Badenoch Condemns Late-Term Abortion Vote as Reform UK Pledges Swift Reversal
Kemi Badenoch has strongly criticised a parliamentary vote to allow women to legally terminate pregnancies up to birth, labelling the move as 'not right'. Her comments come as Reform UK vowed to reverse what it called a 'repulsive' change to abortion law, promising immediate action if it enters government.
House of Lords Rejects Last-Ditch Bid to Block Decriminalisation
On Wednesday night, the House of Lords rejected a final attempt to stop the decriminalisation of late-term abortion for any reason, including cases where parents are dissatisfied with the baby's sex. Currently, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks in England and Wales, with later procedures permitted only in limited circumstances, such as when the mother's life is at risk.
However, under an amendment added to the Government's Crime and Policing Bill by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi last year, women would no longer face prosecution for terminating their own pregnancies at any stage. This measure was debated for just 46 minutes in the Commons before being approved by 379 MPs, with 137 against.
It will now become law when the Bill gains royal assent next month, after peers voted 185 to 148 against an effort to defeat it in the Lords late on Wednesday night.
Badenoch Voices Disappointment and Draws a Line on Abortion Limits
Speaking at the launch of the Conservatives' local election campaign on Thursday, Ms Badenoch expressed her disappointment with the House of Lords' decision on the amendment. The Tory leader stated that while she identifies as 'pro-choice', she does not agree with permitting abortions 'at the last minute, when a baby is completely viable'.
'I want women to have choice, I think it's very, very important, but I do think especially as conservatives we are the only ones who will say this is where we should draw the line, we think the line should be here,' she added. 'Other parties say we don't need a line. There's only one party that actually sets guardrails, that says yes we believe in these things but this is where it becomes too much. I think abortions last minute at the point of delivery are too much and I'm not afraid to say so.'
Reform UK's Braverman Labels Change 'Repulsive' and Pledges Repeal
Meanwhile, Suella Braverman, Reform's women and equalities spokeswoman, described the alteration to abortion law as 'repulsive' and asserted that Nigel Farage's party would repeal it 'immediately' upon entering government. She commented on social media platform X: 'Debates around lowering the term limit from 24 weeks remain unwhipped and a matter of individual conscience. But it is clear that abortion up to birth is repulsive and a Reform UK government would reverse it immediately.'
Peers Also Fail to Reinstate In-Person Consultation Requirement
In a related development, peers failed to reinstate the requirement for women to have in-person appointments before they can access early medical abortions at home. The so-called 'pills by post' scheme, introduced during the pandemic and made permanent in 2022, has enabled women to obtain abortion pills following a phone or video consultation.
A proposed reintroduction of mandatory in-person consultations before women can be prescribed abortion medication was rejected by peers by 119 votes to 191, further shaping the landscape of reproductive rights in the UK.
