If you have had unprotected sex, there is a chance you may be pregnant. First, you need a confirmation of the pregnancy. You can get a pregnancy test from:

  your doctor
  a family planning clinic - you can find your nearest family planning clinic in a phone book, GP's offices, health centres and local health authority
  Brook Advisory Services

NOTE: If you use a home pregnancy test, make sure you follow up with a confirmation by a professional.

If you are pregnant, you have three choices:

1 - Carry the pregnancy to full term and keep the baby
2 - Carry the pregnancy to full term and give the baby up for adoption
3 - Terminate the pregnancy/have an abortion

The choice will be very personal and there are outlets for support and information if you require them.

Some questions you may want to ask yourself are:

How do I feel about this pregnancy?
Do I want to have a baby at this point in my life?
How will a baby affect my studies? My career?
What will I need for accommodation/housing?
Do I have support from partner/family/friends?
What is my financial situation?

Continuing With the Pregnancy
If you decide to continue with the pregnancy, you'll need information on options surrounding your courses, finances and health.

If you need information about your courses, see your course tutor, a Student Welfare Adviser or a counsellor. You can also approach your student union.

USEFUL CONTACTS

Citizens Advice Bureaus (CABs) can provide information on benefits. To find a CAB near you, you can go to:

The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux

For Information On Adoption And Fostering
British Agencies for Adoption & Fostering
Skyline House, 200 Union Street London SE1 0LX, England

Telephone 020 7593 2000
email mail@baaf.org.uk

Termination of Pregnancy / Abortion
It is estimated that one in three women will undergo an abortion during her lifetime. Each year, over 160,000 women have abortions in Britain.

Abortion is legal until the 24th week of pregnancy with the consent of two doctors. After the 24th week, an abortion can be performed only if the life of the woman is in danger or if there is an abnormality with the foetus.

It is best to deal with the problem promptly and early without delays. Performed early in pregnancy, especially at under twelve weeks, an abortion is a relatively safe and simple procedure. Ninety percent of abortions take place in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.

Abortions on the National Health Service
Women do not have automatic entitlement to abortion on the NHS. Three quarters of all abortions in England and Wales are done on the NHS. However, there are huge differences between regions as the criteria for providing NHS abortions vary in different areas.

If you wish to get an NHS abortion, you need to consult your doctor. S/he should make the necessary arrangements and referrals in order for you to obtain the procedure.

BEWARE: A doctor may not be helpful if s/he objects to abortions on moral or ethical grounds. The law allows doctors to opt out as "conscientious objectors" and they may not always make their position clear to you. If you think you are being confused, diverted or not being dealt with truthfully, see another doctor.

If you are unable to get an NHS abortion or if you would like to receive treatment at a specialist clinic, there are non-profit / charity clinics that provide abortions at rates much lower than some private clinics.

USEFUL CONTACTS

British Pregnancy Advisory Services (BPAS)
BPAS Actionline 08457 30 40 30

From Ireland 0121 450 7700

Marie Stopes
Tel: 0845 300 8090

Know Your Rights: The 1967 Abortion Act
The current law governing abortion in the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland) is defined by the 1967 Abortion Act. This act states:

Abortion is only legal if it is carried out by a doctor in approved premises and two doctors certify:

(i) that the pregnancy has not exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the woman or any existing children of her family; or

(ii) that the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the woman; or

(iii) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated; or

(iv) that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped

In determining the risk mentioned in (i) or (ii) doctors may take account of the pregnant woman's actual or reasonably foreseeable environment.