said Monday, September 26, it is joining a pro-life coalition campaigning "in defense of the unborn child" and against current abortion legislation.
The "Alive and Kicking" coalition was to be launched late Monday, September 26, at a fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, the EAUK told BosNewsLife. An alliance of human rights groups and other organizations, the "Alive and Kicking" coalition "was formed in response to mounting evidence of big public support for changes" in UK abortion laws.
"Abortion is legal in the United Kingdom until 24 weeks for reasons of preserving the mother’s ‘mental health’ and right up until the time of birth for ‘serious handicap’. The [EAUK}, as part of the Alive and Kicking coalition, believes it is time the public looked again at the abortion facts," the organization said.
EAUK Spokesman Dr. Don Horrocks said that "evidence proves current thinking on abortion law has not kept up with medical advances and knowledge about development in the womb. As it stands, babies of similar age that have the same chances of survival do not have equal rights when it comes to living. One can be aborted if inside the womb, the other can receive full neonatal care if outside it."
OPINION POLL
He said it was "heartening" that a recent opinion poll commissioned by Alive and Kicking shows that 63 percent of Members of Parliament "would support" a reduction in the upper limit for abortion. Two thirds of the general public would like to see the change now, the opinion poll said. There was no margin of error mentioned and no independent confirmation of the findings.
Dr Horrocks said that although he understood that "abortion is a sensitive subject for thousands of women in this country" there are EAUK member organizations "such as CARE who help and support women through the difficulties associated with an unwanted or unexpected pregnancy." He said the EAUK’s "desire is not to condemn, but the fact remains that many terminations are carried out for social reasons. The Alive and Kicking campaign is bold and timely and commands our full support."
Over 180,000 women in England and Wales had abortions in 2003, and a further 9,100 were carried out on non-residents, according to recent figures published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Less than two percent of those were performed between 20 and 24 weeks. Over 12,000 were reportedly carried out in Scotland in the same year. (With BosNewsLife research and reports from the UK)
