Ahead of the second House of Commons debate on the issue of pregnancy counselling in the past three months, the British Humanist Association (BHA) has briefed Members of Parliament urging caution over any reform that would restrict women’s right to choose.
Gavin Shuker MP, vice-chair of the all-party group for Christians in Parliament, has secured an Adjournment Debate to discuss pregnancy counselling services. In September 2011, counselling services were the subject of Nadine Dorries MP’s amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill that could have caused delay to abortions and stripped the UK’s principal private abortion providers of their ability to offer counselling services – a move which was opposed by the BHA at the time.
Commenting before the debate, BHA Head of Public Affairs Naomi Phillips said, ‘As the traditional language of anti-abortion activism has little purchase in the UK, where there is a pro-choice majority, we have witnessed a distinctive shift towards anti-abortion groups presenting themselves as neutral care providers. However, many of these are ideologically and often religiously motivated groups with clear agendas to oppose abortion in the UK.
‘Abortion providers are already legally obliged to provide non-directional counselling and advice services to aid women in reaching the correct decision for themselves, and we would urge caution over any changes to current regulations that might result in unnecessary delays, or force women to be referred to services with a religious ethos opposed to abortion in principle.’
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For further comment or information, contact Naomi on 020 7079 3585.
Read the briefing for MPs https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/bha-briefing-pregnancy-counselling-adj-debate-final.pdf
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.