7 Sep 2011

MPs vote against backbencher’s abortion campaign

A Conservative backbencher’s attempt to prevent abortion providers offering counselling services to women seeking terminations is defeated in the Commons.

MPs vote aginst backbencher's abortion campaign

In a free vote MPs decided by 368 votes to 118, a majority 250, against the move in a defeat for MP Nadine Dorries, who led the campaign to change the law.

All three main party leaders indicated they oppose the amendment, although Ms Dorries claimed David Cameron had been “blackmailed” by his Liberal Democrat coalition partners.

Under the proposed change to the health and social care bill, counselling would have been offered by “independent” providers rather than organisations connected with the provision of abortions.

Ms Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire) told MPs Mr Cameron had initially been “very encouraging” about her move but was then placed in an “impossible position” by the Lib Dems.

Ms Dorries insisted she did not want to restrict access to abortion.

She said: “I do not want to return to the days of back-street abortionists. I am pro-choice. Abortion is here to stay.”

Ms Dorries said her amendment was about “a medical practitioner making an offer to a woman who presents at a surgery or their organisation with independent counselling – not compulsory”.

She denied her proposal aimed to “drive women into the arms of religious fundamentalists” and questioned how opponents could “object to a vulnerable woman being made an offer of counselling when she is suffering a crisis pregnancy”.

The Tory backbencher added: “It must be wrong that the abortion provider, who is paid to the tune of £60m to carry out terminations, should also provide the counselling if a woman feels strong or brave enough to ask for it.”

Health Minister Anne Milton said the government would not be supporting any amendments but would be bringing forward its own proposals once the bill had been passed.

“The government is therefore supportive of the spirit of these amendments and we intend to bring forward proposals for regulations accordingly but after consultation,” she said.

“Primary legislation is not only unnecessary but would deprive parliament of the opportunity to consider the detail of how this service would develop and evolve.”

Shadow health minister Diane Abbott said Ms Dorries’ amendment was a “shoddy, ill-conceived attempt to promote non-facts to make a non-case”.

She added: “The case this amendment is seeking to make is that tens of thousands of women every year are either not getting the counselling that they request or are getting counselling that is so poor that only new legislation can remedy the situation.

“This amendment is the opposite of evidence-based policy making.”