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100 UK MPs Ready to Reconsider Abortion Law

WESTMINSTER, August 24, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A possible review of Britain's abortion law is gathering momentum in parliament, as the majority of MP's move towards a consensus on late-term abortions. In British law, babies can be aborted up to 24 weeks after conception - and as many as 1,300 are aborted between the 22nd and 24th week of pregnancy every year. New images of children in the womb, as well as an awareness that medical expertise can now save some babies born at 24 weeks, is making some politicians change their minds about how late abortions should be carried out.

Close to a hundred MP's have said they are in favor of changing the law, and a bill will presumably be introduced in November. Among them are many pro-abortionists. "I have never been anti-abortion and am still not against a woman's right to choose," said Nigel Jones, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham. "But the fact that foetuses almost as old as my daughters were when they were born early can be terminated does make me feel that it is time to reconsider the law." Jones' two daughters, now 18 years old, were born 10 weeks prematurely.

Pro-life activists warn that the review does not represent a real policy change. Anthony Ozimic, political secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, warned that the apparent shift in mood at parliament is based on media hype: "Recent stories about a review of abortion law are inaccurate and exaggerated. The parliamentary motions calling for a review cited in recent days were poorly supported..." Ozimic pointed out that any review would still be in the hands of Parliament's pro-abortion majority, and that this attempt at reform "would again be wide open to hijack by the pro-abortion lobby, which calls explicitly for total deregulation of abortion." Ozimic went on to cite a number of politicians who are calling for a review with the intention of further deregulating the abortion industry.

About 180,000 abortions take place in Britain each year making it one of the most common operations performed on the National Heath Service.

See local coverage of this story http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/24/nabor24.xml& sSheet=/news/2004/08/24/ixnewstop.html

jmo

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