BPAS “incredibly disappointed” that MP who opposed their extreme bill is promoted

Jan 10, 2018 by Jill

from SPUC:

Yesterday, in the Government’s much anticipated reshuffle, Maria Caulfield, Conservative MP for Lewes, was appointed as the Conservative Party’s Vice-Chair for women.

Ms Caulfield, who in March, spoke against Diana Johnson MP’s ten minute rule bill on decriminalising abortion, was instantly subject to a barrage of criticism in the press for her “appalling views.” BPAS, the country’s largest abortion provider, tweeted “We are incredibly disappointed to hear that Maria Caulfield MP, who supports the criminalisation of women who end their own pregnancies, is the new CCHQ Vice Chair for Women.”

SPUC Communications Officer Alithea Williams has explored the story at length in a blog:

So what had the member for Lewes done during her short tenure in Parliament to invoke such ire? In March, she spoke against Diana Johnson MP’s ten minute rule bill on decriminalising abortion – an extreme bill that would have deprived unborn children of any remaining effective protection from abortion. As Ms Caulfield explained in her speech, the bill would have made it easier for abusive partners to force women into abortions, using pills easily obtained online. You don’t even have to be pro-life to make these kinds of points. But apparently opposing an extreme bill which has not in fact become law, is enough to make Ms Caulfield unsuitable for any role involving women, if the headlines are to be believed…

Read the whole blog on the SPUC website: https://www.spuc.org.uk/news/blog/2018/january/the-only-appalling-thing-about-maria-caulfields-appointment-is-the-hysterical-reaction-to-it