Abortion Rights – the national group leading the campaign to defend and extend abortion rights in the UK – is calling on doctors at the BMA conference tomorrow to vote against a motion calling for a restriction of women’s legal rights to abortion.

Anne Quesney, Director of Abortion Rights said:

“Doctors across the country will know that access to safe, legal abortion is a crucial issue for women - nine out of ten doctors support a woman’s right to an abortion. Most doctors will know that very few women need later terminations and those who do, have compelling reasons for needing them. They often face desperately difficult and unpredicted life circumstances and no one involved takes the decision lightly.

The anti-abortion lobby – which is totally opposed to a woman’s right to an abortion in any circumstances - has encouraged the focus on the upper time limit over the last months, in the hope of confusing public and political opinion on abortion. The recent media debate which has eclipsed women from the picture has been dominated by ill-informed stories arguing that there have been dramatic advances in foetal medicine that require a reappraisal of the law. In fact, there have been no such scientific breakthroughs and a reduction in the time limit would leave some women in a impossible situation – forced to endure a pregnancy for months against their will; travel to another country; or seek a life-threatening back street abortion.

We hope that the approximately 500 doctors attending the conference have not been unduly swayed by this misleading debate and, on Thursday, have compassion for the few women who need later abortions and vote against turning the clock back.

ENDS

For further information and interviews with Abortion Rights or a late abortion surgeon please contact Anne Quesney, Abortion Rights Director on 020 7278 5539

Notes to editor:

1. Abortion Rights is the only abortion focussed campaigning and advocacy organisation in the UK. We lead the campaigns to defend and extend abortion rights and provide a pro-choice voice to the media.

2. Abortion Rights is campaigning to:

• Oppose any restrictions to women’s current rights and access to abortion
• 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.

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. BMA motion

• The BMA debate on abortion will take place on Thursday 30th June 2005 between 9.50 and 10.20am.
• The motion was submitted by Bromley Division and reads: That this Meeting holds that the upper limit for legal abortion should be reduced in the light of new evidence of foetal developments and advances in neonatal care.