MPs have backed a motion clarifying that abortion on the grounds of sex is illegal.
They voted 181 to 1 for ten-minute rule bill brought forward by a cross-party group of MPs, led by Fiona Bruce, that sought to end uncertainty over whether doctors can be prosecuted for termination on the grounds of an unborn child's sex.
The rule will now have a second reading in January.
Ten-minute rule bills rarely make it into the statute book but are instead used to raise awareness of an issue.
The sponsors of the bill are keen to clarify the law on this matter which could in turn any women under pressure to terminate female pregnancies. It could also lead the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, to introduce regulations to make sure the law is being upheld.
A spokeswoman for the charity Life said: “For too long the Abortion Act has been violated, abused and misinterpreted by the all-powerful abortion industry with seeming impunity. We saw the lack of prosecution in the case of abortion doctors offering to carry out sex selection abortions with no questions asked."
She added: "It is therefore time for Parliament to send a clear message to this out-of-control industry, which claims to have women’s best interests at heart, that they will not be allowed to terminate unborn girls because of their gender."
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