Latest news with #abortion
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
It is time for the House of Lords to come to the rescue
For good or ill, Britain is on course to conquer what many saw as the twin peaks of liberal enlightenment: the right to have an abortion right up to the point of birth and the right to allow terminally ill people to take their own lives. Today's vote in the Commons on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill confirms that last year's general election result has changed Britain more radically than the new Government's official policy programme ever could. The vast majority of this cohort of Labour MPs have seen an opportunity to reshape society according to their own political preferences and they have grabbed that opportunity with enthusiasm. They could have paused and reflected, as perhaps older, more experienced parliamentarians would have done. They could have insisted on a Bill that had fewer flaws, more safeguards against the dangers that assisted dying will inevitably introduce. They could have had the patience to wait for another opportunity when an improved Bill might be presented, one that had none of the obvious flaws of Kim Leadbeater's Private Member's Bill. Instead, the enthusiasm with which they have discarded centuries of consensus on the dignity and value of human life has been unnerving. Their willingness to opt for the best available solution rather than insist that, on this occasion, only the perfect one would do has been disquieting. None of the reservations that opponents to the Bill have been properly addressed. Unless the Lords can force through radical changes, there will remain deep seated and justifiable fears that terminally ill people will face irresistible pressure from members of their own family to 'do the decent thing' and spare everyone even more misery. Their Lordships in the upper chamber still have an opportunity to improve the Bill and doubtless they will take it. They will take a mercilessly critical eye to Leadbeater's work and make some well-argued arguments to support their amendments. And then it's back to the Commons, where any changes made to the text of the Bill by the Lords will either be approved or overturned by MPs. The parliamentary ping-pong could take some time before one side or the other (usually the Lords) capitulates to the will of the other chamber. But if ever any topic was appropriate to a long debate and measured disagreement, it is this one. It's now over to our unelected, undemocratic House of Lords to do the job that we can no longer expect the Commons to do.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Bishops criticise ‘dangerous' abortion law change
Bishops have warned against the abortion law change. Some 200 members of the Church of England clergy labelled the vote to decriminalise seeking an abortion at any stage of gestation, for any reason, 'dangerous'. On Tuesday night, MPs voted for the amendment with a majority of 242. As a result, the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which outlaws abortion, will no longer apply to women ending their own pregnancies. However, the amendment still needs to complete its legislative journey through both the Commons and the Lords before it can become law. The vote has divided public opinion, with many welcoming the 'hard-won victory' for women, and others believing that it goes too far, arguing that 'late-term abortions kill babies'. In a letter shared with The Telegraph, leading figures from the Church of England including 13 bishops, of whom five are diocesan bishops, warned that the amendment makes for 'a dangerous change' that will fail to protect women, and instead places pregnant women and unborn children 'at even greater risk of harm than previously'. 'Vulnerable are increasingly overlooked' Among the 201 clergy from across the country who have signed the letter are: the Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Revd Dr Martin Warner, the Bishop of Birmingham, the Right Revd Dr Michael Volland, the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd Stephen Conway, the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Revd Dr Jonathan Gibbs and the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Revd Philip North. Among the other signatories include a number of suffragan bishops including the Bishop of Kensington, the Rt Revd Dr Emma Ineson, and the Bishop of Beverley, the Rt Revd Stephen Race, as well as hundreds of other clergy. The letter reads: 'We are troubled by the amendment voted through by the House of Commons on Tuesday to decriminalise terminations in utero up to full term. As many elected politicians move further away from the Christian moral values that have hitherto shaped much that is good in our national life, our concern is that the vulnerable and voiceless are increasingly overlooked. 'The tragedy of abortion will invariably move us to compassion for the pregnant woman, we are mindful also of the viability of the life of her child who is also deserving of compassion and needs protection under the law. 'This huge change in our understanding of the place of the termination of pregnancies also risks overlooking the vulnerable position of women who are victims of sexual abuse, domestic abuse and coercion, which is all the more acute due to the availability of the abortion pill by post without recourse to in-person consultation with a medical professional. 'All of this makes for a dangerous change which we believe, far from protecting women, places pregnant women and unborn children at even greater risk of harm than previously. It is our sincere hope that this legislation will be further modified in the House of Lords to protect those who are vulnerable.' 'A worrying move towards social liberalism' The letter was coordinated by the Rev'd Richard Bastable, vicar of St Luke's Church, Shephard's Bush, London. He said: 'The proposed change in the law puts women and unborn children at greater risk, especially in cases of abuse and coercion. 'This, together with the current debate on assisted suicide, indicates a worrying move to prioritise social liberalism and personal autonomy in a way that causes harm to the most vulnerable and those who are voiceless, both at the beginning and the end of life. It is the Church's task to offer advocacy, protection, and to show society a better way. ' Abortion in England and Wales is currently a criminal offence. However, it is legal if carried out with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances permitting one after this period. Women may also take prescribed medication at home if they are less than 10 weeks pregnant.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
BBC News quiz of the week: What's the one-letter codename for MI6's new spy chief?
