A staunch supporter of ‘abortion access’ has spoken out against decriminalisation on the grounds that it poses a risk to women’s health.
Writing in The Daily Express, Rebecca Paul MP said politicians must stop “ignoring inconvenient data” on the dangers of allowing women to have DIY abortion pills at any stage of gestation without deterrent.
The Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently being debated in the House of Lords, includes an amendment (Clause 191) that would allow women to have abortions at any stage of pregnancy without sanction.
‘Extreme ideology’
If the amendment is retained in the Bill that returns to the Commons, then Rebecca Paul said MPs must ensure they reconsider it “without the haste and frankly unacceptable lack of scrutiny we saw in June when the amendment passed after just 46 minutes of backbench debate”.
“If MPs do vote again, we must put tribalism aside, consider the issues on their merits and send the signal that being pro-woman does not entail abortion access without limits: women’s safety should not be sacrificed on the altar of extreme ideology.”
She warned that under the current ten-week home abortion limit, decriminalising abortion “essentially gives the green light to using abortion pills up to birth regardless of the health risks. This will, without a doubt, cost women their lives. Those being domestically abused and sex trafficked will pay the heaviest price.”
Record abortions
According to statistics, more abortions are taking place in England and Wales than ever before.
The latest Government figures show that in 2023, abortions increased by 11 per cent on the previous year. This took the total to an estimated 278,740, which was 26,618 higher than in 2022, signalling a rise of 36 per cent (73,445) in just five years.
Most abortions (nine in ten) took place before ten weeks, with the majority of women taking abortion pills at home, unsupervised. However, the number of surgical abortions grew for the second consecutive year.
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