MPs from all the main parties have backed changes to the law that would abolish rules allowing abortions up to the point of birth [1] for an unborn child diagnosed with Down syndrome.
An amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill being tabled by Sir Liam Fox, a former cabinet minister, would bring the law in line with the 24-week abortion limit for foetuses with no “serious disabilities”.
He said the change in the law would stop people with Down syndrome being treated as second-class citizens, a situation he described as an “absolutely utter travesty”.
The most recent abortion statistics published by the Department of Health and Social Care revealed that there were 859 abortions involving a baby diagnosed with Down syndrome in 2021, up by a quarter from the previous year.