On my bookshelf I have David Paintin's slim book entitled Abortion Services in England and Wales published by the Birth Control Trust in the early 1990s. Over the years I have referred back to it but I now have a new authoritative text to sit by its side. Sam Rowlands has successfully encouraged leading experts in the field of unplanned pregnancy to write comprehensive and up-to-date chapters on the subject ranging from the ethics of abortion to staffing issues and ‘conscientious commitment’ to provision of this service. Apart from some Australian states this is the only area of health care regulated by criminal law and …