Maternity medical servicesE+W
7.—(1) A contractor whose contract includes the provision of maternity medical services must—
(a)provide to female patients who have been diagnosed as pregnant all necessary maternity medical services throughout the antenatal period;
(b)provide to female patients and their babies all necessary maternity medical services throughout the postnatal period other than neonatal checks;
(c)subject to sub-paragraph (2), provide all necessary maternity medical services to female patients whose pregnancy has terminated as a result of miscarriage or abortion.
(2) Where the contractor has a conscientious objection to the termination of pregnancy by abortion, the contractor must promptly refer the patient to another provider of primary medical services who does not have such an objection.
(3) In this paragraph—
“antenatal period” means the period beginning with the start of the pregnancy and ending with the onset of labour;
“maternity medical services” means—
in relation to female patients (other than babies) all primary medical services relating to pregnancy, excluding intra partum care; and
in relation to babies, any primary medical services necessary in their first fourteen days of life; and
“postnatal period” means the period beginning with the conclusion of the delivery of the baby or the patient's discharge from secondary care services (whichever is the later) and ending on the fourteenth day after the birth.