London, England, Feb 27, 2008 / 00:57 am
A British proposal to limit further the circumstances in which abortion can be performed has won acclaim from some in the British pro-life movement. However, pro-life leaders also lamented the British medical establishment’s support for loose abortion regulations as the new embryo research and fertilization bill nears a vote.
Tory leader David Cameron has said he will support reducing the time period for legal abortion from 24 weeks to 20 weeks into a pregnancy.
Anthony Ozimic of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) told CNA in an email that this reduction only applies in very limited circumstances. "In fact, abortion is allowed up to birth in the UK. Only two of the Abortion Act's seven grounds are restricted to 24 weeks, all other grounds are without time limit i.e. up to birth."
Cameron’s announcement comes as the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill heads to the House of Commons for a vote. The bill would loosen restrictions on research destructive of human embryos and in-vitro fertilization treatments.