An attempt to hijack the UK Government’s flagship Health and Care Bill with an extreme abortion proposal has failed, marking a significant victory for pro-life forces.
MP Diana Johnson amendment would have changed the Offences Against the Person Act so that the current medical and legal safeguards, which prevent a woman from performing her own abortion without the involvement of a registered abortion provider, would have been removed through to 28 weeks.
The lack of support for the change meant it did not even go to a vote.
There was also strong support for the three pro-life amendments to abortion legislation that were tabled to the Bill.
As these amendments were probing amendments, they were also not taken to a vote, but a large number of MPs across different parties showed their support for these amendments by signing them.
The amendments proposed a reduction to the abortion time limit, a ban on sex-selective abortion, and an end to abortion up to birth for disabilities including Down’s syndrome, cleft lip and club foot.
