Following a proposal by a Labour MP to decriminalise abortion completely, a new poll has suggested that a majority of people in Britain believe that criminal law should still apply in what is a matter of life and death.
Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Glower, has tabled amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would lead to the complete decriminalisation of abortion in England and Wales. Antoniazzi’s proposal would also remove legal penalties for women who self-administer abortions.
Currently abortion is legal up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy, abortions after that point become a criminal matter. Government statistics suggest that most abortions are carried out in the first weeks of pregnancy.
A poll commissioned by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), found that 64 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement, “Abortion is a matter of life and death and it is therefore appropriate that the criminal law provides a clear boundary to protect everyone involved.” Only 14 per cent disagreed with the statement.
The research, which spoke to 2,000 people, also found that most people are unaware of the scale at which abortion takes place in Britain.
Around a third of people in Britain believe there are less than 50,000 abortions every year, while half believe the figure to be less than 100,000. The true figure is actually close to 300,000, and has risen sharply in recent years.
Michael Robinson, Executive Director of SPUC, said the polling "clearly shows that the British public doesn't support abortion on demand and rejects the deeply flawed arguments from the abortion lobby that it should be removed from the criminal law."
"While believing that the law should be rarely applied, the public recognises that criminal sanction should be applied in some cases and wants the law extended to cover those abortion providers who act in a reckless fashion endangering the lives of mothers and their babies," he said.
Robinson added that while most in Britain failed to appreciate the degree to which abortion is taking place, they still view the life of unborn babies as precious and that abortion is not a standard medical procedure, but one that involves terminating another life.
"This is why there must be reserve powers in the criminal law that protect both mother and child," he continued.
"Those peddling abortion on demand and without consequences are [out of] step with public opinion and I would urge MPs to reject these amendments and instead look at ways to extend criminal responsibility to those providers who recklessly endanger the health and lives of vulnerable women.”
