62% of the 4,429 GPs who responded (out of the 53,724 membership) supported decriminalisation.
And there's been another media attack on pro-life vigils
Another medical body has signed up to the extreme decriminalisation agenda, with the Royal College of GPs announcing on Friday that it supports abortion being regulated by medical regulatory frameworks, not the criminal law.
Representative?
The RCGPs' UK Council passed a motion to this affect after 62% of respondents to a poll said they support decriminalisation. The survey was sent to 53,724 members who had not 'opted out' of all email communications. A total of 4,429 members responded from across the UK.
The RCGP says it will now join bodies including the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nurses in calling for the decriminalisation of abortion in the UK.
Why abortion must remain regulated by the criminal law
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: "Ultimately, this is about providing non-judgemental care to our patients so that women who face the difficult decision to proceed with an abortion are not disadvantaged by the legal system."
Having abortion regulated by medical frameworks can sound logical, but as SPUC's We Care About Women briefing lays out, there are strong reasons why abortion should remain in the criminal law. Firstly, as abortion providers themselves admit, the vast majority of abortions are not carried out on "medical" grounds, but because the pregnancy is unwanted. This alone would suggest that a non-medical procedure, involving the taking of a human life, should be governed by the criminal law. The current situation also means that the controversial issue of abortion is regulated by democratically elected politicians, not by an unaccountable medical profession (which is currently allied with abortion providers).
Abortion industry not fit to regulate itself
Given the many concerns which have been raised about abortion providers, especially the shocking CQC reports into Marie Stopes (including one from Kent where staff bonuses were linked to the number of abortions performed), they clearly cannot be allowed to regulate themselves. Criminal sanctions are necessary to keep the mainstream abortion industry in check, and to deter dangerous DIY abortion activities such as online sales of abortion pills.
The RCGP said that it did not poll members on abortion time limits, but Ann Furedi, head of abortion provider BPAS and promoter of the We Trust Women Campaignfor decriminalisation, has made it very clear that she supports abortion up to birth.
Two pronged attack
Another element of the abortion lobby's campaign to completely normalise abortion was on display over the weekend, with a media attack on pro-life vigils outside abortion clinics. The Telegraph ran the incendiary headline "Police called in after medics attacked by anti abortion campaigners", which turned out to refer to abortion clinic staff requesting meetings with police ahead the the upcoming 40 Days for Life campaign, along with some unsubstantiated allegations of harassment.
John Deighan, Deputy CEO of SPUC said: "What we have seen this weekend is just how much the media promote the abortion lobby's extreme campaign to make abortion as widely available as possible, to the extent of attacking those who offer help to women who want to make another choice. They want to make it impossible for objections to abortion to be made either through the democratic process or through public witness. We must resist this onslaught and assert our right to stand up for unborn babies and their mothers, whether it be in Parliament or the public square."
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