Rare British Abortion Debate Ignites Among Lawmakers
- Posted on September 7, 2011 at 6:11am by
Tiffany Gabbay
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LONDON (The Blaze/AP) — British lawmakers are reconsidering the country’s approach to abortion, igniting a debate over whether clinics that are paid to carry out abortions should also be allowed give advice to women unsure of how to handle an unwanted pregnancy.
Britain’s abortion law has remained unchanged for 20 years but Conservative Party legislator Nadine Dorries says counselors too often place women on a “conveyor belt to the operating theater.”
Dorries, a former nurse, and Labour Party lawmaker Frank Field will seek support Wednesday for a proposal to change abortion rules along with the government’s planned new health care reforms.
They demand that women must have access to independent advice and suggest that clinics that carry out abortions should no longer be the only option for those seeking pre-abortion counseling.
“No organization which is paid for carrying out abortions, and no organization that thinks it’s appropriate to bring God into a counseling session with a vulnerable woman should be allowed anywhere near the counseling room,” Dorries wrote on her blog, explaining her proposal.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service and the charity Marie Stopes International carry out about half of the 200,000 abortions each year in the U.K., and charge the National Health Service for that. Both are also major providers of pre-abortion counseling.
“There is obviously a conflict of interest,” Dorries said in a video message outlining her proposed amendment.
Marie Stopes International and the pregnancy advisory service both say their advice is impartial and note they are routinely assessed by the Care Quality Commission, Britain’s independent regulator covering health and social care.
However, the commission said while it does evaluate overall clinic standards and whether patients can easily understand their advice, inspectors do not necessarily rule on whether the advice is impartial.
“This has become a highly politicized issue and is completely missing the point,” said Tracey McNeill, a vice president of Marie Stopes International. “We should be discussing how to ensure women have access to impartial, non-directive and expert advice and how to safeguard the independence of counseling.”
Britain’s Abortion Act, first drafted in 1967, allows surgical abortions up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy. It also permits abortions after 24 weeks if doctors believe the mother’s life is in danger or there is strong evidence that the fetus would be born with a severe disability.
Two doctors must approve every referral to an abortion clinic, and Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists insists its members offer advice that allows women to understand the consequences as they decide how to handle an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.
In religiously conservative Northern Ireland, abortions are still banned unless a woman’s life is at risk.
Britain last changed its abortion law in 1990, lowering from 28 to 24 weeks to time limit for an abortion Lawmakers last held a major debate on the issue in 2008, when the House of Commons voted to retain the 24-week limit.
Since then, a number of young, socially conservative lawmakers have been elected to the House of Commons, many of whom support more restrictive abortion laws.
Prime Minister David Cameron has previously backed reducing the abortion time limit to between 20 to 22 weeks, but his office said he would not support the latest change when it is debated Wednesday.
British lawmakers are allowed a free vote on all so-called issues of conscience. Health Minister Anne Milton — a Conservative legislator — told colleagues last week she would oppose the amendment.
It won‘t be known whether the plan will be put to a vote in the House of Commons until Wednesday’s debate is over.
Britain’s health ministry said it plans to examine issues around pre-abortion advice, but does not plan to prevent abortion clinics from continuing to provide counseling.
“The concern is to ensure that women, in what is an extremely difficult and often traumatic situation, have access to information and counseling that best meets their needs,” the ministry said.
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mycomet123
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:57amThat’s want Planned Parenthood does in this country. Planned Parenthood performs 99% of the abortions in this country & to add insult to injury the government (our tax dollars) are paying for them.
Report Post »HD Veteran
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 9:24pmAhhh, this IS what govt run health care can do for your family.
Report Post »MUDFLAPS
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 8:01pmhey look the little tab popped out… must mean its ready to come out of the oven…
Report Post »TEIN
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 12:28pmAbortion..perverted into women’s rights!!! A woman chooses to have sex, but does not like the results of that choice…the woman can do with her body as she pleases, but I never seen a law, other than abortion, that allows a person to choose what happens to another’s body…. Plus if it is a female baby, does it not have the woman’s right to choose what to do with its body??
