Health chiefs voice fears over MP’s move to cut abortion limit

Fears have been raised that proposals to reduce the abortion deadline by two weeks could inflict cruelty on vulnerable women and actually increase the number of pregnancy terminations.

The warnings come after Tory MP Caroline Ansell proposed an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to decrease the legal limit to have an abortion from the current deadline of 24 weeks to 22 weeks – with MPs set to vote on the proposals in due course.

But healthcare leaders and abortion providers told The Independent that Ms Ansell’s plans, which have gained the backing of a cross-party group of 26 MPs, were “incredibly cruel” and not grounded in clinical fact.