In a clandestine consultation, buried away without notification or announcement, the UK Department of Health (DoH) seeks to subvert the 1967 Abortion Act and remove the requirement for a woman considering termination to consult a doctor. Furthermore, the procedure could be carried out by a nurse and even outside a clinic “to be in the privacy of their own home for the expulsion.”
Speaking on behalf of the British Parliament’s Cross-Party Working Group on Human Dignity, Jim Dobbin MP stated: “These changes mark a further undermining of the safeguards of the 1967 Act and represent a significant change to the law. But rather than have this debated and decided by Parliament, the new measures would take the form of guidelines, thus bypassing due scrutiny. The original Act clearly stated a requirement for two consenting doctors, well informed of the personal circumstances in question; yet for decades, medical practitioners have turned a blind eye to the law, readily pre-signing abortion consents for patients they have never met, and now the DoH is actively encouraging such malpractice.”
The 1967 abortion law only permits abortion on the grounds of likely “injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any existing children of her family.” Despite this, the UK effectively operates abortion on demand, with the revelation last week that in 2012, only 46% of abortions had definitely been carried out with the necessary consultation of doctors. Such a scandalous waiver of any preceding deliberation demonstrates the callous disregard held for the life of the unborn child, or for the state of anguish tormenting the mother.
Mr. Dobbin continued: “The fervent support given from private abortion providers for the proposed guidelines exposes the hypocrisy of the abortion industry. Whilst claiming to have the pregnant woman’s best interests at heart they are content to see her deprived of her statutory required consultations with doctors and are perfectly happy to send her home to conduct a drug-induced abortion by herself.”
While the consultation was originally open till 3 February, the DoH – without warning – sought to conclude the process three weeks earlier. Following complaints from pro-life groups, the consultation remains active till the original date, and can be accessed here.
