Abortion

(asked on 25th April 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that advances in perinatal medicine are brought to the attention of the Government so as to inform the setting of the upper gestational limit on abortion based on the most current understanding of fetal viability.


Answered by
Maggie Throup Portrait
Maggie Throup
This question was answered on 28th April 2022

Officials keep new evidence on fetal viability under review. There is currently no clear consensus from the medical profession that the age of viability has reduced below 24 weeks.

Parliament decided the circumstances under which abortion can legally be undertaken, including gestational time limits. It would be for Parliament to decide whether to make any changes to the law on abortion. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance and allows hon. Members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.

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