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 12:42pmMake no mistake…this isn’t about the woman being “informed”..it’s about looking at where to cut health spending and curtailing spending on abortions is a no brainer. It’s a completely unnecessary procedure if you can avoid it.
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 6:40amAvengerk
Report Post »That doesn’t make any sense. If it was about cutting costs, the government would want to encourage abortions. An abortion costs a lot less than a baby.
snowdrop
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 11:31amAs one of the older generation, I find it amazing that abortion is still a remedy for birth control. I remember the joy and freedom women were supposed to be able to have when the “pill” was first invented. In these times when there are so many forms of birth control devices readily available at little cost to women and men, am I the only one to ask, how can people be so stupid and have this much lack of planning and forethought when having sex?
The lunatic fringe on each side of this issue make matters worse. The “womens rights” advocates who would agree with stabbing a baby to death as it was being born, and the moral guardians saying the morning after pill within a few days of conception is destroying something sacred.
Freedom without self restraint can be troubling….
Report Post »Kathleen
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 7:07pmExactly. Why do they push so much for condoms in Africa, when so many forms of birth control that are freely available in the West, don’t seem to have stopped abortions?
Report Post »MARCH4HIM
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 11:03amThis is what the LORD says: “For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders,
AMOS 1:13 (NIV)
Report Post »TH30PH1LUS
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 1:18pmIn ancient pagan religions, children were sacrificed to the god Molech. Now in modern times, children are sacrificed to the god of convenience.
Report Post »This_Individual
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 10:41amThat is pretty rare.
Ron Paul 2012!
Report Post »DanWesson455
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 9:29amOnly cause they are broke. This story wouldn’t exist if they still had $$$$.
Report Post »Libertyluvnmomma
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 9:57amI concur.
Report Post »It’s like Midwives gaining a foothold here in the US but only because they are cheaper than a Doctor. Their institutional training is exactly the same ( awful)…unless they were “farm” educated.
But on a good note, maybe the 30%+ C-section rate would go down saving mommas all over the US. Hospitals can’t have dead babies on the record, but dead mommas…..meh.
MARCH4HIM
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 7:59amThis has got to be the greatest tragedy the world has ever seen ..The killing of innocence..!
Report Post »Go see what god says about the killing unborn children…
AMOS 1:13
Chet Hempstead
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 6:34amThat verse refers to tearing open pregnant women against their will, killing them along with their unborn children. That’s still illegal both here and in the U.K. If that’s the best you can come up with, then you have failed to produce any evidence that God has ever personally weighed in on the issue of whether fetuses are people or whether abortion is immoral.
Report Post »blue_sky
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 7:40am@PoliticalJunkieToo, good point.
New Ron Paul’s ad blasts Rick Perry with force.
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtDBp1OrCwI
Libertyluvnmomma
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 3:27pmtoo bad he has ZERO executive experience.
Report Post »blue_sky
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 5:17pm@Libertyluvnmomma, actually I do not think the president needs executive experience to “run” things. To me the main qualification is to know and observe the constitution. Thus trust and previous record is paramount. Flip-flopping and pandering should warn us.
Report Post »TxMadMac
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 7:12amHow sick is the liberal mindset when it‘s perfectly aok to murder an innocent unborn child but don’t you dare harm that violent filthy adult murderer. Satan has corrupted their very souls !
