from Religion Media Centre
The House of Lords has rejected amendments to a law which removes criminal penalties for women who end their own pregnancies at any stage up to birth. The measure was pushed through in the Commons as an amendment to the Crime and Policing bill, after a 46 minute debate, following prosecutions of women who had late term abortions after taking tablets at home. But there is concern that the bill will allow abortions at or near full term development, and the Lords was packed as several amendments were tested. Eleven Church of England bishops were present, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, who broke her pilgrimage to speak and vote in the Lords. She said the bill “undoubtedly risks eroding the safeguards and enforcement” of the 24 week abortion limit, “inadvertently undermining the value of human life”. She said the issue was of such complexity that she did not believe that it could be properly addressed in an amendment “hastily added to another bill”. It needed public consultations and robust parliamentary processes to ensure it was “carefully considered and scrutinised.”
One amendment to remove the clause completely was defeated by 185 votes to 148. A second amendment to restore in-person consultations with a medical professional before home abortions, was also rejected by 191 to 119. The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, moved another amendment saying that pregnant girls must see a medical professional in person to get abortion pills, but this was also rejected by 68 to 163.
A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said it was an extreme piece of legislation and it was a “travesty that such an enormous and terrible legislative change, which will directly endanger the lives of unborn babies well beyond the point at which they would be able to survive outside the womb, as well as the lives of their mothers, has been allowed to happen”, adding that “a civilised society does not permit abortion up to birth”.
Baroness Tessa Blackstone, chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told The Lords (21.19) that many representatives of the medical profession strongly adhere to what lies behind the abortion measure. She strongly supports it as it “seeks to ensure women will no longer be subject to long investigations and criminal charges, which are exceedingly distressing”.
See also: Peers vote through extreme abortion measure, Christian Institute
Evangelical Alliance Press Release
Amendment summary from Adrian Hilton
Peers reject amendments to overturn extreme abortion clause and to reinstate in-person consultations before an abortion, Right to Life UK
Britain is about to make a sickening change to the abortion law by Allison Pearson, Telegraph
Christian group calls Lords vote on abortion up to birth ‘deeply troubling’, Premier
Diocese of Southwark statement