Scottish Catholic Observer

The Labour and Liberal Democrat parties have been called out by Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) for pledging to decriminalise abortion in their election manifestos.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party has come under fire from Right to Life UK for pledging almost £300 million to support abortions internationally.

Decriminalisation

The Liberal Democrat Party manifesto, released on November 20, says that it will ‘decriminalise abortion across the UK while retaining the existing 24-week limit.’

The Labour Party manifesto published November 21, says the party will ‘uphold women’s reproductive rights and decriminalise abortions’—with no guarantee to retain the existing time limit.

As well as removing abortion from the criminal law, the Liberal Democrats said they would impose censorship zones around clinics, and ‘fund abortion clinics to provide their services free of charge to service users regardless of nationality or residency.’

SPUC response

Michael Robinson, SPUC’s director of communications said: “It is quite incredible that the Liberal Democrats are promising to fund abortions on women who might not even be eligible for genuine healthcare in this country.

“If no regard is given to nationality or residency, what is to stop women getting a cheap flight to end their baby’s life at the British taxpayer’s expense?

“What’s more, the Lib Dems want to stop people at pro-life vigils offering help to women outside abortion clinics; women who might desperately want to keep their babies but feel they have no choice.

“In a bitter irony, the women most often helped by pro-life vigils have uncertain status or no right to receive benefits and so feel that abortion is their only option. What is liberal or democratic about offering free abortions but denying these women any other help or choices?”

Risk

Responding to Labour’s manifesto, Mr Robinson said: “Labour has slipped abortion decriminalisation into its manifesto as if it needs no further explanation. However, removing abortion from the criminal law will signal the biggest expansion of abortion provision in over fifty years, and will put women at risk.”

He added: “Decriminalising abortion would remove legal protection from unborn children, meaning they could have their lives ended for any reason, at least up until the time they are capable of being born alive.

“There is nothing ‘progressive’ about making Britain’s abortion regime even worse and leaving unborn babies and their mothers unprotected by the law.”

Since the Conservatives took power in 2010 there has been a ‘1300per cent increase in taxpayer funding for abortion giant Marie Stopes,’ says Right to Life UK. Contributions from the Department for International Development (DfID) to abortion provider Marie Stopes International (MSI) increased from £3,231,000 in 2006 to £48,173,000 in 2018 with the Conservatives coming to power in 2010.

Marie Stopes

Financial statements for MSI found in Companies House reveal that overall DfID has given almost £300 million worth of taxpayers’ money to MSI during the Conservative Government’s term.

This increase has made DfID the single biggest donor to Marie Stopes International, during which MSI performed almost 5 million abortions globally.

In September, Boris Johnson led Government provided an additional £600 million of taxpayer money for overseas ‘family planning,’ which will include funding abortions.

Right to Life’s spokesperson Catherine Robinson responded: “The majority of the great increase in the contributions of the Department for International Development to this global abortion provider has occurred under the auspices of a Conservative Government.

“Polling has shown that 65per cent of the British population are opposed to taxpayer money being used to fund abortions overseas, yet every year since 2010 the British Government has given more and more money to MSI for this purpose.”