Report Post »closetotheedge
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 9:36amTheir blood is on our hands.The most dangerous place on Earth is a womans’ womb. Jesus said that any who harm one of these ‘little ones’ it would be better that you have a mill stone tied around their necks,and be thrown into the sea! The most innocent!! He’s knocking on your heart. Matthew 24 Tears in Heaven
Report Post »Less1leg
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 6:18amWell, business is good in all “ liberal countries ” where abortion is so easily handed out. Odd isn’t it that in our society where perfectly healthy females will risk their personal situation and end up pregnant only to resort to an abortionist to relieve them of the burden called pregnancy. Abortion is so routine in most countries that the question of accountability is totally lost. And if you even question the validity or necessity of an abortion, well leftist feminazi’s go nuts. The devaluation of the unborn child when it comes to abortion is quite clear. But if a pregnant woman has a car accident where the unborn child is killed along with the mother, well another standard is used penalizing the person whom may have caused the accident. On one hand a unborn child is totally worthless, but on the other hand an unborn child is included in the death notice. Liberal courts can’t make up their minds one way or the other if an unborn child has value or dispensible.
Report Post »blue_sky
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 6:15amUSA Students have created a political ad to expose Mitt Romney stance on abortions, guns and mandates (MUST SEE)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1wPrsEP2nc
Report Post »PoliticalJunkieToo
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 7:12amI watched the video and wasn’t surprised because Mitt Romney flip flops worse than John McCain.
I have a LONG LIST (too long for this blog) on Mitt Romney’s NOT being a conservative. ”
I was MItt’s WORST critique UNTIL Rick Perry came along and I researched him. Perry is such a RINO he rivals Olympia Snowe and even surpasses her.
If it were a toss up between HUGE RINO Mitt Romney and MEGA MASSIVE RINO Rick Perry – I would choose Romney.
However, I am NOT voting for either of them. As I did in 1992 when I rejected Bush Sr AND Clinton and voted for Ross Perot, I will vote for 3rd party candidate in 2012 also. If Obama wins again, too bad. The Republicans should stop putting up MEGA RINO candidates. I voted for Bush Sr (1st time) and Bush Jr twice and Jeb Bush Gov/FL – ALL BIG GOVERNMENT RINO’s but not MEGA RINOs like Romney and even worse Rick Perry.
I simply will NOT vote for Romney or worse Perry – EVER.
2012 = 1992 (Democrat wins by default AGAIN) if the republican party splits the party by nominating Perry or Romney so true conservatives run for Trump or another 3rd candidate.
Report Post »angelcat
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 10:25amSo, politicaljunkie, you want 4 more years of obama. I’m not crazy about Romney, and, as a Texan, I really like Perry though he has several weak areas, but I would vote for either of them over Obama. I want people to work for the nominee of their choice, but once the Republicans have a candidate, we need to back him against Obama since any of the current Republican candidates (except Huntsman perhaps) would be better than Obama.
Report Post »Brad
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 11:48amPoliticalJunkie—> Then you’re a fool! Might have made sense when just the awful, Liberal Bill Clinton was running. But the stakes are too high with Obama….
The last thing I want is another RINO…but ANYTHING is better than Obama. If you vote for a third party unelectable…then you’re throwing your vote away. I was tempted to vote third party in the last election. I swore I would have voted for Hilary over McCain if she was the Dem nominee. It was the worst vote I EVER placed in my life to have voted for that Numnutz. I SHOULD have voted for the Constitutional Candidate Chuck Baldwin and am ashamed of myself because I didn’t. But not this election cycle…We MUST get behind whomever is nominated.
People who are currently thinking as you MUST reconsider. Conservatives have to unite!
Report Post »blue_sky
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 5:24pm@Brad, your post reveal a sad degradation of USA populace.
Assuming you are an honest man and do not like Ron Paul because you either work for government, like abortions, or a member of trade union at Boeing who likes those wars.
When the establishment wants to control your mind they use scare tactics like this – if you do not do what we tell you, “then you’re throwing your vote away” or it will be the end of the world.
Bush=Obam=Perry=Romney.
Patriot Act and Obama Care were written by special interest groups many years before Bush/Obama….. Wake up, people. Presidents and politicians do not read bills thousand pages long.
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