title: Vacuum aspiration for induced abortion could be safely and legally performed by nurses and midwives.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some 40% of abortions carried out in England and Wales are done by vacuum aspiration. It is widely assumed that, in order to be lawful, these procedures must be performed by doctors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to provide a detailed reassessment of the relevant law and the clinical evidence that supports this assumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A close reading of relevant law reveals that this assumption is unfounded. On the contrary, it would be lawful for appropriately trained nurses or midwives, acting as part of a multidisciplinary team, to carry out vacuum aspiration procedures. This interpretation of the law offers the potential for developing more streamlined, cost-effective abortion services, which would be both safe and highly acceptable to patients.
authors.affiliation: Professor of Law Kent Law School, Eliot College, Kent University, Canterbury, UK.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sheldon
authors.affiliation: Consultant Nurse in Gynaecology, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fletcher
keywords: abortion; family planning service provision; medico-legal