women in london

As many of you will know, in March Nadine Dorries MP and Frank Field MP tabled amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill proposing new counselling requirements for women seeking abortions.

The amendments sought to introduce a further layer of ‘independent advice and counselling’ prior to abortion – paving the way for anti-choice organisations to become formally involved in providing information to women about their pregnancy options and removing responsibility for this role from abortion providers, on the grounds that they have a ‘vested interest’ in encouraging women to proceed with a termination.

This week we have learned that the Department of Health is considering introducing these new arrangements without legislation – circumventing any parliamentary debate or vote on the issue.

This is a significant and alarming development: for such an important and potentially damaging change in abortion regulation to be introduced without any parliamentary oversight is deeply concerning.

Not only could the move place responsibility for pre-abortion counselling in the hands of unregulated, unlicensed organisations who are under no obligation to provide women with medically accurate, unbiased information, it would create serious delays and impediments in accessing abortion services.

We need you to write to Anne Milton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health – the minister responsible for overseeing this change – to express your opposition to the proposals.

We’ve provided a model letter for you to send to her or you can email her at the Department of Health.

Now it’s time to join the Protest…

Saturday 9th July, Old Palace Yard, Westminster, from 1.30pm

There’s only one week to go before next Saturday’s Pro-Choice Demo outside Parliament, so it’s time to bring out your banners and raise your voice as the UK’s pro-choice majority.