The Government has announced that the remaining Commons stages of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill have been pushed back to the autumn.
The Bill contains several measures that The Christian Institute and other pro-life groups say are unethical.
Attempts to prevent some of the most alarming measures in the Bill failed when it was subject to votes in a Committee of the Whole House.
There were concerns that pro-abortion MPs could use the remaining stages of the Bill to push for liberalising amendments that would make it far easier for women to access terminations.
The Leader of the House of Commons, Harriet Harman MP, said that although the Bill was a ‘flagship’ piece of legislation, it had been delayed due to scheduling problems.
She said: “Of course the bill remains a flagship government bill … as much time as possible needs to be found for it and the other issues that the government are committed to. It would therefore be good to look for a date in the autumn.”
However, Conservative MP Theresa May suggested that the Government did not want the result of the final votes to damage its chances in the Glasgow East by-election later this month.
A comment piece in The Daily Telegraph recently warned that Labour’s treatment of Christian values would make the party unpopular with Glaswegian voters.
“The recent parliamentary votes that defeated amendments to ban human-animal embryos, the creation of ‘saviour siblings’, and to reduce the abortion time limit did not go down well in places such as Glasgow East,” wrote James MacMillan.
“The votes of Labour MPs reflected the party’s one-sided approach to these issues and their hostility towards many in Scotland who are concerned about the dignity of human life, at all stages.”
Mr MacMillan added: “Nowadays, Christian beliefs are being dumped contemptuously by the Labour Party. In the long run, in places such as the west of Scotland, the party will be fatally weakened by it.”
