(Dis)proportionate Abortion Care Regulation and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Great Britain

Abstract Questions of proportionality have long been raised in relation to the regulation of abortion. Abortion is often subject to overregulation, and Great Britain is no exception. During the COVID-19 pandemic, wider public health measures exacerbated existing barriers to accessing abortion care in Great Britain. More than two years on, these changes have been made permanent but with an increased focus on the finer details and the introduction of guidelines that disproportionately limit the clinical judgment of providers. This chapter takes a chronological approach to examining the extent to which abortion regulation in Great Britain can be considered proportionate, though with a specific focus on the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. While more recent developments may represent movement in the right direction, the underlying disproportionate regulation of abortion care in Great Britain is rooted in abortion exceptionalism. As long as this view of abortion as distinct rather than routine healthcare continues, its regulation is likely to remain disproportionate.