Blair's pre birth plan will lead to more pressure for more abortions, warns SPUC

Blair's "pre-birth" plan will lead to more pressure for more abortions, warns SPUC Westminster, 5th September 2006 - Plans outlined by Tony Blair, the prime minister, to identify those who might be a "menace to society" before they are born will lead to even more pressure upon health and social workers to provide and promote abortions in schools and elsewhere, warns the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). Anthony Ozimic, SPUC political secretary, commented: "Mr Blair's plan in practice means a concerted effort by the Government to impose abortion as the solution to teenage pregnancy rates. His mention of "better access to contraceptives" is only the tip of the iceberg - fast-track secret abortions for schoolgirls via school nurses is part and parcel of the Government's policy. "Mr Blair's language echoes the discriminatory language used by Margaret Sanger and Marie Stopes before the Second World War to promote the elimination of those deemed socially undesirable through abortion and/or other forms of population control. SPUC agrees with commentators who have described Blair's plan as "eugenics", "teetering on genetic determinism", "Orwellian" etc. "SPUC also agrees with David Paton, professor of economics at Nottingham University Business School, who has said: "The taxpayers' money spent by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit seems to have had no impact. The Government should look closely at the unit's future. Closing it should be seriously thought about." (The Telegraph, 24 February) "Far from combatting social exclusion, Blair's policies are based on social exclusion - exclusion of the unborn from society," concluded Mr Ozimic. Anthony Ozimic, SPUC political secretary, can be contacted on +44 (0)7939 177683 or +44 (0)20 7222 5845.