pains. I've never been in so much pain in my life. They didnt tell me I would see anything, and they certainly didnt tell me how much blood there was going to be.
I was completely horrified. I saw everything, and I did it all alone. My boyfriend couldnt get the time off work, as we had discovered my pregnancy less than a week before, and I had been adamant that if I was later than 9 weeks, the baby was staying. Partly because I knew it could feel after 9 weeks, partly because I was terrified of having surgery.
So he dropped me at his place, so my parents wouldn't guess what was going on, and he went to work. I threw up because I couldnt believe what I was doing. I would tell anyone who got pregnant to keep it, or go for surgery. It was the single most terrifying and grieving ordeal of my life, and i was totally alone.

G, Coventry, England

I have had an abortion. The appointments with doctors before hand were shocking - I was treated like an object that had to be dealt with rather than a human being. My choice was definitely not an informed one - no counselling was even offered. I saw it as my only option. I didn't want to be pregnant, and NHS was happy to help me stay in denial - no ultrasound. Both I and the medical staff wanted it over ASAP.

I now regret the abortion every day of my life, especially now that I know about how early the development happens - it's not a 'bunch of cells' like so many friends told me to think of it at the time.

I was lucky that I had a very supportive partner, I would not have wanted to go through it alone. I got very upset on the day and the nurses were a great support.

I don't think the 'at home' thing bothers me as much as if it meant you were alone. But if we're 'pro-choice' and it is safe to do at home (as is giving birth), then should be given choice of home or hospital/clinic

Laura, Scotland,

Good for you, India. Abortion, particularly home abortion, suits governments. It saves money in the short term. But, whether or not you believe life is eternal, it puts an end to babies' lives on earth, and breaks women's hearts (and sometimes men's). We should be building a society where every single baby is welcome.
And educators should make crystal clear the difference between contraception and abortion. Contraception does not kill human life.

Fiona cullen-Skowronski, Hastings, UK

Vicki - It is clear from her article that India Knight has never herself experienced a home abortion, but has nevertheless set out to rubbish the whole idea.
She is doing a great disservice to women by using such scare tactics, and is being neither sympathetic nor helpful.
Women faced with such a difficult decision are entitled to information which is accurate, unbiased and much more rationally and fairly presented than this.
Properly informed freedom of choice is the crucial factor. The pressure groups I was having a go at earlier are trying to restrict that freedom of choice.
Many would re-criminalise most abortion - if they could.
I certainly have no criticism of women facing unwanted pregnancy, whatever the circumstances.
They need the best care and attention that medical science can offer.

Dave, Southampton, UK

Women already take the abortion pill at home. I did. There is quite a bit of pain involved - like very bad period cramps. I'm glad I could have it at home, was easier to deal with as I could roll around on my bed and get a hot water bottle - easy access to bathroom etc... Practially it would have been more uncomfortable at hospital, however would have been comforting to have nurses/ doctors nearby, and to meet other women going through the same experience. As for the foetus going down the pan - well that would happen at hospital as well and I think if you've decided to have an abortion you realise that you are expelling a foetus and that fact cannot be changed whereever you have it.

This type of abortion is known as an early medical and given at less than 8 weeks - the feotus is the size of a grain of rice. What can be seen in the toilet is the amniotic sac ( a small lump) - not the foetus.

Sophie, london, uk

all very sad about all those missed lives and missed dreams and opportunities, geniuses awaiting their chances to help improve things

mcc, geneve,

I thought that the entire purpose of the 1967 Abortion Act was to abolish the evils, squalor and danger of the 'Back-Street' Abortions.

But, at least home abortions will mitigate the danger of the customery free gifts from British hospitals - the dangers of MRSA, C-diff, typhus, dissentry..... (Bubonic Plague will soon be back - I wonder what its new name will be)

How times have changed !

Brian Vallance, LEFKIMMI, Greece

Dave - Royal College of Obstetricians are not psychologists, they are not about to talk about the emotional implications which contrary to your beliefs do matter. I am starting to wonder whether you understand the article. Knight is not arguing against "takeaway pills" because of the dangers and hygene worries involved, she is talking more about how the woman will feel and the differences between abortions at home and at hospital according to that. I hate to say this but it seems like you are being ignorant and calling it "hysteria" safe in the knowledge that this will never affect you. however this also means that you will never really know how it feels and snide comments like that suggest you do not put yourself in other peoples shoes before making your comment. you should try doing that.

