British MP Will Continue Campaign to Limit Late-Term Abortions

International   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Nov 23, 2006   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

British MP Will Continue Campaign to Limit Late-Term Abortions Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 23
, 2006

London, England (LifeNews.com) — A British member of parliament who was unsuccessful in her bid to put more limits in place on late-term abortions vows to continue her campaign to restrict abortions later in pregnancy. Nadine Dorries, the MP for Mid Bedfordshire pledges to press on even though she’s received death threats from abortion advocates.

Dorries file a bill to reduce the time limit on legal abortions from 24 weeks into pregnancy to just 21 weeks.

On Wednesday, the pro-abortion group Abortion Rights held a lobbying event seeking to prevent members of parliament from using a private member’s bill to change abortion law in the UK. Dorries opposes the move because such bills are the only way to approve pro-life laws when the ruling government supports abortion.

"I feel this is an attempt to suppress democracy as the only way the abortion law can be reformed is via a Private Members Bill," she told the Bedford, England newspaper.

She said that she would urge other members of parliament to take up the cause of limiting abortions later in pregnancy if she is unsuccessful in getting a bill passed.

"If I am unsuccessful in the ballot for a private members bill, I will be encouraging other members of parliament to propose legislation to reduce the number of abortions in Britain," she said.

Dorries’ efforts have angered abortion advocates and she has received death threats from pro-abortion activists and been bombarded by anonymous phone calls. The calls have been so harassing that she alerted the House of Commons security and local police.

Last month, Dorries’ bill cutting the time limit for abortions from 24 weeks into pregnant to 21 and to introduce a 10-day waiting period before an abortion could be done failed on a 187-108 vote.

The legislation had divided the pro-life community with some supporting the limits and others saying they didn’t go far enough and contained too many exceptions to adequately protect unborn children.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children previously said it opposed the bill because it limited some abortions but "abandons" disabled babies who have non life-threatening conditions.

Anthony Ozimic, the political secretary for SPUC said the Dorries bill applied only to abortions for socioeconomic reasons and didn’t affect abortions done on babies because they have a disability — even one as minor as a cleft palate. Such abortions are allowed up until birth, he explained.

There are about 180,000 abortions done annually in England and Wales and about 3,000 late-term abortions are done each year.

Related web sites:
Society for the Protection of Unborn Children – https://www.spuc.org.uk