Fiona Bruce MP leads on amendment to Serious Crime Bill to outlaw sex-selective abortion

Fiona Bruce MP leads on amendment to Serious Crime Bill to outlaw sex-selective abortion

Almost 80 MPs have tabled an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill.

Fiona Bruce has tabled a parliamentary amendment to the Serious Crime Bill which would make it clear that conducting an abortion on the grounds that the unborn child is a girl – or a boy (although this practice mainly affects girls) is illegal.

Seventy-three MPs signed the amendment to the Serious Crime Bill yesterday and more have added their names today.

If selected for debate in the House of Commons at the next legislative stage of the Serious Crime Bill, which is likely to be within the next two to three weeks, the amendment will be voted on and, if ratified by a majority of MPs, it will become law.

Fiona Bruce MP said: “The amendment has two aims. Firstly, to make the Government to think of ways to support women who are under pressure to abort on grounds of the sex of their baby. Secondly, to stop this practice by confirming, beyond doubt, the current law. This clarification is necessary to prevent false information being distributed to women- still today, BPAS, Britain’s biggest abortion provider, on their website, insists that sex-selective abortion is not illegal – and this despite my Ten Minute Rule Bill of last November when MPs voted 181 to 1 that it is indeed illegal.”

“Evidence from women shows this is still happening and so stronger legislative force is needed – hence my amendment to the Serious Crime Bill. I am delighted that so many MPs are supporting it to send out such a clear message that this practice must stop. If we condemn this in countries like China where it has produced such an imbalance in young people that villages can have 30 young men to one young woman- whilst no-one is saying that the extent of the practice here is at anything like that level- it is happening here and it is equally wrong. I cannot be allowed to become culturally acceptable and we should no longer be turning a blind eye to it.”

Rani Bilkhu, founder of Jeena International, and spokeswoman for StopGendercide.org, said: “The Government has been clear that sex-selective abortion is illegal. But the UK’s biggest abortion provider BPAS continues to contradict them. It has been very upsetting to see some people claim that there is no evidence of sex-selective abortion in the UK. We know it is happening because we have been continually supporting women for nearly a decade who have had them or are being forced or coerced in having them. In their desperation to oppose this initiative, some radical commentators have said that there is no way to help women like those we deal with except through racial profiling.

“This is nonsense, and if the same argument were made about FGM and forced marriages, people would run a mile. We know sex-selective abortions are happening in the UK and the time has come to face up to it. People speak about choice. The women who we deal with rarely have a choice. Many are forced or coerced to abort simply because they are girls, this is the first act of violence against women and girls. We are supporting Fiona Bruce and her colleagues because it is the right approach, making a clear statement about the law, and providing the means for the Government to take practical action and to send a clear message to all stakeholders including communities that practice sex selection abortions is not only acceptable but against the law.”

Fiona Bruce’s Ten Minute Rule Speech, 4^th November 2014

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm141104/debtext/141104-0001.htm#14110444000291

Fiona Bruce’s Article in The Daily Telegraph, 22^nd January 2015

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11362379/Gender-abortion-Its-time-for-urgent-action.html


** A change has been made to the second paragraph on this release as the wording originally used has been interpreted as implying that women seeking a sex selective abortion would be breaking the law under this amendment. This is emphatically not the case, and has never been the intention of the amendment. Thanks to BPAS for pointing this out!