UK: Parliament prepares to debate abortion amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill

The Parliamentary debate followed days in which Nadine Dorries MP found herself increasingly isolated, and more of her claims were exposed as flawed.

PA on 7 September reported that ‘MPs are braced for a highly-charged showdown over plans to bar abortion providers from giving advice to pregnant women’, and noted:

‘MPs are expected to reject the move in a free vote, with the bulk of the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats lining up against it. All three main party leaders have indicated they oppose the amendment - although David Cameron may not be in Westminster for the division following prime minister’s questions. The premier is said to be sympathetic to the need for more advice for women but is concerned about existing providers being shut out. Tory Health Minister Anne Milton has emailed MPs saying she and her colleagues at the Department of Health will also be voting against the amendment.’

‘One hour for counselling’ claim

Nadine Dorries on 5 September told the BBC that Milton’s letter was “a covert, secret whipping” operation which was “unprecedented” ahead of a “free vote”. Dorries also claimed, on Radio Four’s Today programme, that BPAS’s Central London clinic allocates only one hour per week for counselling. Dorries wrote on her blog: ‘Not one hour per person, that’s one lone hour for everyone.’

In an attempt to substantiate this claim, Dorries wrote [typing errors in original]:

‘When questioned by a journalist this week with regard to this (more to follow in the press) Bpas commented that anyone who needed counselling and was having an abortion at the Central London Clinic could wait until the following week, or travel to Richmond where they have another clinic.

‘So, imagine this - you find out you are pregnant, you are in a panic, it is a crisis, you have little money or support, you are only sixteen years old and at school, you are vomiting every morning and half of the day, you are scared out of your wits, you don’t want to tell your parents yet and don’t know what to do, you have never even been inside a hospital without your Mum. You go to the GP and he referes you to Bpas. You tell Bpasyou are usure what to do and would like to talk to someone and you are told to get on your bike and travel to Richmond because the only hour for a clinic with the largest thru put of abortions has been taken ...you don’t even know where Richmond is.’

Source: http://www.abortionreview.org