NEWS RELEASE – 4 July 2006

Government robustly rejects small minority push for abortion law review

Caroline Flint, Health Minister yesterday gave a robust rejection of calls for a parliamentary review of the abortion law. Liberal Democrat crusaders for a committee to review the law - Phil Willis MP and Evan Harris MP, supported by staunch opponents of abortion, used the Commons debate ‘Human Reproductive Technologies and the Law’ to renew their demand. The call, which is the subject of parliamentary Early Day Motion 2379, has support from only a small fraction of the Commons. Notably, it is supported overwhelmingly by men, Conservative MPs and those fiercely opposed to all abortion.

Caroline Flint, Health Minister pointed out that the pressure for a review was not coming from the scientific professional bodies – the British Medical Association (BMA), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) - who are opposed to a reduction in the time limits for abortion. Last year, 77 per cent of doctors at the BMA conference voted to retain the time limit.

Flint highlighted that only a tiny number of women have abortions later than 22 weeks and that none of those women take the very difficult decision lightly.

The Minister also called for straight talking on the issue pointing out the current debate had been sparked by the beautiful 4D scans produced by Professor Stuart Campbell’s private London practice, but that some of the pictures, elevated by those calling for a review, of foetuses apparently ‘walking in the womb’ and ‘sucking their thumb’ were taken at 12 weeks when there is no possibility whatsoever of survival independently of the woman.

When pressed, Phil Willis MP admitted that he had no evidence at all that the time of viability had reduced which could be produced for a parliamentary review.

Anne Quesney, Director Abortion Rights the national pro-choice campaign today said:

"The House of Commons debate shows once again that the demands for a review of the abortion law are being driven not by science but by the minority anti-abortion lobby and a small handful of highly vocal MPs. To set up a committee is to accept the validity of the misleading and inaccurate assertions of the anti-choice lobby and their pseudo-scientific rejection of women’s needs. This approach has been rejected by the professional bodies who have considered all the arguments".

Emily Thornberry MP for Islington South and Finsbury who took part in the debate yesterday said:

"There hasn’t been a dramatic change in the medical science - nothing that would cause there to be a review of the law. There hasn’t been a change in women’s situation - a very small number of women still need to have later abortion - young frightened women, women approaching the menopause, women who don’t speak English as their fist language or those who come across the one in ten doctors who don’t support abortion".

ENDS:

For further information and interviews please contact Anne Quesney, Abortion Rights Direct on 020 7923 97 92 or mobile 07909 974 101 or Emily Thornberry MP tel. 020 7219 5676.

Notes to editor:

1. Abortion Rights is the national pro-choice campaign, working to defend and extend abortion rights and provide a pro-choice voice to the media.

2. Abortion Rights is campaigning to: Liberalise the current UK abortion law and make abortion available on request in the first three months and with one doctor’s signature thereafter. Improve access to, and experience of, abortion – ensure that all women in the UK have equal access to safe, legal and free abortion. Oppose any restrictions to women’s current rights and access to abortion

3. Abortion in the UK One in three women has an abortion in her lifetime 76 per cent of the British population support a woman’s right to choose. Abortion laws in the UK are more restrictive than in almost every other European country, where abortion on request is legal in the first three months of pregnancy.

Abortion has been legal in Britain since 1967, but only by permission of two doctors and in restricted circumstances. Ten per cent of GPs consider themselves to be conscientious objectors and frequently refuse to grant women an abortion, despite General Medical Council guidelines.

A quarter of women having abortions in England and Wales have to pay for them - there are no public funds available specifically to help poorer women in these circumstances

4. For an evidence based briefing sheet on why some women need later abortion please see www.vfc.org.uk For the Marie Stopes International primary research document on later abortion please see www.mariestopes.org.uk/uk/whats-new.htm