Headlines
Amendment to repeal abortion on the grounds of disability rejected, 28 January 2008
An amendment to end discrimination against disabled foetuses has been rejected in the House of Lords. Baroness Masham’s amendment would have repealed the current law which says an unborn child may be aborted up to the point of birth if it may suffer from a ‘serious handicap’. In the past this has been taken to include conditions such as a cleft palate.
Sadly her amendment was rejected by a vote of 22 to 89.
Experts say unborn babies can feel pain
At the same time as the Lords were voting to keep abortion up to full term for disability, Professor Sunny Anand was addressing members of the House of Commons on the issue of foetal pain. Professor Anand is the world’s leading expert in this area, and his research suggests that babies can feel pain even before 24 weeks gestation, which is the current time limit for abortion of babies without a disability.
Those at the meeting, organised by Nadine Dorries, MP, were also addressed by Professor Stuart Campbell, whose 4D images of babies in the womb have been instrumental in convincing many of the humanity of the unborn child. Video clips of these scans can be viewed at http://www.createhealth.org/babyscanning.html#.
You can listen to Prof Anand being interviewed on Radio 4 by using the link below.
Prof Anand on Radio 4, the Today show
Telegraph, “Babies ‘feel pain before 24-week abortion limit’ “
Daily Mail, “Abortion time limit should be reduced as foetuses feel pain before 24 weeks, MPs told”