Abortion upper limit should be cut from 24 weeks, Conservatives' vice chair for women suggests

The upper time limit for abortions should be cut to reflect medical advancements that allow more premature babies to survive, the Conservative Party’s vice chair for women has suggested.

Maria Caulfield, who was appointed to the position earlier this year, said the current 24-week limit was introduced at “a time when babies were not really viable at 24 weeks”.

The 1967 Abortion Act made it legal for women – in Scotland, England and Wales – to have an abortion up until 24 weeks as long as it is signed off by two doctors.

But when asked by the House​ magazine whether she wanted to look again at the limit for abortions, Ms Caulfield, who is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro Life Group, replied: “I think we need to have that debate. I’m not someone who’s hard and fast in any of those kind of views. But I think we do need to have that debate.

“The 24-week limit was introduced at a time when babies were not really viable at 24 weeks. Now babies who are born premature grow up to live long, healthy lives like the rest of us.”

Ms Caulfield added that England has “one of the most liberal abortion laws in the world” and that Ireland – due to hold a referendum on abortion later this year – is “only looking at termination up to 12 weeks”.

“We’re up to 24 weeks,” she said. “In most parts of Europe it’s 15, 16 weeks. With medical advances, we’ve got babies born now 18, 19 weeks. I think it’s something like 50 per cent of babies after 22 weeks are viable and yet abortion is still freely available up to 24 weeks.”

Pressed on what she believed the limit should be, Ms Caulfield said: “I think we probably need to be doing some inquiries into what medically is feasible. As legislators we want to be producing evidence-based laws.

“As much as those who want to have freely available abortion to term want to have that debate, those of us who have got slight concerns about the current time limit would also welcome that debate to argue the case the other way.”

But her remarks were seized upon by the Women's Equality Party, who said: “It makes a mockery of the Conservatives’ supposed commitment to equality that the MP in charge of reaching out to women wants to roll back their rights.

“Women need more control over their own bodies, not less. We know that only a tiny proportion of abortions take place at a later stage – and that there are often complicated reasons, such as health concerns or domestic violence, behind those decisions.

“Any update to legislation must recognise that abortion is a matter for medical professionals, not the criminal justice system.”

Ms Caulfield’s comments came after pro-choice campaigners condemned the decision to appoint her to the position in the new year’s reshuffle after it emerged she had opposed an attempt to decriminalise some later abortions. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) added it was “shocked” and “incredibly disappointed” by the decision.