SPUC's central concern has always been the protection of babies from abortion. We are presently calling on MPs to challenge the way in which the law is being abused, in the light of recent medical evidence.

The Abortion Act 1967 is a bad law made worse by a failure to enforce it. And by failing to enforce it, the government is showing contempt for the rule of law.

The Abortion Act is designed as a compromise between pro-abortion and anti-abortion viewpoints. It does not give women a right to abortion. It does not, strictly speaking, decriminalise abortion. It creates certain exceptions to the law, allowing doctors to perform abortions for specific certified reasons, including a risk to the mother's mental health.

Mental health clause being abused

In 2011 the department of health funded an expert study which reviewed the international evidence on abortion and mental health. We believe that this report is deeply flawed and understates the harm that abortion does. Nevertheless, even accepting the report at face value, the conclusions call into question the legality of the 97-98% of abortions in England and Wales certified on mental health grounds, as well as those in Scotland on the same grounds.

These mis-certified abortions are not lawful, and the government should act to end the practice.

Would a significant reduction in the number of abortions lead to many problems? The fact is that abortions lead to many well-recognised problems the breakdown of relationships, medical problems for women, and in many cases, repeat abortions. Informal studies suggest that 40% of pregnancies are deemed unplanned or unwanted, and we know that in Britain about 20% of babies conceived are aborted. The other 20% of so-called unwanted pregnancies end in the birth of a baby, usually after the mother has resolved, or come to terms with, her reluctance about the baby. There is no evidence that they fare any worse than other comparable families in any marked or serious way.

Help us stop this

SPUC is running a nationwide petition calling on the Secretary of State for Health to put an end to the unlawful mis-certification of abortions, and we are asking MPs to raise the matter with the Department of Health.

You can support this initiative - email orders@spuc.org.uk or call 020 7091 7091 to order our free briefing on Abortion Mis-certification now, or download it below.