This week saw further conflict in the Middle East, MPs vote to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, and another SpaceX rocket go up in how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world over the past seven days?Quiz collated by Ben Fell. Fancy testing your memory? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
New Rio de Janeiro law requires public hospitals to display anti-abortion signs
A new law has just come into force in Rio de Janeiro requiring all public hospitals and clinics run by the municipal government to display anti-abortion signs bearing messages such as: 'Did you know that the unborn child is discarded as hospital waste?' Reproductive rights activists view the act as the latest example of a growing trend across Brazil to further restrict access to abortion in a country that already has some of the world's most restrictive laws. In Latin America's largest country, abortion is only legal in cases of rape, when the pregnant person's life is at risk, or if the foetus has anencephaly, a fatal brain disorder. In recent years, however, politicians, doctors and even judges have taken steps to prevent abortions even in those circumstances. Brazil's main hospital for such procedures, in São Paulo, stopped offering terminations after a decision by the city's mayor, a staunch supporter of former president Jair Bolsonaro, a strident anti-abortion advocate. A congressman from his party proposed a bill punishing abortions after 22 weeks – even in cases of rape or risk to life – with up to 20 years in prison. The federal medical council, which is reportedly dominated by Bolsonaro loyalists, last year banned doctors from using the safest method recommended by the World Health Organization for pregnancies over 22 weeks – a measure later deemed illegal by Brazil's supreme court. 'This is a direct result of the Bolsonaro years in power,' said anthropologist Debora Diniz, a professor at the University of Brasília and one of the country's leading reproductive rights researchers and activists. She acknowledges that the dispute between pro- and anti-abortion positions is not new. Diniz herself had to leave the country in 2018 after receiving death threats for her involvement in a campaign to push the supreme court to discuss decriminalising abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy – a reform that ultimately stalled. What has changed now, she says, is that the issue, once confined to the federal level, has become 'scattered' across local and regional authorities. 'Authoritarian governments in Latin America have a particular trait: they don't just disappear when their leader leaves office. Bolsonaro may be gone, but forces aligned with him and his ideas have occupied bodies like the medical council,' said Diniz. Such attempts are even more harmful given that legal abortion is not widely available across Brazil – only 4% of Brazilian cities have facilities and trained professionals to carry out the procedure, and that does not include even all state capitals. In the state of Goiás, a 13-year-old girl who had been raped turned to the courts after she was denied a legal abortion at a hospital, but a judge prohibited any method that would induce the death of the foetus. A higher court eventually authorised the abortion. In that state, the governor – also a Bolsonaro loyalist – signed a law requiring women seeking a legal abortion to first listen to the foetal heartbeat. Rio's anti-abortion signs law was approved last Friday by Mayor Eduardo Paes – who is not a Bolsonaro supporter and is aligned with the current leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The mayor's decision not to veto the law – which was proposed by three far-right city councillors – is being seen as a political move, as he is expected to run for state governor next year. Under the law, hospitals providing abortions must also display signs saying: 'You have the right to give your baby up for adoption anonymously … Give life a chance!' and 'Abortion can lead to consequences such as infertility, psychological problems, infections and even death.' Diniz said the second sign was even more problematic as there is no scientific evidence that abortion, when carried out safely and with medical support, causes any of those effects. 'This law is perverse because it is based on a false narrative of 'care' for women and girls, when in fact it is persecuting them,' said Diniz. On Tuesday, a public prosecutor filed a lawsuit arguing that the law is unconstitutional and requesting that the city government be barred from putting up the signs. The case is yet to be reviewed by a judge.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Women choosing abortions to keep work visas, slavery inquiry told
An obstetrician has told a parliamentary inquiry that hundreds of migrant women seek abortions with her each year to avoid breaching their visa conditions. Dr Trudi Beck, a GP based in NSW Riverina city of Wagga Wagga, told the inquiry an "unseen population" of migrant women was seeking abortions they would not normally want. "We're providing services to 500 to 600 pregnant women per year," Dr Beck said. The NSW inquiry into the risk of slavery for temporary migrant workers held its first regional hearing in Griffith on Thursday. The inquiry is investigating the experiences of migrant workers in agriculture, horticulture and meat processing sectors in rural and regional NSW. Dr Beck said that the women's stories were "basically the same" every time. "They know that they will breach their visa requirements to be able to work, either because they're in a physical job, in the kinds of positions that they often are working," she said. One area of focus of the inquiry is the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, which aims to fill labour gaps by recruiting workers from nine Pacific islands and Timor-Leste. Dr Beck said the unwanted abortion situation amounted to a form of modern slavery for the women. "If this woman were in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby," Dr Beck told the hearing. Dr Beck said she had personally approached employers with a large number of PALM workers, asking for their assistance in educating and providing reproductive healthcare for women. The hearing was also told about some of the substandard living conditions migrant workers faced. Paul Maytom, a former mayor of Leeton Shire Council and the chair of Leeton Multicultural Support Group, described some of the living arrangements he had witnessed. "I have seen situations with people camped in backyards, or with a few bricks and a bit of iron at the top and a fire going to boil water, he said. Mr Maytom said migrants who were not used to the living standard most Australians considered adequate may consider these living conditions "acceptable", but reporting substandard living arrangements could leave people homeless. "Any accommodation is better than no accommodation," he said. The need for better regulation of labour hire companies has been a theme in submissions from groups such as Berries Australia and the Fresh Produce Alliance, as well as legal services representing workers, academics, and the NSW and Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioners. The Albanese government committed to establishing a national labour hire licensing framework in 2023. However, despite initial support from the states and territories, an agreement on the regulation hasn't been reached. Berries Australia stated in a written submission that, while it would prefer a national scheme, New South Wales needed to act to curtail the activities of "dodgy labour hire companies". "NSW has become an attractive destination for dodgy labour hire companies who are often linked to organised crime," the submission said.. "We are also aware of allegations that a small percentage of growers who work with these labour hire firms deliberately underpay their workers. "We are keen to see this practice stamped out as it damages the reputation of the industry and distorts pricing." Committee chairperson, Wagga Wagga MP Joe McGirr, said he had written to Attorney-General Michael Davey asking for the government to regulate the labour hire sector to prevent worker exploitation. "The evidence we've received is that shonky operators have left Queensland and Victoria and are operating in NSW," he said. "We don't think this can wait until we finish the inquiry at the end of this year."
