MPs to vote on lowering abortion deadline

MPs are being urged to vote in favour of lowering the abortion deadline from 24 weeks to 22 in light of improved survival rates for premature babies.

Right to Life UK said that a 24-week abortion limit “is now beyond the purpose when many babies survive” and that lowering it might bring the UK more in keeping with more European Union countries. 

Many EU countries have a 12-week limit – the identical point at which the NHS describes unborn babies as “fully formed”. 

The last time the abortion deadline was lowered was in 1990 when it was brought down from 28 weeks to 24 weeks.

Right to Life said there was a “contradiction at the center of our abortion law” which suggests that “a baby at 22 or 23 weeks’ gestation could possibly be born prematurely and have a dedicated medical team provide expert care to try to avoid wasting his or her life, while one other baby at the identical age could have their life deliberately ended by abortion in the identical hospital at the identical time”.

A historic vote on the abortion deadline is predicted to happen next month after a cross-party group of MPs tabled a landmark amendment to the federal government’s Criminal Justice Bill. 

The group is led by Caroline Ansell MP who said it was time the law was brought into line with medical advances. 

“The increase in survival rates for babies born at 22 and 23 weeks gestation is one in every of medical science’s great success stories lately,” she said.

“More and more babies born at these ages are in a position to survive because of the exertions of neonatal teams.

“As in 1990, when our laws were last modified to reflect similar increases in survival rates, it’s time our abortion deadline was updated.

“Our current deadline is an outlier compared with our European neighbours and my hope is that this amendment will command widespread support across the House.” 

The group of MPs supporting the amendment includes former health minister Maggie Throup, ex-shadow cabinet Labour minister Rachael Maskell, ex-shadow Labour minister Marie Rimmer, ex-Cabinet Minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Miriam Cates MP.