In the United Kingdom, concerns have been raised about the practice of sex-selective abortions, with Right To Life UK claiming that approximately 400 female foetuses have been lost due to such procedures. This assertion comes amidst controversy over the legality of sex-selective abortions in the country.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has faced criticism for its stance, which implies that sex-selective abortions might not be illegal. The Department of Health and Social Care, however, maintains, “Sex-selective abortion is illegal in England and Wales and will not be tolerated,” emphasizing that sex is not a lawful reason for terminating a pregnancy.
BPAS and the British Medical Association (BMA) interpret the 1967 Abortion Act differently, suggesting it does not explicitly outlaw sex-selective abortions if they meet other criteria, such as potential mental health impacts.
Right To Life UK has highlighted government data indicating potential occurrences of sex-selective abortions, particularly within Britain’s Indian community. An analysis of statistics from 2017 to 2021 suggests a notable imbalance in birth ratios of males to females among Indian children after two or more prior births in England and Wales, which may hint at sex-selective abortions.
The government report estimates around 400 such abortions may have occurred within this five-year period. No additional evidence of sex-selective abortions in the UK from 2017 to 2021 was identified in this analysis.
Catherine Robinson, a spokesperson for Right To Life UK, criticized BPAS for suggesting sex-selective abortion might not be illegal, arguing that this could normalize the practice and encourage abortions based solely on a baby’s sex.
Robinson expressed concern that women might face increased pressure from family members to terminate pregnancies if the foetus is female, making it harder for them to resist such pressure.
She also questioned the government’s stance, noting the inconsistency in declaring such abortions illegal while financially supporting BPAS. “The Government must act without delay to cut all funding it provides to BPAS, urgently update legislation to introduce an explicit ban on sex-selective abortion, and must not pursue further changes to legislation, such as those proposed in Scotland, that would likely make this problem much worse,” Robinson stated.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