Vicki, london, england

I'd far rather do it at home in my nice clean cosy bathroom than in a filthy hospital.
I had two operations under local anesthetic so I could recover at home because after the first one (which went badly wrong which is why I needed further ones) was done under a general and I had to stay in hospital I refused to do it again. And that was a private hospital. You are not getting me in an NHS one unless I'm too out of it to be able to run away.

Thalia, London,

I agree with the author - in University I had many friends who confided in me about their abortions. Some tried to convince me it was for the best but they couldn't couldn't even convince themselves. One friend showed me the scars on her wrist from a suicide attempt after an abortion at 18. Old enough to have sex but not old enough to understand what a foetus really is - a baby! More money should be spent not only on educating against sexual diseases but to show everyone no matter what age that sex is primarily a way of creating new life. Unless you can accept the responsibility of accidently becoming pregnant you should not have sex. Harsh - yes but not as harsh as trying to kill yourself after realising you killed your baby.

Helen, England, UK

Why did the author feel that opening her article with a two pragraph rant against men would help her argument ? I think you'll find that men receive the same level of care as women when they go into hospital, there are no hospitals that I'm aware of that roll out the red carpet when a bloke walks in and pulls it out from under the feet of women. This pointless anti-men stance devalues her whole article.
I agree with the views above that it should be up to the women concerned how and where they deal with the issue of abortion and the emotional trauma attached to the procedure. It certainly shouldn't be up to some pontificating middle class sexist twit to decide what is best.

John Archibald, Edinburgh,

I totally agree that women deserve the dignity and safety of the hospital because losing a pregnancy breakes you physically, mentally and emotionally.

I have had to endure 2 miscarriages within the past 6 months and they are life shattering.

The 1st. one took place at the hospital and I had the reassurance that, should something go wrong, at least they had all the necessary equipment to keep me alive. The nurses were OK and my husband was by my side till I fell asleep, then surgical procedure took place. When I woke up, I was by my husband's side. I felt empty but I didnt see anything so it was not so traumatic.

The 2nd. time took place at home, unexpectedly. It was dreadful. The cramps, the bleeding, the pain. It was unbearable, I thought I would die. Then, my baby came out and I saw the whole thing and it broke my heart.

My husband woke up and took me to hospital and they gave me morphine for the pain but I sincerely hope nobody has to go through that at home alone.

Anna, Surrey, UK

To clarify, an early medical abortion is only available in the first 8 weeks of a pregnancy and the effect is like a heavy period. Are you suggesting that women should be hospitalised for a week until the 'abortion' is finished. Your entire piece hinges on the difference between taking a pill in a clinic or taking a pill at home - NOT the difference between an abortion in a clinic or an abortion at home.
There is no noticible difference between this early abortion and a period and virtually all patients abort at home already.
Secondly, the second pill is not swallowed.
Thirdly, there are plenty of women who make this decision and are glad they did and always believe it to have been the right one for them. Just because you may find it more acceptable to think we have all made a mistake we will live to regret does not make it true.

claire, belfast,

I agree with the small part of this article which seems to be saying that we need to take care when it comes to "making abortion easy" by allowing women to take away pills to abort in the comfort of their own home. Inevitably there could be consequeces which are unforeseen which would be capable of being dealt with in a hospital/medical environment. I do however find Ms Knight's tone to be condescending and insulting. Personally I have had 2 abortions and I do not appreciate a ranting obnoxious woman lecturing about her ideas about the "kinds of people" who have abortions when she clearly has no idea what its like to feel the need to have one, or to understand the anguish that every woman who has one feels. Seeing as Ms Knight clearly has no idea about the reality of what an abortion entails, why is the Times allowing her to lecture us on the "brutal truth" of it? She seems to lack the crucial point in her article the "DIY abortion" is about choice, not cost cutting.

