One in three women in the UK will have had an abortion by the time they are 45. Abortion is part of the story for many women and families in the UK, and we recognise it is a difficult and often agonising decision to make. Therefore, it is only right that we keep the issue alive in public debate, so that our laws can support and reflect public opinion on such an important issue.
Abortion legislation must protect both the dignity and worth of the mother as well as the unborn child. Women's voices need to be heard on any discussion on the reframing of our laws on abortion. In a recent national poll only 1 per cent of women wanted the abortion limit raised to birth and 70 per cent of women wanted to see the current time limit for abortion be lowered.
Later today, the British Medical Association will be voting on whether they should adopt abortion decriminalisation as part of their official policy. Such a vote not only risks alienating a vast proportion of their members, but also highlights that this motion has been crafted by a small sect of people who are part of the pro-abortion lobby, and who do not represent the British public – the majority of whom want to see further protections added to our abortion laws not fewer.
Full decriminalisation will effectively allow abortion up until birth for any reason. It also paves the way for abortion to be carried out away from the safety of the medical profession, with women being able to take abortifacient pills at any stage during their pregnancy, without speaking to a doctor first.
Currently all abortions carried out across Britain have to be signed off by two doctors, confirming that the woman is not being coerced into having an abortion. 76 per cent of the population want to see an introduction of a policy that would strengthen this practice, making sure that the woman is able to make a free choice concerning her termination. 73 per cent of the population also would like to see the introduction of a five-day consideration period before an abortion takes place. Clearly the evidence shows that the British public do not want to see doctors removed from the practise of abortion, but see them as safeguards integral to women's safety.
This vote risks delegitimising the BMA as a representative body and could undermine the incredible work it has done in the past. If the BMA were to adopt decriminalisation of abortion as its formal policy then it would become part of the pro-abortion lobby, campaigning the Government for a change in law.
It's time that the debate on abortion was shifted away from pro-abortion lobbyists and put back into the hands of the British public. There is a clear consensus among the general population that women and unborn children deserve better than our laws on abortion currently provide. We must not be silent and risk our abortion laws being watered down by a small but loud minority, and must ensure that they will always protect the most vulnerable.
Nola Leach is Chief Executive of CARE which seeks to uphold human dignity and to support the most vulnerable people in society, engaging with politicians in the UK Parliaments and Assemblies in its advocacy work. Nola is head of CARE's Leadership Programme and of CARE's Public Policy team. Nola also serves many other ministries and organisations such as the Christian CEO's Conference, Girls' Brigade, the European Leaders Forum and the Christian Embassy in London. Follow on Twitter @careorguk.
