Dear SPUC supporter
Now that the Home Office’s buffer zones consultation has closed to responses, we turn our attention again to the dangerous pro-abortion amendments before Parliament.
As a reminder, On Tuesday 28 November 2023, Labour MPs Dame Diana Johnson and Stella Creasy tabled amendments New Clause 1 and New Clause 2 respectively to the Government’s Criminal Justice Bill. Both amendments would decriminalise abortion – that is, remove it from the criminal law.
These amendments are very dangerous, and could completely overhaul abortion law in this country.
There are two actions you can take NOW to help defeat these amendments.
1. Make a submission to the Public Bill Committee
The Public Bill Committee examining the Criminal Justice Bill has put out a call for evidence asking for views on the Criminal Justice Bill. This is an important opportunity to register opposition to the amendments.
This committee has to report back to the House by 30th January. Parliamentary procedure is not an exact science, but our intelligence now suggests that the abortion amendments will be debated on Thursday this week. This means there is still time to make a submission, if you haven’t already done so.
The key point to make in your submission is: Reject New Clauses 1 and 2.
Here are some suggestions for other points you can make about the two clauses.
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NC1:
- Removing the proposed offences for women would remove any legal restrictions on women regarding abortion. A woman could abort for any reason, including the sex of the baby.
- Dame Diana says the clause will not change the time limit “in a healthcare setting”. However, more than half of abortions are now carried out by a woman at home, under the pills by post policy. A woman who induced her abortion at home using pills (or any other method) at any stage of pregnancy, including just before natural birth, would commit no offence
- While the amendment applies only to a woman in relation to her own pregnancy, if self-induced abortions were never investigated, it is difficult to see how a third party could be charged in cases of coercion.
NC2:
- The vast majority of convictions under sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act are against men who cause the death of an unborn child by attacking a pregnant woman or giving her abortifacients against her will. Repealing them will stop such men being brought to justice.
- Section 60 of the Offences Against the Person Act deals with the crime of concealing the body of a baby who dies before, during or after birth, and is currently used when infanticide is suspected but cannot be charged due to lack of evidence. Repealing it, as this clause proposes, means that a woman would commit no offence if she self-induced abortion at full term or killed her baby during birth
- Similarly to NC1, the repeal of sections 58 and 59 would make abortion legal at any time, for any reason.
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Please include any other points you would like to make in your submission to the Committee, including any personal experience you have. Please put things into your own words as much as possible.
Your submission should be set out in a Word or similar document and must include:
- Heading: Evidence re: Criminal Justice Bill 2023
- Your name and address.
- The points you want to make to the Committee. (See bullet points above.)
Please email your submission to: [email protected].
2. Write to your MP
It is vital that we all lobby our MPs to oppose these extreme and dangerous amendments. We expect that there will be a vote in Parliament next month. Please contact your MP, asking them to oppose these proposals, and send them SPUC’s briefing on the subject.
Please use our tool to contact your MP. Just enter your postcode in the tool to bring up who your MP is, together with an editable email template, with a link to SPUC's briefing on the amendments. Edit the email template to make it sound more personal, and click Send message. Your email will be automatically sent to your MP.
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Thank you for all you do to help protect unborn babies.
With best wishes
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Alithea Williams
Public Policy Manager
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