The government told women they could have early abortions at home yesterday only to make a bizarre u-turn today.
Advice published by the Department of Health said women who need a termination early in their pregnancy could take two pills at home.
In normal circumstances the tablets must be taken in a licensed medical clinic, but the government indicated it was relaxing the rules due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, today the web page containing the advice had been taken down.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told the BBC: "This was published in error. There will be no changes to how abortion services are regulated."
Yesterday several groups penned a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock asking for a change in the law.
The Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) highlighted delays in access to abortion.
The government appeared to take the advice on board, but changed its mind 24 hours later.
BPAS said: “In the next 13 weeks, as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its peak, 44,000 women in England and Wales will need an Early Medical Abortion.
“We must ensure that these women can access abortion care without putting themselves at risk of COVID19, and that healthcare professionals are supported to provide care in these unprecedented circumstances...
“Even under normal circumstances, the requirement for two doctors’ signatures can cause severe delays to services. In the current epidemic, this system is simply untenable.
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“There are only around 20 full time equivalent doctors working in the independent sector (which provides nearly 3/4s of all abortions) to these early abortions.”
An Early Medical Abortion is a termination taking place in the first trimester of pregnancy, and does not require an invasive procedure.
Yesterday in a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed strict new lockdown measures to ensure people stay at home.
Police will be ordered to disperse gatherings of more than two people and non-essential businesses have been ordered to close.
So far in the UK 422 people have died having tested positive for coronavirus
