Gender abortion move stopped

MORE THAN 200 MPs this week united in a cross-party effort to clarify the law that abortion solely on the basis of gender is illegal.

But their attempt to insert an amendment into the Serious Crime Bill was lost in the face of strong opposition in the House of Commons from both the Government and other parties. However, ministers did agree to a review of the extent of sex-­selective terminations.

The bid to amend the law on abortion was led by the evangelical Christian Fiona Bruce, Conservative MP for Congleton, but when the Commons divided after Monday night’s debate, her move was rejected by 292 votes to 201.

Mrs Bruce, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group, said her amendment was necessary “because there is no explicit statement about gender- selective abortion in UK law”.

She explained: “The law is being interpreted in different ways because when the 1967 Abortion Act was passed, scans to determine the sex of the foetus were not available.” Mrs Bruce rejected the assertion by the Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, that it could inadvertently outlaw abortion in cases where there are “gender-specific abnormalities”.

Before the debate, the Trades Union Congress, whose general secretary, Frances O’Grady, is a Catholic, had circulated a briefing paper among MPs opposing the amendment. The paper suggested that making sex-selective abortions illegal would “divide communities”’ and that there could be “compelling circumstances” to allow abortion of female foetuses – such as if a mother is at risk of domestic abuse. A TUC spokes­man said: “The paper was from the TUC generally and not a personal thing from Frances.”