Demand for 'less casual' stance on abortion

Published on Tuesday 6 May 2008 00:51

CAMPAIGNERS will demand a "less casual approach" to abortion today as they seek to reduce the upper limit from 24 to 20 weeks.

Medical experts and parliamentarians are to warn that action is needed to stop Britain becoming the "abortion capital of the world".

The government and the British Medical Association (BMA) have rejected calls for time restrictions to be tightened. But Nadine Dorries, the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, will tell a launch event in Westminster: "Britain has 200,000 abortions a year, or 600 a day. That is just too many – we must slow down on abortion.

"I respect a woman's right to choose. But we are close to being the abortion capital of the world and it is now time to adopt a more moderate, commonsense approach to abortion."

She will insist that the figures are far higher than envisaged when the procedure was legalised 40 years ago.

"Abortion is now being used as a form of contraception. It is time to send a new signal about abortion, a less casual message, bringing Britain into line with the rest of Europe.

"With an increasing number of babies surviving at 24 weeks or below, we now have the absurd situation where doctors are battling to save premature babies in one part of the hospital and ending life in another at the same point of gestation."

Ms Dorries is tabling an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would reduce the upper limit to 20 weeks.

However, Dr Evan Harris, a Liberal Democrat MP said: "There is a medical expert consensus, shared by the BMA and the medical Royal Colleges, based on the best published data, that the age at which foetuses are viable has not reduced below 24 weeks.

"Politicians who are against a woman's right to have an abortion should admit it is based on dogma and ideology and not try to disguise it as pseudo-science or base it on dodgy medicine."