Abortion up to Birth Voted Through by Lords

Biggest shake-up to abortion in half a century

A series of crucial votes in the House of Lords last night (Wed 18th March) will have far-reaching consequences for both the unborn and their mothers - the House approved sweeping changes that radically liberalise abortion policies in England and Wales, while simultaneously rejecting even modest safeguards.

By 185 votes to 148, The House of Lords rejected Baroness Rosa Monckton’s amendment to remove clause 208 of the Crime and Policing Bill, which would decriminalise abortion at any stage in pregnancy.

In distinction, they voted to allow abortion up to birth, allowing women to opt for an abortion for any reason, including if they do not want to have a child of a certain sex - and at any point up to and during birth.

While receiving shockingly minimal coverage in the national media, last night’s vote marks the biggest shake-up to abortion in half a century. A series of polls shows that the Lords’ vote goes completely against public opinion - with well over 90% of those polled voicing disagreement with abortion up to birth.

For decades, the Abortion Act maintained a framework that recognised at least some moral and medical boundaries, imposing a 24-week limit on abortions. Last night the Lords endorsed not merely an adjustment, but a profound dismantling of those boundaries.

At the same time, they declined to reinstate the requirement for in-person consultations before abortion pills are prescribed – which would ensure that vulnerable women could speak face-to-face with a medical professional, free from coercion, pressure, or fear. Furthermore, the decision to decriminalise is to be applied retrospectively, allowing past convictions to be expunged.

When it was first reported last year that abortion was being ‘decriminalised’, many people, aware that abortion had been decriminalised for nearly 60 years, were under the belief that the proposed change in law was just tidying up some anomaly. As such, it slipped through the House of Commons as part of the Crime and Policing Bill, with only 46 minutes of debate.

 

Scotland Rejects Assisted Dying 

Meanwhile, plans to legalise assisted dying in Scotland were narrowly rejected in a vote in Scottish parliament on Tuesday evening.

MSPs voted by 69 to 57 to throw out the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, with one abstention, after several who previously supported it switched sides. They were given a free vote on the Bill, meaning they could act in line with their consciences and were not ‘whipped’ by their parties.

The Bill, tabled by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, would have given mentally competent people over 18 who have been diagnosed with a terminal condition the right to end their life. Safeguards included independent assessments by two doctors and a 14-day cooling-off period. Only those who could “reasonably be expected to die within six months” would have been eligible. To try and prevent assisted death “tourism”, there was also a requirement to have lived in Scotland for at least a year.

Liam McArthur had claimed that the vast majority of the Scottish population were in favour of assisted dying, according to polls. He tried to win over waverers by claiming the legislation was “bulletproof” after MSPs passed dozens of amendments to bolster safeguards against the system being abused. But opponents remained concerned that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their own lives, especially if they thought they were a burden on their families.

Further concern was raised after a section was removed from the Bill that included “vital protections” for medical workers who did not want to participate in an assisted death. The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland and Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland withdrew support owing to this removal.

Many people worked tirelessly to ensure that legislators understood the dangers of the proposal. Constituents contacted their representatives. Medical bodies and disability groups warned about the risks to vulnerable people. Church leaders from a range of traditions – including the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Free Church of Scotland – publicly appealed to MSPs to reject the bill.

MPs in Westminster passed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in June, but it is being held up in the Lords.