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Refugee Camps (Abortion)

Volume 310: debated on Wednesday 22 April 1998

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To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the health implications of the use of manual vacuum aspiration for elective abortions in refugee camps; and if she will make it her policy that manual vacuum aspiration for elective abortions should not be used in such circumstances. [38638]

Where permitted by law and provided in line with appropriate medical practice, manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) can have a useful role in protecting the health of a woman who seeks to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. MVA is also a valuable technique for treating incomplete abortions, whether spontaneous or induced.