I thank all constituents who have taken the time to contact me to share their thoughts regarding the 'Both Lives Pledge'.
I completely understand what an incredibly emotive issue this is, and I fully appreciate the strength of the feelings which have been expressed on this matter. Given the sensitivities, and as with other matters of conscience, the norm is for the Government in power at the time to adopt a neutral stance on abortion and, as a previous MP, we were permitted to vote freely according to our moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. This included any changes to time limits on abortion.
It is essential, as with all pieces of legislation, that any changes to current laws are subject to proper debate and formal parliamentary scrutiny. I must stress, however, it is illegal for a practitioner to carry out an abortion on the grounds of sex alone and anyone with evidence that sex selective abortion is occurring should report it to the police. I do not support abortion on the grounds of gender.
While pregnancy and maternity discrimination is illegal, we know that some new mothers can still experience unacceptable attitudes on their return to work. That is why we have already set out greater protections for pregnant women and new parents through the Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Act. This Act enables redundancy protection to be extended so it applies to pregnant women as well as new parents returning to work from a relevant form of leave. This will help shield new parents and expectant mothers from workplace discrimination, offering them greater job security at an important time in their lives.
