Concerted campaign protects UK's 24 week abortion limit

London - The UK parliament's House of Commons has voted down legislation in May that would have reduced the 24 week upper time limit for abortion in the UK. Despite an emotive and misleading campaign by anti-choice lobbyists, a majority of MPs (304 votes to 233) voted to protect women’s reproductive rights.

Later abortions in the UK are extremely rare – 1.45% of the total - and needed by women facing extremely difficult circumstances. The Commons vote was consistent with the views of a majority of British women of reproductive age, 61% of whom said in a recent poll that there are circumstances in which a woman should have the right to access an abortion between 20 and 24 weeks. The survey, published by Ipsos MORI ahead of the vote, showed that women were sympathetic to their peers accessing a later abortion. Circumstances leading to a later abortion included denial of pregnancy signs (usually in very young women), foetal abnormality, rape, risk to the health of the woman and National Health Service delays and other personal reasons.

In the next phase of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, several pro-choice amendments will be introduced to improve existing legislation.