Partial Birth Abortion

EDM number 1093 in 1995-96, proposed by Elizabeth Peacock on 03/07/1996.

That this House notes that earlier this year the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommended that, in late abortions, doctors should ensure the foetus was killed at the outset (suggesting injections of potassium chloride in to the heart in cases of drug-induced abortions) in order to avoid possible charges of murder should the child be born alive and subsequently die; further notes that the College is opposed to outlawing the technique of partial birth abortion used in late pregnancy; notes that this technique involves withdrawing the foetus through the birth canal until only the head remains inside when the bottom of the skull is pierced and the brains sucked out, thus collapsing the head; notes that this would conform with the College guidelines to ensure that the child was born dead; further notes that replies to parliamentary questions clearly show that abortion notification forms fail to specify if abortions are carried out by this method; notes that even before the tenth week of pregnancy foetal structures relating to pain are present and functional, meaning that the child could die in agony; and calls for the immediate banning of this barbaric technique excepting in cases of immediate necessity to save the life of the mother if no other means is possible.

This motion has been signed by a total of 72 MPs.