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Harman to scrap vote on abortion law reform
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor20 Oct 2008
MOVES to liberalise Britain's abortion laws are to be killed off by the Government amid fears that the issue could prove a "distraction" from Labour's fightback on the economy.
Commons leader Harriet Harman is expected to table a motion tomorrow that will curtail the time available for debate of controversial "pro-choice" amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
The change means in effect that abortion issues will not be voted on when the Bill's final parliamentary stages take place on Wednesday.
Government sources emphasised that now is "not the right time" and the Bill was "not the right vehicle" to start re- opening the abortion debate. Ministers fear allowing votes by the Commons on the amendments which could make it easier to get an abortion earlier could pave the way for the House of Lords to insert "pro-life" proposals.
"If we open this up in the Commons, then the Lords will try to do the same and we can't be certain how things will go in the Lords. The Lords hasn't seen a big abortion debate since the 1990s and there is uncertainty about where that would lead," a source said.
"At the end of the day, this is a Bill about embryology, not abortion."
Labour women MPs will be disappointed by the move as they had hoped to table amendments reducing from two to one the number of doctors required to authorise a termination.
"Pro-choice" MPs also wanted to widen the range of premises, to allow nurses to perform abortions and to even make them legal in Northern Ireland.
Some Tory MPs have tabled amendments aimed at restricting the grounds for late abortions and to bring in a compulsory "cooling off period" for counselling before a termination. There will not be a vote on Wednesday, however, on reducing the upper time limit on abortions from 24 weeks. That was debated, and lost, in May.
A cross-party move by Labour's Frank Field and Tory Nadine Dorries to set up a 17-strong abortion law review group, made up of peers and MP and to sit for nine months, is also unlikely to be voted on.
Reader views (3)
Typical Labour. manipulative, dishonest, bigoted and basically evil. We spend 300 + hours debating fox hunting and virtually nothing on human life. Look at the excuses. Feeble and utterly pathetic. How can we trust ANYONE in government again?
- Mike Lampard, Liverpool, UK, 25/10/2008 17:23
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So either the whole issue was a trivial waste of time and taxpayers' money, OR it was an important issue that they've scrapped in the interests of Spin.
Labour, oh Labour. I think they're going to have to change the party name completely next time they hope to be elected . . .
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 20/10/2008 15:22
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"distraction"- read,"doesn't think she can push it through or bully enough MPs to vote for it in the current political climate"
- Rogan, Irving, 20/10/2008 15:07
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