Abortion (Sex-Selection) Bill

Lord Alton of Liverpool Excerpts

Tuesday 16th December 2014 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, we issued guidance in May of this year. It sets out the expectations around the procedure to be adopted by the two doctors involved: certifying that an abortion meets the criteria set out in the Act by considering the individual circumstances of the woman and how they reached their decision. The guidance also reaffirms our position that abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal.

[Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB)]

My Lords, is the noble Earl aware that in China there have been 34 million abortions on the grounds of the one-child policy and that that has led to a distortion in the population of 34 million more males than females? Similar policies in India using ultrasound scanning tests have also led to the targeting of little girls. Given that some of these policies have been financed directly or indirectly through development funds from our own Department for International Development, will the noble Earl undertake to speak to his colleagues in that department to ensure that no British taxpayers’ money is used for these purposes?

[Earl Howe]

I am sure that noble Lords around the House will form their own conclusions on the information provided by the noble Lord, Lord Alton, but I do give that undertaking.