Abortion
MPs speak out against introducing ‘right’ to an abortion
Last night during a Westminster Hall debate, a large number of MPs spoke out against introducing a ‘right’ to abortion in UK law.
Last summer, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab introduced a new Bill of Rights to replace the Human Rights Act of 1998.
With the change in government from Boris Johnson to Liz Truss, Mr Raab lost his position in Cabinet and so the Bill of Rights plans were shelved.
However, with his restoration under Mr Sunak, the proposals are back on the table. When the plans were first introduced, Stella Creasey MP said she planned to bring forward an amendment to the Bill to make access to abortion a human right.
So far, the UK Government’s position is that there is no need to include abortion in the Bill.
‘Decriminalisation of abortion’
What pro-abortion MPs really want is to remove Sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929.
This would remove all the last remaining legal protections for women and preborn babies. It would open the door to abortion on demand, for any reason.
Fiona Bruce MP
Fiona Bruce MP said that any right to abortion would conflict with international law and complicate domestic law.
She asked: “what type of society do we want to create for our country? Surely it is one which promotes a culture that upholds and respects life, including unborn life. I am so grateful to live in an age where I know there is science behind me to say that a beating heart can be detected at six weeks’ gestation, that the ability to feel pain can be evidenced from as early as 12 weeks, and that the sucking of thumbs can be seen at 15 weeks. I stand for the rights of the unborn because it is undeniable that they have life. As the campaign slogan states, “Both lives matter.” Let us develop laws that better protect the life of the unborn child, alongside the lives of women.”
Mary Glindon MP
Labour MP Mary Glindon MP explained that several of her constituents were ‘very concerned’ that changes to the law would result in abortion to birth.
“We are talking about changing the law, and a number of my constituents are concerned that that would lead to abortion up until birth. We know that about 80% of women want the time limit reduced. Beyond that, what about the mental health of women who have had an abortion—where is the care for them? Where does this address things that have never been properly addressed for years and years?”
Carla Lockhart MP
Carla Lockhart MP explained that repealing the final legal protections would have on women coerced into having an abortion.
She cited the example of Caroline Craft: “She’d been in a relationship with Matthew Cherry, a former policy officer, and they broke up when she refused to have an abortion. When she was six months pregnant, Miss Croft opened her front door to find an attacker, who turned out to be Mr Cherry who punched her repeatedly in the stomach and back in a way that targeted her unborn baby to cause a miscarriage…. Fortunately, Craft recovered from her injuries and gave birth to a healthy baby boy. A jury convicted Mr Cherry of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and he was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.”
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