24-Week Abortion Time Limit

EDM number 1598 in 2007-08, proposed by Chris McCafferty on 16/05/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Health services and Medical ethics.

That this House notes that reducing the abortion time-limit from 24 weeks would force some women to continue a pregnancy and give birth against their will; further notes that the time-limit is considered by many people to be set on the basis of when the foetus would be viable; further notes the findings of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee's recent report Scientific Developments relating to the Abortion Act 1967, and its conclusion that below 24 weeks they `have seen no good evidence to suggest that the foetal viability has improved significantly since the abortion time-limit was last set, and seen some good evidence to suggest that it has not'; further notes that this view, that there is no medical or scientific justification for a reduction in the current abortion time limit, is shared by the BMA, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, the RCN, the FPA and Antenatal Results and Choices; observes that less than 2 per cent. of abortions take place above 20 weeks gestation and involve the most vulnerable women in the most difficult personal circumstances who are not undertaking abortion lightly; believes that the best way to reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies by improving sex and relationships education, and improving access to effective contraception; and therefore supports women's access to safe legal abortion, within the current ethically and scientifically justified time-limit of 24 weeks.

This motion has been signed by a total of 105 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.

MP	Date	Constituency	Party	Type
Chris McCafferty	16/05/2008	Calder Valley	Labour	Proposed
John Bercow	16/05/2008	Buckingham	Conservative	Seconded
Frank Dobson	16/05/2008	Holborn & St Pancras	Labour	Seconded
Katy Clark	16/05/2008	Ayrshire North & Arran	Labour	Seconded
Evan Harris	16/05/2008	Oxford West & Abingdon	Liberal Democrat	Seconded
Robert Key	16/05/2008	Salisbury	Conservative	Seconded
Linda Gilroy	16/05/2008	Plymouth, Sutton	Labour	Signed
Diane Abbott	16/05/2008	Hackney North & Stoke Newington	Labour	Signed
Graham Allen	16/05/2008	Nottingham North	Labour	Signed
Patrick Hall	16/05/2008	Bedford	Labour	Signed
Fabian Hamilton	16/05/2008	Leeds North East	Labour	Signed
Mike Hancock	16/05/2008	Portsmouth South	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Charlotte Atkins	16/05/2008	Staffordshire Moorlands	Labour	Signed
John Austin	16/05/2008	Erith & Thamesmead	Labour	Signed
Sandra Gidley	16/05/2008	Romsey	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Ian Gibson	16/05/2008	Norwich North	Labour	Signed
Jim Dowd	16/05/2008	Lewisham West	Labour	Signed
Jeff Ennis	16/05/2008	Barnsley East & Mexborough	Labour	Signed
Mark Fisher	16/05/2008	Stoke-on-Trent Central	Labour	Signed
Paul Flynn	16/05/2008	Newport West	Labour	Signed
Hywel Francis	16/05/2008	Aberavon	Labour	Signed
Mike Gapes	16/05/2008	Ilford South	Labour	Signed
Andrew George	16/05/2008	St Ives	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Neil Gerrard	16/05/2008	Walthamstow	Labour	Signed
Roger Berry	16/05/2008	Kingswood	Labour	Signed
Howard Stoate	16/05/2008	Dartford	Labour	Signed
Desmond Turner	16/05/2008	Brighton, Kemptown	Labour	Signed
Willie Rennie	16/05/2008	Dunfermline & Fife West	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Jim Devine	16/05/2008	Livingston	Labour	Signed
Stephen Williams	16/05/2008	Bristol West	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Linda Riordan	16/05/2008	Halifax	Labour	Signed
Madeleine Moon	16/05/2008	Bridgend	Labour	Signed
Emily Thornberry	16/05/2008	Islington South & Finsbury	Labour	Signed
Jo Swinson	16/05/2008	East Dunbartonshire	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Angela Smith	16/05/2008	Sheffield, Hillsborough	Labour	Signed
Martin Horwood	16/05/2008	Cheltenham	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Sian James	16/05/2008	Swansea East	Labour	Signed
