Pro-choice campaigners vowed that the campaign for a women’s right to choose will continue – and expressed frustration at the lack of voting in parliament on pro-choice proposals to improve abortion law. Campaigners called on the government to use the substantial regulatory powers at its disposal to improve women’s access to abortion services.

Abortion Rights has consistently pointed out that three-quarters of people in Britain consistently poll in support of a woman’s right to choose. Improvements in the law have widespread support including from medical and nursing bodies and the Trades Union Congress.

Today, 22 October, the House of Commons is debating the final, Report, stage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill.

Anne Kane, Abortion Rights Chair said: The experience of the HFE bill shows there is no significant support in society to restrict the abortion law. Abortion Rights calls on all MPs to respect that, and is deeply disappointed that MPs have not had the opportunity to vote for amendments to improve the law for women.

Abortion Rights calls on the government to use its powers of regulation to improve access to abortion for women to the maximum limit possible including allowing women from Northern Ireland to use NHS services in Britain. It is an insult to women in Northern Ireland that, when they are forced to travel to Britain for abortions, they face the additional barrier of being refused access to abortion on the NHS and instead have to pay hundreds of pounds in private sector fees on top of travel costs. The government can and should address this.’ The positive amendments that were tabled for debate today resulted from a thorough investigation by the Commons cross party Science and Technology Committee. They are in line with the Government’s stated health priorities of supporting choice and local provision and its target of ending 70 per cent of unwanted pregnancies in the first nine weeks. Time was given to debate anti-abortion amendments during the Committee stage of the HFE Bill in May – where they were strongly defeated.’

Abortion Rights Chair, Anne Kane, added: The pro-choice campaigning that successfully defeated anti-abortion attempts to restrict women’s rights in May this year has built significant momentum, represents the majority of society and will continue to vigorously defend and extend abortion rights.

In the programme debate in the House of Commons today Fiona McTaggart MP said: “It feels to me as though this issue is being treated in an asymmetrical way so that those at an earlier stage seeking to curtail abortion rights had time to do that while those at this stage seeking to extend them are denied time.”

Diane Abbott MP, who tabled New Clause 30 to extend the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland said in the debate:

“I think there is a special case for debating the issues of Northern Ireland today because of course abortion is a criminal justice matter and in time it will be devolved to Northern Ireland. If we do not debate my clause today women in Northern Ireland will lose the right to have abortion - as in Britain - for a generation…The law in Northern Ireland is the same law as in 1861. It seems to me that we have a responsibility as parliament to move women’s rights into the 21st century. . . . . The thousands that travel every year to Britain - and they are the lucky ones - have to pay. How can that be right? You have a situation where poor women at a time of great distress have to find the money to pay to travel and have an abortion. Women cannot have an abortion even if they have been raped, even if they are victims of incest, even if their health at risk. Are we content to have a group of women in Northern Ireland to be second-class citizens?”

Abortion Rights opposes the amendment from Frank Field MP and Nadine Dorries MP seeking to establish a parliamentary committee to ‘review abortion law and practice’ as nothing more than a vehicle to continue to prosecute their anti-abortion, anti-woman agenda. The matter has already been reviewed by the Science and Technology Committee. The anti-choice lobby should accept that parliament has opposed restrictions in abortion law and stop attacking women's rights.

At a lively protest outside parliament yesterday, 21 October, several hundred Abortion Rights supporters called for action against the unfair obstructions and weeks of delays that women can face in accessing abortion, and for women in Northern Ireland to be able to access safe, legal abortion, and pledged to continue campaigning.

For comment or interviews with the media, please contact Louise Hutchins Campaign Coordinator on 020 7923 9792

Notes for editors

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. We are supported by the TUC, National Union of Students and work closely with the All Party Parliamentary Pro-choice and Sexual Health Group.

2) The Programme motion received significant opposition in the Commons today with 322 in support of the motion and 157 against.

3) The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill goes through its final stages in Parliament this autumn including the Report stage and third reading in the House of Commons before it returns to the Lords. It is expected that the Report stage will now take place on the 22 October after being postponed from the spring. It is expected that the date will be confirmed on Thursday 9th in the House of Commons business announcements.

4) On 20th May 2008 MPs voted 304 votes to 233 to defend the current abortion time limit of 24 weeks.