LONDON, : Theresa May should be a prime minister for all Britons, born and unborn, says the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the UK's main and longest-established pro-life lobbying group.
SPUC made the statement following the results of the governing Conservative party's leadership election.
Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, commented: "Theresa May describes herself as a One-Nation Conservative. We therefore call upon her to be a prime minister for all members of the nation, including for the unborn threatened by abortion, for the vulnerable at risk from euthanasia, and for families.
"We are glad to note that Mrs May has voted with the pro-life lobby on a number of occasions, most notably during 2008's Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill and last year's Assisted Dying bill. Her voting record implies a sensitivity to pro-life concerns. We call upon Mrs May to review urgently the Conservative government's approach to abortion and population control.
Mr Tully explained: "On abortion, we call upon Mrs May to distance the Department of Health from the abortion industry and the sexual rights lobby. There needs to be a government policy which aims at ensuring that every pregnancy can have a happy ending. On population control, we call upon the new government to stop giving public funds to global abortion promoters, and support truly pro-woman healthcare."
Mr Tully concluded: We hope that Mrs May will uphold the Cameron government's decision not to impose compulsory sex education."
For more detailed comments or for an interview with SPUC, please contact SPUC's Communications Department on:
Notes for Editors
In 2001, Theresa May voted against regulations to extend human embryo research including the production of human clones.
In 2008 during the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, Mrs May voted:
- against the bill as a whole for a ban on human-animal hybrid embryos
- for a ban on creating 'saviour siblings' to prevent the creation of genetically-modified babies
- for a requirement that IVF doctors consider a child's need for a father and a mother
- to lower the upper time-limit for social abortions from 24 weeks to 20 weeks
In February 2015, Mrs May voted for a bill seeking to ban sex-selective abortion.
In November 2015, Mrs May voted against Rob Marris's bill seeking to legalise assisted suicide.