On 11 June, the Conservative Party published its Manifesto for the upcoming 2024 General Election, to be held on 4 July.
Below are the key takeaways from the Manifesto in matters relating to pro-life issues:
Abortion
The Conservative Party Manifesto makes no mention of abortion decriminalisation or buffer zones.
However, the Manifesto pledges to “expand our international campaigns on girls’ education, women’s rights and reproductive health”, which could include further funding of organisations that support/provide abortions in other countries.
The Manifesto also states the Conservative Party will introduce “new legislation which will make clear, beyond all doubt, that parents have a right to see what their child is being taught in school and schools must share all materials, especially on sensitive matters like relationships and sex education”, which should include materials relating to abortion.
Assisted Suicide
The Conservative Manifesto appears to take a neutral position on assisted suicide, stating, “We will maintain the position that assisted dying is a matter of conscience and will respect the will of Parliament. Debates on assisted dying should never distract from the importance of delivering high-quality palliative care services and we will continue to support children’s and adults’ hospices.”
Family Support
The Conservatives pledge to maintain existing childcare funding, including its policy to “give working parents 30 hours of free childcare a week from when their child is nine months old to when they start school, saving eligible families an average of £6,900 per year”.
The Manifesto also pledges to “end the unfairness in Child Benefit by moving to a household system, so families don’t start losing Child Benefit until their combined income reaches £120,000 – saving the average family which benefits £1,500”.
SPUC General Election Tool – Value your Vote
SPUC has created an online tool to help supporters and British citizens contact their Parliamentary candidates and ask them how they intend to vote on abortion and assisted suicide. It is vital that pro-life people use their vote to elect pro-life MPs. Every vote matters.
Click here to access the tool.