LONDON (LifeSiteNews) — Forty MPs in the U.K. have signed onto an amendment that would restrict late-term abortions of unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome and give them the same modest protections as U.K. babies without disabilities.
The proposed amendment to the government’s Criminal Justice Bill was initiated by Conservative MP Sir Liam Fox and supported by parliamentarians across party lines, including Labour, SNP (Scottish National Party), Liberal Democrats, and DUP (Democratic Unionist Party).
“There is considerable cross-party support to remove an anomaly in UK law which allows those with Down’s syndrome to be aborted up until 40 weeks,” Fox, a former defense secretary and former secretary of state for international trade, said.
“Many of us believe this is utterly against the purpose of our equality legislation and treats those with Down’s syndrome as second-class citizens when it comes to their rights.”
“My amendment would remove an anomaly which many were not aware even existed and send a signal about the values that we share across the political system in our country,” he added.
Fox was born in Scotland into a Catholic family of Irish heritage.
The proposed amendment will be voted on and debated as part of the larger Criminal Justice Bill, which is scheduled to return to the House of Commons, the lower house of the U.K. parliament, in mid-April, after the current Easter recess.
Under the U.K. Abortion Act, unborn babies can be aborted up until 24 weeks of pregnancy. Children diagnosed with Down syndrome can be aborted up until birth under the current law. Fox’s amendment would reduce the time limit for babies who suffer from the genetic condition to 24 weeks.
According to the latest abortion statistics, 859 babies diagnosed with Down syndrome were aborted in the U.K. in 2021, representing an increase of 24% from 2020.
In addition, the statistics show a 71% spike in abortions of babies with Down syndrome at 24 weeks of gestation or beyond. Such abortions increased from 14 in 2020 to 24 the following year.
However, actual numbers may be significantly higher than the official statistics indicate, according to Don’t Screen Us Out, an advocacy group campaigning for equal rights for people suffering from Down syndrome.
READ: UK obstetrics college now advises healthcare staff not to report illegal abortions
A review from 2013 showed that of the 886 babies with Down syndrome aborted in England and Wales in 2010, only 482 were officially recorded in the government’s statistics. The underreporting of abortions related to “fetal abnormalities” was confirmed in a 2014 analysis by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Lynn Murray, a spokeswoman for Don’t Screen Us Out, said, “This is an important change to the law, and it’s fantastic to see so many MPs are getting behind this change.”
“Very few people are aware of this discriminatory part of our law that singles out babies with disabilities including Down’s syndrome allowing them to be screened out by abortion up to birth.”
As the mother of a 24-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, Murray sees “every day the unique value she brings to our family and the positive impact she has on others around her.”
READ: Abortion is the reason why Down syndrome babies are vanishingly rare in Denmark