Britain soon could pass the most extreme abortion law Europe has ever seen. Members of Parliament have proposed amendments that would legalize abortion up until the moment of birth. The amendments could also allow for sex-selective abortions and would take away the ability to prosecute abusers who harm unborn children, according to the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, a pro-life advocacy group in the U.K.
According to The Telegraph, Britain’s current law allows for abortion up until a pregnancy is 24 weeks along, with certain limited exceptions after that. One proposal would amend the law so that women who end their own pregnancies at any time during the pregnancy, including after the 24 weeks, could not be prosecuted. Another proposal would decriminalize late-term abortions for those who perform them outside of the limited exceptions.
The proposed amendments are “the greatest threat to unborn children and their mothers since the Abortion Act,” according to the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, as reported by the BBC. The Abortion Act of 1967 refers to the U.K. law that legalized abortion up to 24 weeks.
“This is a very, very left-wing Labour [Party] government in the U.K.,” said Nile Gardiner, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom. “In fact, it’s the most far-left-wing administration in British history, and it is an extreme socialist government, and so, it’s perhaps not surprising that a left-wing government like this is putting forward this kind of extreme legislation … this would really be state-sanctioned murder.”
He continued: “These kinds of policies are incredibly, incredibly dangerous, and it would lead to the sort of situation that you have in China today, really, as a result of these extreme abortion policies. I think that would be the inevitable result of this—the killing of a large number of babies. No society in the world should be condoning these kinds of policies, but there is no limit to the cruelty and heartlessness and inhumanity of socialism.”
According to a survey by YouGov, 70% of members of Parliament believe that abortions beyond the 24-week restriction should not be criminalized while only 1% of British people support abortion up until the moment of birth, as reported by The Telegraph.
When asked how so many in Parliament could consider legislation that goes against the majority of the British people, Gardiner said, “The Labor government has a big majority, and they can act in a dictatorial fashion here without any regard for public opinion because they have such a large parliamentary majority. Until they are voted out … they can basically pass whatever legislation they like.”
Votes on the amendments in the House of Commons are scheduled for next week, but some are urging taking more time to consider such sweeping changes.
“Abortion law is incredibly complex. It governs 250,000 women’s health care every single year. Because of that, it is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered,” Rachel Clarke, head of advocacy at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, told The Telegraph. “That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators, and proper debate time in Parliament.”
“Any member of Parliament who has a conscience and who believes in the sanctity of human life should fight against this monstrous barbarism,” Gardiner said.