Sarah, London,

How easy it is to pop people into neat categories, India! Do you really think that those seeking abortion are either scared young girls, exhausted already-parents or heartless flibbertigibbets? What about those who do not want children, or who feel that they could not offer a child a decent life, or whose partner is unreliable, and who make a difficult decision with reason and care?

As for home vs hospital, in the absence of medical risk I will take my home any day of the week, along with its privacy, its cleanliness and its freedom from judgemental staff and patients.

Gayle Ronald, Birmingham, UK

These procedures and all the number of abortions that occur in the world will, in the future, be seen like the killing of seals when they are crawling to the sea, which nowadays causes scandal. It's astonishing to see that after decades of the contraceptive pill there still exists this primitive method. A foetus is a human being, even more, an innocent and defenceless one, and most countries have signed to defend the human rights.

maria, Santiago, Chile

This column should be compulsory reading for teenage boys in sex-ed classes.

I had no idea what an abortion really entailed (I'm a well educated 24 year old single male who has never got anyone pregnant) - of course, there is an awareness amongst young males that abortion is 'bad' and 'a last resort', but this insight into the personal aspect of abortion for women is pretty uncomfortable stuff to read.

In general, I find that means that it should be read....

Cheers, India.

Tom Clark, Cambridge, UK

Tom Clark, Cambridge, UK

Dr Hans-Christian Raabe - I was assuming, I think correctly, that members of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists would be appropriately qualified and would therefore be in an authoritative position to accurately assess the balance of risks involved.
The Channel 4 programme I referred to is on Wednesday, 17th October - my apologies for the "typo".

Dave, Southampton, UK

I resent the fact that India Knight assumes that all women who have abortions have them because they want to have them. What about girls and young women from very traditional backgrounds who simply cannot imagine telling their parents that they are pregnant out of wedlock, or those for whom such an announcement could mean death? You may be surprised to know that there are more of these women than you might think. In other cases, some women's husbands or partners prevail upon them to have abortions. Not everyone is brave enough or feels that she has enough support to go against pressure from family.

Georgina Kosanovic, Canterbury, UK

I think women should be aware of what to expect with a medical abortion, and given that information, they should be able to make the decision on where is best for them.

Naomi, Hull, UK

They're not trying to throw tablets at women and send them home. The RCOG, RCN and FPA (all of whom I trust far further than an obviously pro-life columnist) have suggested that this could be a possibility, an option, something women can choose if they think it would make a difficult time more bearable. This isn't the NHS saving pennies, these are alternatives for women in a tough position, their health being the core consideration. To take this and spin it into a pro-life diatribe, mis-represent the situation horribly, adding a dash of misandry into the bargain, THAT is a brutality - of truth and of respect for women.

Scott Lamb, London, England

women should have the choice at hospital or home

Ceris, nottingham,

As a man with women friends who have had abortions, I can confirm that abortion is never easy or pleasant for a woman. Just as in the article, one friend once said to me "he would be 14 now". People who think that any woman can have a light-hearted attitude to one of the most agonising decisions that a human being can make are being both blind and cruel.

JF, Canterbury, UK

Abortion is murder. No Compromise.

Peter Woods, Congleton, England

What a chip you've got on your shoulder, Mrs Knight. Luckily not all women agree with the rubbish in your first paragraph.

Clothilde Simon, Leeds,

If men gave birth the whole thing would just be ignored while women monopolised the media with whatever other special pleading they cooked up to take its place.

Redcliffe, Redcliffe,

Re. your "three groups" of women who have abortions: what absolute rubbish. The only possibilities are to be young, already a mother or feckless? What about women who are not young, don't have children, and don't want children, and who do use contraception but are just unlucky, since no method is 100% safe? There are a lot of them about, you know. Being 40 doesn't always mean being desperate for a child, and in my opinion women who really, really want children have already had them by that age.

Helene, Strasbourg, France

You're a good writer - avoid the man bashing. Your first paragraph will lose half your readership. There is at least an argument that the DIY pill will empower women by enabling them to have an abortion without being in the hands of the (still mostly male) medical profession throughout.

I personally don't agree with it - not every woman will want to see the remains of her foetus. Howver, if this brings the messy reality of abourtion home to some women - and those supportive men who stay around to see the consequences of their actions - then this pill can do some good.

