Christian Concern to launch legal challenge to government’s anti-democratic double U-turn on abortion
Press Release:
Christian Concern announces that it will mount a legal challenge to the government’s decision to permit DIY abortions.
Christian Concern will launch a judicial review arguing that the decision process was unlawful.
The government on Monday (30 March) made an incredible double U-turn by announcing the most significant change to abortion law since 1967.
The official announcement came despite the government categorically stating in parliament last week that there would be no change to abortion law as part of its response to Covid-19.
The decision was made without any public consultation, parliamentary scrutiny or debate, with the government itself having warned that the move would put thousands of vulnerable women at risk at an already highly vulnerable time.
Unlawful
Christian Concern will launch a judicial review of the decision to fundamentally change the law on abortion without proper parliamentary scrutiny.
The decision was made after parliament had explicitly been told that there would be no changes to the rules on abortion due to Covid-19. This means that the subsequent decision to change the law just one week later is unconstitutional.
The decision to change the law was made without parliamentary scrutiny after the government had told parliament that it would not be right to rush through changes to the abortion rules without proper parliamentary scrutiny. The subsequent decision to change the law was therefore not right by the government’s own admission.
As the responsible Minister acknowledged in Parliament, the new rules remove an essential safeguard to prevent women from being pressured into abortions. This change has been made without due process and any consultation and scrutiny.
‘Administrative error’
The government previously claimed that an announcement made on 23 March to allow DIY abortions was “published in error.”
The government web page announcing the changes instead had the following message for visitors:
“The information on this page has been removed because it was published in error. This was published in error. There will be no changes to abortion regulations.”
This was followed by the Health Secretary, Matthew Hancock, categorically stating in parliament on 24 March that: ‘There are no proposals to change the abortion rules due to covid-19.’
See also:
“Pills by Post”: Lethal abortion drugs are now being mailed to pregnant women by post, from SPUC
Home abortions, sunset clauses – and the importance of votes in Parliament, by Paul Goodman, Conservative Home
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