A pro-life organisation is urging the UK government to introduce new legal protections for unborn babies with detectable heartbeats after publishing the results of two street polls conducted across the UK.
The Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform UK (CBR UK) said its “Heartbeat Campaign” surveyed more than 2,800 people across a dozen towns and cities between March and May 2025 to gauge public attitudes toward whether babies with a heartbeat should be protected by law.
In the first poll, which asked 1,546 respondents, “If a baby has a heartbeat, should their life be protected?”, 62% answered “yes,” according to CBR UK.
A second poll, put to 1,328 people, asked: “If a baby in the womb has a heartbeat, aside from extreme circumstances, should the law allow us to kill them?”
In that survey, 59% replied “no,” indicating opposition to abortion in cases where a heartbeat can be detected outside what the organisation described as “extreme circumstances”.
CBR UK said it deliberately rephrased the second question to clarify that it referred specifically to babies in the womb, to reference legal protection, and to acknowledge exceptions such as rape, disability, or where the life of the mother is at risk.
The group stated that while those scenarios were included in the question to test public opinion, it does not support abortion even in those cases.
The campaign centres on the claim that a baby’s heart begins beating 22 days after fertilisation.
CBR UK argues that the presence of a heartbeat is widely recognised as a key indicator of life and should therefore carry legal significance.
As part of the initiative, the group has released street interview footage showing members of the public discussing whether intentionally stopping a beating heart would constitute killing, and whether the same principle should apply before birth.
The campaign also highlights abortion statistics, stating that more than 250,000 abortions take place annually in the UK, many after a heartbeat is detectable.
CBR UK is backing a parliamentary petition calling for what it describes as a “Heartbeat Bill” - legislation that would protect babies in the womb once a heartbeat can be identified. The petition is currently live on the UK Parliament website.
In a message accompanying the campaign, CBR UK’s spokesperson Ruth Rawlins said the group believes public opinion demonstrates growing support for stronger legal protections for the unborn.
She urged supporters to sign and share the petition, arguing that current debates risk expanding abortion access rather than restricting it.
The campaign enters an already polarised national conversation around abortion law, with Parliament continuing to debate possible reforms.
Any proposal to introduce a heartbeat-based legal threshold would represent a significant change to existing legislation in England and Wales.
The Government has not indicated that it plans to introduce such a measure.