SR, Solihull, England

Given that male specific diseases like prostate cancer are in reality disgracefully underfunded relative to women's diseases like breast cancer, I think the evidence suggests that if men gave birth they'd be expected to do it in a communal room with one mid-husband shared between eight blokes and one aspirin every four hours.

David Space, London, UK

Dave - why trust the Royal College of Obstetricians? "home abortion" is essentially medical abortion using mifepristone (RU486). In North America, there have been at least 5 cases of young and otherwise healthy women dying of the complications of medical abortion. In the UK, there have been 2 deaths associated with medical abortion.
I recently came across a paper by a US gynaecologist (he does not strike me as "pro-life") who thinks that medical abortion has ten times the mortality (risk of dying) than surgical abortion.
But whatever the method, abortion has more adverse physical and emotional effects than the Royal College wants to acknowledge,
all of course in my humble opinion....

Dr Hans-Christian Raabe, Manchester, UK

Congratulations India ,at last someone with the grit to speak the truth about what happens in an abortion of this kind ,are we as a Nation at last realising the terrible damage that has been done by abortion to people both mentally and physically ? Not counting the millions of babies not allowed to live ?

wendy walker , luton beds , uk

This article may have something useful to say. But I am just not going to read something that starts with "If men gave birth, they would get four poster beds ....

There are plenty of nasty diseases that affect only men, and the services and facilities in place to treat them are no better or worse than any other. In fact for all sorts of reasons these conditions have a much lower profile than say breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Ludicrous claims about how good men have it do not aid your argument, whatever it is.

Nick, France,

It's very easy to drum up hysteria over an emotive subect like abortion - Channel 4 will be doing so next Wednesday (14th October).
But when it comes to deciding whether or not home abortion is safe, I'd rather believe the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists than a lobby of drum-beating publicity seekers.

Dave, Southampton, UK

India should perhaps sort out her own emotional difficulties before presuming to lecture others on how to live their lives.

Hilly, Birmingham, England

If men were able to give birth, they would turn up at the doctors with about 2 weeks to go. They would have Googled the symptoms and decided that it was either a beer belly or preganancy.

Andy Smith, Telford,

My niece, who lives in the UK was recently told that her baby had died in her womb. The doctor then told her to go home and wait for the dead foetus to abort itself. He gave ne no drugs to induce the abortion, and no indication of when the process might start.At which my neice became very upset.
My sister, her mother, insisted that the daughter be given some support, and so she was admitted the same day, in the evening and was induced.The staff were extremely kind and supportive.
Another friend who had lost her baby in the womb was
made to walk around in the hospital with a weighted belt around her abdomen to force the baby to be torn away from the uterine wall and ejected.
I found this information to be almost unbelievablly horrrifying, Is the NHS trying to save money by denying these women the drugs that would end this nightmare? Is it so hard up that it can't this awful business?

Margaret Redding, Ottawa, Ontario Canada

The decision to have an abortion is harrowing to say the least.

To then have to physically deal with this alone would be immense mental cruelty for some women.

ladybird, london,

Having had three miscarriages, I can honestly say that the two that occurred at home had less trauma attached to them than the one in hospital. The emotional impact is reduced where more normalcy prevails. I am pretty sure that if I had to make the choice, I would prefer to take the abortion pill in the comfort of my own home.

Mary Stanley, Chester, England

How does somebody so ignorant hold down a job ?

If women (such as Ms Knight) were equal to men they would have all the luxuries the NHS only provides for blokes.

Paul Mckenna, London, London

Almost all of the MPs voting on such an issue will have private health care.

On the grounds that since they're not affected by any NHS health decision they make, how come they're allowed to have an opinion?

Same goes for private education...

Bill Bird, Wallasey, Wirral

My last pregnancy ended 14 years ago with the flush of a toilet: naturally - I wasn't even sure I was pregnant, but within 30 minutes I was sure I wasn't. This denied me the chance to "bury" something, and although at the time I wasn't that bothered, as years passed I've changed my mind. I would have liked to mourn the passing of my fertility.

