'Deep concern' over House of Lords abortion vote

Christian organisations have spoken of their concern after the House of Lords rejected an amendment to stop the decriminalisation of late-term abortion

The clause that decriminalises abortion up to birth was introduced by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi last year, as an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. It followed campaigners revealing estimates that police have prosecuted more than 100 women under abortion laws in recent years. Ms Antoniazzi argued that it was unacceptable the law led to police prosecuting vulnerable women.

The House of Commons passed the legislation back in June after less than an hour of debate on the issue.

Baroness Monckton tabled an amendment to the Bill in the Lords to remove the 'radical proposal' which she said was passed in the Commons 'without any evidence, scrutiny, public consultation or impact assessment'. The amendment was debated in the House of Lords on Wednesday (18 March). Baroness Monckton argued that decriminalisation actually puts women in danger 'by removing the current legal deterrent against administering an abortion away from a clinical setting right up to birth.'

Ms Antoniazzi said the time limit for abortion is not changing. 'This reform has no bearing on how or when abortion is accessed. It will remain the case that no doctor will provide an abortion beyond 24 weeks unless exceptional, life or health threatening circumstances apply. Any breach will continue to carry criminal penalties for healthcare professionals or anyone assisting the woman.'

However, draft law 'prevents criminal investigations of vulnerable women after abortion complications, miscarriage or stillbirth.' 

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, opposed decriminalisation. She said, 'Though its intention may not be to change the 24-week abortion limit, it undoubtedly risks eroding the safeguards and enforcement of those legal limits and, inadvertently, undermining the value of human life.'

She added that a question of such 'legal, moral and practical complexity' should not be addressed through a 'hastily added' amendment to another bill.

Pro-choice and anti-abortion campaigners brought banners and placards to the House of Lords as peers arrived for the debate.

Peers rejected the amendment by 185 votes to 148.

CARE’s Director of Advocacy and Policy, Caroline Ansell, said, 'We are deeply troubled and grieved by the outcome in the House of Lords on the amendments relating to abortion.

'By rejecting the opportunity to remove the highly controversial clause allowing women to abort their own babies up to birth without legal consequences, Peers have instead endorsed a dangerous principle which may prove truly terrible in practice with more, not fewer, women taking desperate and risky steps to end late term pregnancy.

'Tiny lives will be lost before they have begun. If the mark of a just society is how we treat the most vulnerable, what does this say about us? It is tragic that our law will have so little regard for unborn babies and do so little to protect women through pregnancy. I fear future generations will look back on this day and be astonished and appalled by our approach to life at its very beginning.'


Peers also rejected a bid to make it mandatory for a pregnant woman to have an in-person consultation before lawfully being prescribed medicine for the termination of a pregnancy at home.


Peter Lynas, UK director of the Evangelical Alliance said, 'We are deeply concerned by the House of Lords’ decision to allow abortion up to birth. The vote removes any legal deterrent and weakens vital safeguards for women and unborn children. It risks enabling dangerous, unsupervised abortions and leaves women more vulnerable to complications and coercion.
 
'Peers also rejected an amendment to reintroduce in-person consultations, a crucial safeguard for women’s safety and wellbeing.
 
'As Christians, we believe every life has inherent dignity. Parliament must now act to address the risks created by this decision, ensuring women in crisis pregnancies receive compassionate, life-affirming support, and that both mother and child are cared for with dignity before and after birth.' 



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