Home | BMA Petition - News | Abortion debate – the results
Abortion debate – the results
Thank you to everybody who has signed the petition in the last few days. That petition helped in discussions with the media, got our arguments coverage on BBC Radio 4 Today, and on BBC Radio Scotland, and was referred to during the BMA debate.In that debate, the key motion - 333i, asking for abortion on demand in the first trimester – was passed by 67-33. 333ii about allowing trained nurses and midwives to perform abortions was lost by 41-59, and 333iii about relaxing rules on approved premises was lost by 46-54. It appears that concerns about safety guided those present, in a debate that never considered ethics.
A rider to the effect that ‘we have just shown support for earlier abortion but we still support late abortion when needed’ (ie no reduction in the upper time limit) was then passed by 77-23.
The emergency motion about consulting the whole membership was, illogically, debated last and was defeated by 35-65 on the grounds that it was a ‘wrecking motion designed to undermine the new policy’.
Why won’t the BMA consult its members? Far more BMA members have signed this petition than were present at Torquay, so that barest of victories there is of limited significance.
Please encourage friends and colleagues to consider signing this petition. Signatures of BMA members are particularly valuable.
Thank you again for all your support.
Watch this space.
