MPs pushing abortion for any reason up to birth

Pro-abortion MPs are trying to make abortion available up to birth for any reason across England and Wales.

Diana Johnson has tabled an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to remove sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. The Bill will be debated at Report stage on Monday 5 July.

New Clause 55 would repeal all legal safeguards around abortion, including the need for a doctor to be involved in the operation, and would remove conscience protections for medics who do not wish to participate in abortions.

Girls aborted

The proposals would snub public opinion to give England and Wales one of the most extreme abortion regimes in the world.

A ComRes poll in 2017 found that just one per cent of women think the time limit on abortion should be raised from 24 weeks to birth, while around 70 per cent think the limit should be lowered.

Johnson’s amendment to the Bill would allow mothers to abort their child on the basis of their sex or skin colour

The same poll revealed 91 per cent of women say sex-selective abortion should be explicitly banned but Johnson’s amendment to the Bill would allow mothers to abort their child on the basis of their sex or skin colour.

The Labour MP failed in a similar attempt to remove the same sections from the Offences Against the Person Act while the Government was considering the Domestic Abuse Bill last year.

‘Extreme and radical’

The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director for Communications Ciarán Kelly warned: “Abortion fundamentally undermines human rights – above all the right to life of the most vulnerable in our society.

“This change would allow abortion for any and every reason. Or no reason at all. That means aborting baby girls because they’re girls would be legal. It’s an extreme change and MPs need to reject it.”

This change would allow abortion for any and every reason. Or no reason at all.

Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right to Life UK, said: “The British public prides itself on being a reasonable, humane and tolerant society. Such an extreme and radical proposal has no place in the UK”.

In the UK, abortion is permitted up to 24 weeks for most reasons but is available up to birth for conditions including Down’s syndrome and cleft palate.