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Abortion Rights Plans House Of Commons Public Meeting

Kate Smurthwaite | 05.10.2008 00:37 | Gender | Health | London

Abortion Rights, the UK pro-choice organisation is planning a public meeting this Tuesday 7th October at 7pm in the House of Commons. Speakers will include Dr Evan Harris MP, Diane Abbott MP and Dr Audrey Simpson from the Family Planning Association of Northern Ireland. The meeting is aimed at putting pressure on the government to defend and improve rights for women as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is debated in coming weeks.

A woman's right to choose in the UK is currently under fire thanks to elements of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill currently being debated in parliament. At the same time the bill offers a possibility of actually improving the situation for women in the UK - getting rid of the hurdle of having to obtain two doctor's signatures and most vitally allowing women in Northern Ireland the right to access safe and legal abortion if they choose.

The Abortion Rights website explains: "The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill goes through its final stages in Parliament this autumn. In May we defeated anti-abortion amendments to lower the time limit from 24 weeks. This was a huge victory for women, the pro-choice movement and Abortion Rights. Yet the campaign is not over - anti-abortion MPs have tabled a series of amendments to restrict women's abortion rights when the Bill is voted on at its decisive Report Stage. We believe these amendments must be defeated.

"Women in fact need improved rights. Forty years after the enactment of the 1967 Abortion Act, pro-choice MPs are seeking to improve access to abortion and bring the law into line with developments in medical practice and social attitudes. Changes proposed include a reduction in the number of doctors who need to consent, from two to one, and the extension of the law to Northern Ireland.

"Eighty-three per cent of people support a woman's right to choose. Abortion Rights believes the law should reflect that majority."

Speakers planned for the event include Diane Abbott MP, Annie Campbell - Alliance for Choice, Kay Carberry - TUC Assistant General Secretary, Katy Clark MP, Katie Curtis NUS, Evan Harris MP, Jacqui Lait MP; Wendy Savage - Doctors for a Woman's Choice on Abortion, Dr Audrey Simpson - fpa Northern Ireland and Polly Toynbee - Guardian commentator.

Organisers are hoping for a big turn-out. Members of the public wishing to attend should aim to arrive by 6.30pm at the St Stephen's gate entrance to parliament, where Abortion Rights stewards will direct them to the meeting.

Kate Smurthwaite
e-mail: smurfjapan@yahoo.com
Homepage: http://www.cruellablog.blogspot.com

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

disturbing

05.10.2008 22:31

I agree women have the right to abortion but they have that now, what more do you want? 24 weeks is too long in my opinion i find the argument disturbing. Abortion should not be used as a contraceptive. women need better education from school and need to take some responsibility for what they do, not to demand abortions at any expense. It seems strange that we have an increasing amount of women getting fertility treatment and demanding the right to have children and the right to ivf treatment and at the same time an increasing amount of women demanding the right to abortions. messing with nature. people have a strange attitude to life.

Reponsibility

06.10.2008 09:07

I too am disturbed by this. What about the rights of the unborn child? Innocent lives! There is contaception available widely in this country. People need to take responsibility for their actions. Abotion is already available on demand and far too late into the pregnancy. Anyone who thinks this is right needs to take a look at the photo's of babies in the womb. We are not talking a bundle of cells as in the vast majority of abortions we are talking fully formed (and with a nervous system which feels pain) beings.

Concerned

No more lebensraum for humans

06.10.2008 12:05

All those debating the moot point where does life begin? in the embryo? , foetus?, whatever, have missed the point. Life began in the cell that is the egg and the sperm. So what? Theres 6.8 billion people on this planet and me aborting my own ill-concieved sprogs will bring a sigh of relief from the Earth. We should have abortion on demand and not need to provide mental or physical health reasons. Simply not liking or wanting children should be enough, and we don't need two doctors to sign, one is enough. Contraceptives themselves pollute the environment and often don't work. But some of us occasionally get bored staying at home doing needlepoint, so please indulge me if I'd like there not to be yet another vicious pink monkey consequence.

pink monkey number 6.8 billion

Unethical

07.10.2008 21:56

You need to get a conscience!

Dear M,

08.10.2008 10:49

Bite me! :)