In January 2025, the Dutch government chose to allow general practitioners (GPs), instead of just abortion businesses and hospitals, the ability to prescribe the abortion pill — and just eight months later, 3.2% of all GPs (392) now have that ability.
Key Takeaways:
- In just eight months of the Dutch government’s decision to allow general practitioners to begin prescribing the abortion pill, nearly 400 have signed up, equating to 3.2% of GPs.
- A Dutch knowledge base provides a three-part training for prescribers, but if only one GP in a clinical group completes all three parts, the other GPs in the group only need to complete one part to qualify.
- The Netherlands allows abortion up to 24 weeks, and later for “health” reasons. The abortion pill can be prescribed through the ninth week of pregnancy, and prior to this year it could only be prescribed at abortion businesses and hospitals.
The Details:
Before GPs are allowed to prescribe the abortion pill in the Netherlands, they must go through a three-part training via the Dutch knowledge base, the Federation of Institutions of the Unmarried Mother (FIOM). The training addresses non-directive advice, post-abortion care, and prescription of medication, according to Dutch News.
Wendy Kersten of FIOM clarified to the Dutch news source, Trouw, that if at least one GP in a clinical group completes the entire program then the remaining providers in the group only need to complete one of the modules.
“If GPs have a practice with eight members, they ensure that one of them is authorized to prescribe abortion medication, and the rest, for example, only take the part of the additional training program that covers decision support,” she said. “This way, quite a few practices are already covered.”
FIOM presents abortion in an extremely favorable light, even warning on its website that GPs should ensure that a certain pamphlet containing alleged “misinformation” about the abortion pill is not available to patients.
The Background:
According to its website, FIOM was originally founded in 1930 as a lobbying group to aid in improving the foster care and adoption systems, as well as advocating for the rights of unmarried mothers to receive the same benefits as married mothers. Since then, it has shifted into a knowledge base and expanded in 1970 to include advocating for greater abortion access. In the 1980s, it further expanded to include sperm donation access and requirements.
In the Netherlands, the abortion pill can be prescribed up to the ninth week of pregnancy. Prior to 2025, it was only prescribed by abortion facilities and hospitals.
In all, the Netherlands allows abortion up to 24 weeks — and later if it is suggested for “health reasons” as Live Action News has previously reported. The country decriminalized abortion 2022 and in 2023 also stripped away the five-day waiting period required from a woman’s application for abortion to her actual abortion appointment.
The Bottom Line:
NL Times reports that about 1,415 GPs have at least accessed FIOM’s trainings and likely have the goal of either becoming completely registered to prescribe abortion pills or of completing a single module.
Kersten is confident that this will increase abortion pill access for those who are unable or uncomfortable visiting an abortion provider. She also expressed hopes that the number of GPs dispersing the abortion pill may even “double” by next year.
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