Health Minister Defends Abortion Limit

Health Minister Dawn Primarolo has defended the UK's legal abortion limit of 24 weeks, saying that there was not enough scientific evidence to justify introducing a reduction.

During questioning by MPs, Ms Primarolo said that the Department of Health's view was that the act worked as intended and did not require further amendment at the present time.

Ms Primarolo also said that NHS figures showed that 89% of abortions were carried out in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy and 68% before 10 weeks.

However, Conservative MP Nadine Dorries suggested that Ms Primarolo was in favour of a liberalisation of the Abortion Act and that another minister should perhaps be considering the issues.

However, Ms Primarolo said that she did not have to discuss her personal views and said: "I am here as a minister to answer questions that the committee puts to me about the information the department has."

The Pro-Life Alliance had wanted the limit reduced to 20 weeks.

The Abortion Act, which was introduced in 1967, was amended in 1990 to change the time limit from 28 weeks to 24.

Abortions are allowed in certain circumstances after 24 weeks, such as a serious risk to the life of the woman or evidence of severe foetal abnormality.

According to the latest figures, the number of abortions carried out in England and Wales is on the rise, with 193,700 taking place in 2006, compared to 186,400 in 2005.

Earlier, Lord Steel, the architect of the 1967 Abortion Act, said that there were now too many abortions taking place. However, in an interview with The Guardian, he said that he was not persuaded that the time limit should be further reduced, instead calling for better sex education and a discussion on sexual morality, in order to reduce the numbers.

Catholic and Church of England leaders have called for a reassessment of the role of abortion in today's society, ahead of the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the Act.

In an open letter, published on Monday, Cardinals Cormac Murphy O'Connor and Keith O'Brien, the heads of the Roman Catholic Church in England, Wales and Scotland, said that abortion "robbed everyone of their future", but accepted that it would never be abolished.

Meanwhile, at the weekend, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, said that the procedure was in danger of becoming seen as normal, rather than a last resort.

(KMcA)