On 10 June, the Liberal Democrats published their 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
While the Liberal Democrat Manifesto does not mention decriminalisation of abortion, it pledges to introduce buffer zones around abortion facilities that would outlaw pro-life activity within the zone – this might potentially criminalize silent prayer as well:
“[We will] protect everyone’s right to make independent decisions over their reproductive health without interference by the state and ensure access to high-quality reproductive healthcare, including enforcing safe access zones around abortion clinics and hospitals.”
Assisted Suicide
The Manifesto also pledges to “give Parliament time to fully debate and vote on legislation on assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults with strict safeguards, subject to a free vote”.
Confusingly, the Manifesto also stated that a Liberal Democrat government would seek to be “cutting suicide rates with a focus on community suicide prevention services and improving prevention training for frontline NHS staff”.
SPUC has called these two pledges “incoherent” and “profoundly incompatible, philosophically and in practice”.
Family Support
The Liberal Democrats have pledged to introduce several policies that it says will support parents and young families during and after pregnancy, including:
“Doubling Statutory Maternity and Shared Parental Pay to £350 a week”, and “increasing pay for paternity leave to 90% of earnings, with a cap for high earners”.
“Introducing a ‘Toddler Top-Up’: an enhanced rate of Child Benefit for one-year-olds.”
“Tackle child poverty by removing the two-child limit and the benefit cap.”
“Ending the young parent penalty for under-25s by restoring the full rate of Universal Credit for all parents regardless of age.”
SPUC General Election Tool – Value Your Vote
SPUC has created an Click here 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.
