Amendments have been tabled to the Health and Care Bill on both DIY abortion and assisted suicide. SPUC says that peers are hijacking the bill to attack life at both ends.

Following the Government’s decision last week to end the DIY abortion scheme from August, pro-abortion Peers in the House of Lords have tabled an amendment on the issue to the Health and Care Bill, which is currently going through its report stage.

Conservative Peer Baroness Sugg, co-sponsored by Liberal Democrat Baroness Barker and Labour Baroness Thornton, has tabled amendment 183 to permit home abortion. The amendment is expected to be debated during the final day of Report on Wednesday 9 March. 

“This may be a probing amendment, though it is possible they will press this to a division”, SPUC’s Alithea Williams has explained. “Given that the Government has decided to end this dangerous policy, after a public consultation, we are hopeful that they will oppose this amendment. However, the fact that it has been tabled shows that some Peers are more interested in serving the interests of abortion providers than of the women they are supposed to serve.”

The issue of DIY abortion was also raised on 1 March in oral questions to the Department of Health and Social Care.

In response to a question by Caroline Nokes MP on whether the measure would be made permanent, Maggie Throup, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, replied: “The Government will end the temporary approval put in place at the beginning of the pandemic. We have extended the temporary approval for six months until midnight on 29 August 2022. From that point, abortion services for early medical abortion will return in line with pre-Covid regulatory requirements.”

Assisted suicide

At the other end of life, Conservative Peer Lord Forsyth has re-tabled his amendment that would require ministers to bring forward “Assisted Dying” legislation within a year of the Act coming into force.

At the Committee stage last month, the amendment was opposed by a government minister, who reiterated the position that any change to the law on assisted dying is a matter for Parliament to decide, rather than one for government policy.

Ms Williams said: “It is disappointing to see that a bill on healthcare is being hijacked to attack life, both in the womb and at the end of life. We urge the Government to oppose these opportunistic amendments and to promote true healthcare that promotes life.”