Motions on abortion submitted to the BMA ARM
Abortion WEDNESDAY 10.25-10.40
* 333 Motion by THE AGENDA COMMITTEE: That this Meeting calls for legislation to be amended so that:
(i) first trimester abortion would be available on the same basis of informed consent as other
treatment and therefore without the need for two doctors' signatures;
(ii) first trimester abortion could be carried out by suitably trained healthcare professionals including
midwives and nurses;
(iii) the current rules relating to “approved premises” are relaxed with regard to first trimester
abortions.
333a Motion by OXFORD DIVISION: This Meeting notes that:
(i) the 1967 Abortion Act is 40 years old in 2007;
(ii) women in the UK face barriers to accessing lawful abortion resulting in delays to treatment;
(iii) earlier abortion is safer, less onerous to the patient and more cost-effective than later abortion;
(iv) in the UK, compared to many other European countries, there are more statutory and regulatory barriers
to first trimester abortion and that the average gestational age of abortions carried out in the UK is higher
than in many other European countries.
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Believes:
(i) that in ethical terms and in the interests of patients it is better for abortions to be carried out as early in
gestation as possible;
(ii) that while the 40 year old law in this area has worked well generally, it is in need of some reform;
(iii) that it is consistent with a gradualist approach to the moral status of the foetus during gestation for there
to be a distinction in law between first trimester and second trimester abortion;
(iv) that doctors who conscientiously object to abortion must refer patients where abortion advice may be
relevant and the GP practice should make their position clear to patients at the earliest opportunity;
(v) that the current legal upper time limits regarding abortion be maintained and that patients' access to later
terminations be safeguarded.
Calls for:
(i) first trimester abortion to be available on the same basis of informed consent as other treatment and
therefore without the need for two doctors' signatures;
(ii) first trimester abortion to be able to be carried out by suitably trained healthcare professionals including
midwives and nurses;
(iii) the current rules relating to “approved premises” to be relaxed with regard to first trimester abortions;
(iv) the government to provide a legislative vehicle for back-bench amendment to allow Parliament to debate
and legislate on these changes, or to provide sufficient parliamentary time to allow a back-bench bill to
take its full course.
333b Motion by JUNIOR MEMBERS FORUM: That this Meeting notes that:
(i) the 1967 Abortion Act is 40 years old in 2007;
(ii) women in the UK face barriers to accessing lawful abortion resulting in delays to treatment;
(iii) earlier abortion is safer, less onerous to the patient and more cost-effective than later abortion;
(iv) in the UK, compared to many other European countries, there are more statutory and regulatory barriers
to first trimester abortion and that the average gestational age of abortions carried out in the UK is higher
than in many other European countries.
And believes that:
(i) in ethical terms and in the interests of patients it is better for abortions to be carried out as early in
gestation as possible;
(ii) while the 40 year old law in this area has worked well generally, it is in need of some reform;
(iii) it is consistent with a gradualist approach to the moral status of the foetus during gestation for there to
be a distinction in law between first trimester and second trimester abortion;
(iv) doctors who conscientiously object to abortion must refer patients where abortion advice may be relevant
and the GP practice should make their position clear to patients at the earliest opportunity.
And calls for:
(i) first trimester abortion to be available on the same basis of informed consent as other treatment and
therefore without the need for two doctors' signatures;
(ii) first trimester abortion to be able to be carried out by suitably trained healthcare professionals including
midwives and nurses;
(iii) the current rules relating to “approved premises” to be relaxed with regard to first trimester abortions;
(iv) the government to provide a legislative vehicle for back-bench amendment to allow Parliament to debate
and legislate on these changes, or to provide sufficient parliamentary time to allow a back-bench bill to
take its full course.
The motions below, in the shaded area, are unlikely to be reached
334 Motion by ISLINGTON DIVISION: That this Meeting requests that the BMA Ethics Committee should be asked to examine the pros and cons of changing the Abortion Act in order to decriminalise abortion and
that this should report back before the next ARM.
335 Motion by MANCHESTER & SALFORD DIVISION: That this Meeting - forty years after the 1967 Abortion
Act - calls for:
(i) a national review of the practice and application of abortion;
(ii) a review of the legal framework, access to and time limits for abortion;
(iii) the definition of "serious handicap";
(iv) a review of the issues surrounding conscientious objection; and
(v) the wider implications for individuals and society [including an investigation into physical and
emotional short or long term effects of abortion].
336 Motion by CARDIFF AND VALE OF GLAMORGAN DIVISION: That this Meeting:
(i) marks the 40th Anniversary year of the passing of the Abortion Act;
(ii) notes the strong evidence that women who choose termination of pregnancy later suffer from
higher rates of depression, self-harm and psychiatric hospitalisation than those who carry their
babies to term;
(iii) insists the BMA work to ensure that women thinking about abortion should be given adequate
counselling so that they can make an informed decision.
337 Motion by BROMLEY DIVISION: That this Meeting holds that the upper limit for legal abortion should be reconsidered in the light of new evidence of foetal developments in neonatal care.
338 Motion by WORCESTERSHIRE DIVISION: That this Meeting believes the legal limit for termination of
pregnancy in the absence of foetal abnormality should be reduced from 24 to 20 weeks gestation.
