Abortion: a matter of conscience

Daniel along with the 645 other MPs in the UK, will be asked to vote on a matter of conscience next week: the reduction of the time limits on abortion.

Daniel's Conservative colleague, Nadine Dorries MP, a long-time campaigner on reforming the abortion laws in this country, last week launched an official Parliamentary campaign to have the upper limit for abortions to be reduced from 24 weeks to 20 weeks.

He explained, "I am in agreement with my colleague Nadine's campaign to maximise public and parliamentary support for a sensible updating of the abortion laws, bringing them into line with advances brought to us by the latest medical science."

Nadine is tabling an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which is being debated further in the House of Commons later this month. She is not opposed to a woman's right to choose, but believes that the nearly quarter of a million abortions carried out in this country every year is far too high. On launching her campaign, she commented, "with an increasing number of babies surviving at 24 weeks or below, we now have the absurd situation where doctors are battling to save premature babies in one part of the hospital and ending life in another part at exactly the same point of gestation."

Daniel continued, "16 of the 27 countries in the European Union have abortion limits of 12 weeks or below and I believe that we must start to take steps to bring the UK better in line with this. The top neonatal units in the US and UK are now achieving survival rates above 50% for babies born at 22 and 23 weeks" gestation. This is a significant change from even a few years ago and, combined with increasing evidence of foetal sentience from 20 weeks or even earlier, it is beyond doubt now time to bring the upper limit for abortion down."

He concluded, "I am therefore pleased to be supporting Nadine's campaign for reform of the abortion law to stop the termination of pregnancies beyond 20 weeks."

15th May 2008


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