Chris, Here, UK

Well, India, what is your problem with men? The opening paragraph is blatantly sexist and contributes nothing to the rest of the discussion.

Every month every fertile and non-pregnant female has a period, with the ensuing headaches, cramps, mood changes etc. I doubt whether the effects of "misoprostol" will be all that dissimilar. And if you want to elect to stay in hospital, then go private... You have the choice.

Bob Punder, Stevenage,

i had an abortion myself i was 15 and way too young for a baby but if i hadnt been in a hospital all be it 100 miles away from home i would have been distraught to the extreme, other people stop you breaking down we cant allow women in later pregnancy to "flush" a feotus it would destroy far to many womens lives

Gemma, Hampshire,

Very well said, India. I agree completely that it is demeaning to take this to a new low level.

Frank Keegan, Alderley Edge,

If I was a foetus, I'd rather have a flush funeral in my own home than that vacuum cleaner thing they have in hospitals.

I bet you've never even had an abortion!

M.Nogueira, Ipswich, Suffolk

I dont see a problem with the takeaway pill as long is it is used soon after the pregnancy - it is unlikely to have much of an effect different from a heavy period. However for later abortions then hospital attention may be preferable.

And it really is up to the individual how they feel about it. I am not sure I understand how the pros and cons are a matter for discussion. Flushing the loo is not a problem given that the fetus at an early stage is a mass of barely differentiated cells. Often a delayed heavy period IS an abortion/miscarriage and we dont get into a fuss about it.

There are far more important and apalling things going on in the world that get hardly the amount of attention they deserve.

And girls? We are actually much tougher than we think. Celebrate it.

NR, Bristol, UK

Very well said. Women deserve better than this. Much, much better.

Toby, Bedford,

I think the author has a point, and some of it hinges on how old one is at the time ... when I was 20 something, the privacy of home might have been a good thing, and the detachment have helped me deal with (or not deal with) the event. But if I were older and especially if I had had the experience of motherhood, then doing the deed alone, in the bathroom, would make it all the more terrible. Now in my mid 50's, the world looks a good deal different, and children and life all the more precious. Sian (above) is the 'get on with it' practical type, it sounds, as I would have been at a younger age. Just as different women have different needs, so does the same woman at different ages have different needs. So the system shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all -- because we are not ourselves all the same.

J. Caffey, California, usa

Increased time spent in the hospital equals an increase in your hospital bill. This would just seem to work out to more babies for those who can't afford them and less for those that can. It seems very clear to me that you are removed from the poverty and desperation that is inherent in these situations. I understand your point and know that there is no way for you to experience the troubles that poverty can provide but realize that people will find ways to do what they need to do and public safety should rank above your rational that aborting at home is cold and uncivilized.

Henry Jones, My Town,

Never in our history have there been so many women MP's. Women have never before been so well represented in Parliament. Unfortunately these women MP's are betraying women in our society by not demanding the needs of women. Yes, men still make the decisions in society and generally still to the benefit of men but that will change ONLY when change is forced. Women in Parliament should stop trying to curry favour with your male bosses by not raising womens issues. There has been so little progress on womens issues you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Kevin Murphy, Birmingham, United Kingdom

What makes you think an abortion in hospital is less traumatic than an abortion in the privacy and quiet of your own home, potentially with a partner, girlfriend, sister or significant other holding your hand rather than a disinterested nurse?

My wife recently had a miscarriage. And believe me, the experience would have been less traumatic for both of us if we hadn't had to go to hospital.

Malcolm, London, UK

If I had to take that pill, I'd rather take it at home, be able to sort out my homelife and appreciate what I have, to not have to stay out all day and explain it all, and to go through something difficult in the safety of my home and the bosom of my family. I'm not at all sure why, just because you can't cope with the realities of it ACTUALLY being part of your real life, you feel that the rest of us should be denied a practical, convenient, and reassuring way of dealing with a bad experience.
This is how I, as a woman, would rather deal with it. You, as a woman, should at least give me the respect of acknowledging my right to make my own choices.

Sian Evans, Hawick,

It may be obscene but its also cheap and while the brits allow bean counters to run medicine and mistrust doctors because the government tells them to - then TOUGH.

dr ob, newcstle, australia