Hundreds of pro-life supporters are expected to gather outside parliament tomorrow to say no to abortion up to birth.
Pro-life groups across the UK have joined forces to protest attempts to amend the Criminal Justice Bill to decriminalise abortion. If passed into law, these amendments would mark the biggest change in abortion legislation since the Abortion Act in 1967.
The Criminal Justice Bill is set to be debated on Wednesday 15 May. Two radical amendments have been proposed that would decriminalise abortion, even up to birth.
Both amendments would legalise sex-selective abortions and leave women and unborn babies vulnerable to dangerous procedures or medicines.
Pro-life groups coordinating to organise the rally include: Abortion Resistance, ADF UK, CBR UK, Christian Concern, CitizenGO, Good Counsel Network, March for Life, Rachel’s Vineyard, SPUC, Voice for Justice UK, 40 Days for Life and several others.
These groups will be saying no to abortion up to birth and protesting the possible legalisation of sex-selective abortions.
Comments from pro-life leaders
Leaders from many of the pro-life groups represented commented ahead of the rally.
Eden McCourt (Abortion Resistance) said:
“We have found the majority of young people, when approached on the issue of complete abortion decriminalisation, are vehemently against this, even if they identify as pro-choice.
“From wherever one sides on this issue, it is not hard to see that abortion up to birth is an extreme position from those who seek to enable the abortion industry to profit as much as possible from killing our unborn members of the human family and further harming women.”
Lois McLatchie Miller (ADF UK) said:
“Late stage abortions carry far greater risk to the mental and physical health of a woman; let alone, end the lives of viable, fully-developed babies who could survive outside the womb if given the chance to live. A humane society prevents this horrendous trauma. Rather than late-stage abortion, women and their babies deserve better care and support to survive and thrive.”
Madeline Page (Alliance of Pro-Life Students) said:
“The real culprits are abortion providers and those who legalised pills by post. Women can now obtain abortions at home, with no scan and completely outside of a clinical setting. This has sadly led to an increase in the number of women procuring their own illegal late term abortions at home. The vast majority of the British public say no to abortion up to birth and so do we.”
Ruth Rawlins (CBR UK) said:
“We call upon the UK Government to reject these dangerous measures to remove all legal protections from babies in the womb. Women in challenging pregnancies need support, not the right to kill their babies up to birth.”
Caroline Farrow (CitizenGO) said:
“These extreme amendments would allow babies to be aborted for any reason, including sex selection, right up to birth. This will result in more late-term abortions at home and beyond the current 24-week limit, endangering viable babies and women’s lives.
“Such extreme and reckless changes have no place in the UK, as recent polls show significant public opposition. We urge MPs to reject these amendments and say ‘no to abortion up-to-birth’.”
Andrea Williams (Christian Concern) said:
“Children, born or not-yet-born, deserve our protection. No one has the right to take an innocent human’s life, but these radical amendments would put no restrictions whatsoever on the reasons for abortion. They would open the door to abortion for sex-selection and eugenics, putting mothers under even more pressure to abort from partners and family.
“This is wildly out of step with public opinion and MPs must finally send the message to the abortion lobby that it has gone too far.”
Robert Colquhoun (40 Days for Life) said:
“In the United Kingdom we need a spiritual transfer of ownership from a culture of death, to a culture of life. Instead of abortion up to birth, we need a country where abortion is unthinkable. This happens by reaching out to people one person at a time, finding healing after abortion, reaching those who are abortion minded with alternatives, and promoting a culture of life, where God’s plan for love and life is respected. Do not be afraid to go onto the streets to proclaim a culture of life. We all can reach people in our daily lives to help protect unborn babies.
“Now is the time to change the United Kingdom from having some of the most permissive abortion laws imaginable, to one where unborn children are valued, cherished and protected at every stage of life. This happens through finding law and order in the human heart, that can inform culture. Now is the time to build a culture of life where no more babies die and no more women cry from the wounds of abortion.”
Clare McCollough (Good Counsel Network) said:
“It is shameful that parliament is now being asked to deregulate abortion, which would legalise abortion up to birth for any reason. Expectant mothers already complain about the casual way abortion is foisted on them and how they can feel coerced into abortion. The proposed changes to the law will serve only to remove the last protections in law for vulnerable pregnant women and their children.”
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce (March for Life UK) said:
“The fact that abortions are largely illegal after 24 weeks is something that not only saves the lives of preborn children in later gestation but also helps protect the health, both physically and mentally, of women. It’s time to remove the smokescreen of counterfeit compassion and look at what really constitutes healthcare.”
Rachel Mackenzie (Rachel’s Vineyard) said:
“I’m seeing an increased amount of women traumatised by ‘at home’ abortions. This is often something suffered in silence and isolation. My concerns are that decriminalising abortion up to birth will not only mean more women risking their own physical health, but is downplaying the gravity and irrevocable nature of the decision which can have extreme impact on women’s mental health too.”
Catherine Robinson (Right to Life UK) said:
“As polling indicates, there is almost no support for abortion up to the point of birth. It is something the vast majority of people are rightly appalled by.
“These amendments would likely lead to a significant increase in the number of women performing late-term abortions at home, endangering the lives of many more women.
“They would also likely lead to an increased number of viable babies’ lives being ended well beyond the 24-week abortion time limit and beyond the point at which they would be able to survive outside the womb”.
Alithea Williams (SPUC) said:
“The pro-life movement is coming together to rally against the biggest threat to unborn babies since 1967. These decriminalisation amendments strip any remaining protections from the unborn, and either in fact, or de facto, allow abortion up to birth. This extreme agenda is completely out of step with public opinion, and we are rallying to make this clear to MPs. Over ten million unborn lives have already been lost under the UK’s abortion laws. We work towards a day when all human life is cherished and protected, but today, our message is one that all reasonable people should agree with – no to abortion up to birth.”
Lynda Rose (Voice for Justice UK) said:
“A nation that indiscriminately seeks to kill its unborn up to birth is destroying itself. In 2021, 214,869 abortions were reported in England and Wales – the highest number since records began. What will that number become if abortion is allowed up to birth? With our callous disregard of the right to life, the United Kingdom is rapidly becoming a kingdom of death. For the future wellbeing of all, these evil amendments must be defeated.”
Additional notes
A video promoting the rally featuring leaders of multiple pro-life organisations has been released here:
A full list of amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill is available here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-04/0155/amend/criminal_rm_rep_0513.pdf
Amendment NC1 sponsored by Diana Johnson MP aims to decriminalise abortion up to birth for any reason.
Amendment NC40 sponsored by Stella Creasy MP aims to decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks for any reason.
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