Nia Griffith	16/05/2008	Llanelli	Labour	Signed
Lynne Featherstone	16/05/2008	Hornsey & Wood Green	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Mary Creagh	16/05/2008	Wakefield	Labour	Signed
Jeremy Browne	16/05/2008	Taunton	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Lyn Brown	16/05/2008	West Ham	Labour	Signed
John Hemming	16/05/2008	Birmingham, Yardley	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Mike Wood	16/05/2008	Batley & Spen	Labour	Signed
Virendra Sharma	16/05/2008	Ealing, Southall	Labour	Signed
Frank Doran	16/05/2008	Aberdeen North	Labour	Signed
Julie Morgan	16/05/2008	Cardiff North	Labour	Signed
Jacqui Lait	16/05/2008	Beckenham	Conservative	Signed
Sally Keeble	16/05/2008	Northampton North	Labour	Signed
Martyn Jones	16/05/2008	Clwyd South	Labour	Signed
Lynne Jones	16/05/2008	Birmingham, Selly Oak	Labour	Signed
Glenda Jackson	16/05/2008	Hampstead & Highgate	Labour	Signed
Brian Iddon	16/05/2008	Bolton South East	Labour	Signed
Christopher Huhne	16/05/2008	Eastleigh	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Kelvin Hopkins	16/05/2008	Luton North	Labour	Signed
Paul Holmes	16/05/2008	Chesterfield	Liberal Democrat	Signed
David Heyes	16/05/2008	Ashton-under-Lyne	Labour	Signed
John Heppell	16/05/2008	Nottingham East	Labour	Signed
Nick Harvey	16/05/2008	North Devon	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Phyllis Starkey	16/05/2008	Milton Keynes South West	Labour	Signed
Dennis Skinner	16/05/2008	Bolsover	Labour	Signed
Martin Salter	16/05/2008	Reading West	Labour	Signed
John Robertson	16/05/2008	Glasgow North West	Labour	Signed
Gordon Prentice	16/05/2008	Pendle	Labour	Signed
Norman Lamb	16/05/2008	North Norfolk	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Bob Laxton	16/05/2008	Derby North	Labour	Signed
Tony Lloyd	16/05/2008	Manchester Central	Labour	Signed
Richard Burden	16/05/2008	Birmingham, Northfield	Labour	Signed
Colin Burgon	16/05/2008	Elmet	Labour	Signed
Menzies Campbell	16/05/2008	Fife North East	Liberal Democrat	Signed
David Chaytor	16/05/2008	Bury North	Labour	Signed
Ann Clwyd	16/05/2008	Cynon Valley	Labour	Signed
Jeremy Corbyn	16/05/2008	Islington North	Labour	Signed
Ann Cryer	16/05/2008	Keighley	Labour	Signed
Ian Davidson	16/05/2008	Glasgow South West	Labour	Signed
Karen Buck	16/05/2008			Signed
Russell Brown	16/05/2008	Dumfries & Galloway	Labour	Signed
Judy Mallaber	16/05/2008	Amber Valley	Labour	Signed
John McDonnell	16/05/2008	Hayes & Harlington	Labour	Signed
Shona McIsaac	16/05/2008	Cleethorpes	Labour	Signed
Austin Mitchell	16/05/2008	Great Grimsby	Labour	Signed
Margaret Moran	16/05/2008	Luton South	Labour	Signed
Doug Naysmith	16/05/2008	Bristol North West	Labour	Signed
Dan Norris	16/05/2008	Wansdyke	Labour	Signed
Sandra Osborne	16/05/2008	Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock	Labour	Signed
Andy Slaughter	19/05/2008			Signed
Rudi Vis	19/05/2008	Finchley & Golders Green	Labour	Signed
Edward Davey	19/05/2008	Kingston & Surbiton	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Andrew MacKay	19/05/2008	Bracknell	Conservative	Signed
David Lepper	19/05/2008	Brighton, Pavilion	Labour	Signed
Marsha Singh	19/05/2008	Bradford West	Labour	Signed
Alan Simpson	19/05/2008	Nottingham South	Labour	Signed
Joan Humble	20/05/2008	Blackpool North & Fleetwood	Labour	Signed
Eric Illsley	20/05/2008	Barnsley Central	Labour	Signed
Janet Dean	20/05/2008	Burton	Labour	Signed
Andrew Dismore	20/05/2008	Hendon	Labour	Signed
John Leech	20/05/2008	Manchester, Withington	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Roger Godsiff	21/05/2008	Birmingham, Sparkbrook & Small Heath	Labour	Signed
Sharon Hodgson	22/05/2008	Gateshead East & Washington West	Labour	Signed
Michael Clapham	02/06/2008	Barnsley West & Penistone	Labour	Signed
Bill Etherington	02/06/2008	Sunderland North	Labour	Signed
Brian Jenkins	03/06/2008	Tamworth	Labour	Signed
Martin Caton	03/06/2008	Gower	Labour	Signed
Jennifer Willott	04/06/2008	Cardiff Central	Liberal Democrat	Signed
Margaret Beckett	Unknown			Withdrawn

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