Parliament should stop turning a “blind eye” to abortion on demand happening across the country, a Tory MP has said.
David Burrowes warned that the recent gender abortion scandal shows the practice is open to “dishonesty, illegality and abuse”.
In September, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) did not prosecute two doctors who approved abortions because of a baby’s sex following an undercover investigation by The Daily Telegraph.
Prohibit
Keir Starmer QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions at the time, explained his decision saying the law does not “expressly prohibit gender-specific abortions”.
But Mr Burrowes said the decision gives a “green light to abortion on demand”, and goes against the intentions of the Abortion Act 1967.
He said: “In fact, there have only been a handful of prosecutions for abortion contraventions in the past 10 years, and none involving a doctor.”
Honest
He said there is a wider issue of “transparency and honesty” around abortion laws.
The DPP said it was a matter for the General Medical Council to deal with.
But Mr Burrowes said: “It seems that the responsibility for enforcing the law is being passed from the courts to doctors, thereby second-guessing the intentions of Parliament on enforcement.”
Voiceless
Mr Burrowes said it is now up to Parliament to “speak up for the voiceless, ensuring that we respect life”.
He said legislation needs reforming, in order to plug the gap between abortion law and practice.
He also said he welcomed ministers’ assurances that guidance would be given by the General Medical Council.
