On Monday MPs will vote on an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill that would lower the legal limit for abortions to 20 weeks. If the amendment were to be passed into law it would be a disaster for some of the most vulnerable women in Britain today. Only 1.46%, of abortions happen after 20 weeks. When they do abortion is not being used as a ‘casual form of birth control’ to use the phrase the Daily Mail is so fond of but as an act of last resort for women that may not have realized they were pregnant or who went to see their doctor before 20 weeks but have not been able to complete the process in time.
Many of those pushing for the amendment on Monday have no interest in lowering the limit. They are simply anti abortion. If they wanted fewer abortions to take place after 20 weeks they would make early stage abortions easier, removing the 2 doctor rule and improving access in the NHS. Instead we are stigmatizing abortion and the women that make the choice to terminate their unwanted pregnancy. This amendment threatens some of the most vulnerable women in our society yet it is being used by the pro life lobby as just another battle in their campaign to ban abortion. MPs that support a women’s right to choose must vote it down.
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