MP's To Vote On Abortion Laws

MP's will vote on cutting abortion time limits today in parliament.

The vote follows a debate yesterday, which centred around scientists being permitted to conduct research on hybrid human animal embryos.

Last night MP's voted by 336 to 176 against a ban on such research in a free vote.

An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill has been put forward to reduce the upper time limit on abortions from 24 weeks to 20 weeks or less.

The Abortion Act 1967, was seen as one of the triumphs of the women's movements but in reality was not passed to give women rights, but respond to a public health problem.

The law did not legalise abortion, but allowed for exceptions to the illegality of abortion.

In 1990 the 1967 Act was amended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, which reduced the original time limit of 28 weeks to 24 weeks for most abortions.

Health Minister Dawn Primarolo believes there is no evidence requiring a change to abortion law.

Ms Primarolo told the BBC that "there is no science that shows us that the survival rates have changed since we took the decision to have the time limit at 24 weeks".

However, Tory MP Nadine Dorries who put forward the amendment to change the abortion law says that the "right of a woman to choose" has it limits.

"If a baby feels pain, there comes the point when the baby has rights which are of equal parity to the mothers," she said.

Previous attempts to reduce the time limit for abortions have been defeated, but as it is a free vote, it could go either way.

Pressure group LIFE spokesperson Michaela Aston said in a statement: "The politicians of our country are at a crossroads having to choose between helping and supporting or inflicting further damage upon women.

"For over 37 years LIFE has counselled thousands of women who have suffered harm and regret as a result of their choice to abort. Given that no woman wants an abortion and given that most people in Britain think there are too many, surely we have a responsibility to give hope by taking the crisis out of pregnancy.

"By changing the law to protect, inform and support we can help empower women to make a better choice than abortion.

"We would urge all MPs, whatever their beliefs about abortion, to support a woman's right to know."

Comedian Jo Brand has given her support to defend the upper limit 24 weeks saying: "This time limit argument is a total red herring. Its the same old anti-abortionists with their anti-woman agenda, making up the science as they go along. MPs should have no truck with it!"

Supporters of the existing law included Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell, former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett and former Health Secretary Frank Dobson.

Labour MP Ian Lucas, the campaign manager for LIFE says that there is support for the upper limit to be cut to 20 weeks.

Mr Lucas said that "it has been proven that a child born at 21 or 22 weeks can survive, which is why there is overwhelming demand for 20 weeks".

Read: MP's To Vote On Human-Animal Embryo Research

(DS)