We are calling on the Government to bring forward legislation that will clarify that sex-selective abortion is illegal.

There is no consensus on the incidence of gender abortion in the UK. A 2015 Government report found no statistically significant discrepancy in gender ratios in the UK even when the data is broken down by ethnicity (the problem is thought to be worse in some ethnic minority communities).  However, studies carried out by Oxford and Imperial College academics found evidence of gender ratio skewing which they thought may be attributable to sex-selective abortion. A BBC investigation published in September 2018 revealed evidence that new NIPT pre-natal tests were being used on a widespread basis to determine the sex of babies, with women discussing that they were under intense pressure to undergo sex-selective abortions. A recent report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a government advisory body, found several websites offering baby gender tests for around £170. In the same report, the Council has warned that increasingly widespread private NIPT testing in the UK could lead to the country becoming a haven for “sex-selective” abortions. There is also an increasing body of first-hand testimony from UK resident women who say that they have obtained gender abortions in the UK and abroad. Contact Jeena International or Karma Nirvana for more details.

A change to the law would seek to achieve two things. First, to provide an opportunity for the Government to bring forward measures to help women living with the issue. Second, to make crystal-clear that sex-selective abortion is not permissible in UK law.

No. There are many ways to combat the practice, including, but not limited to, supporting educational projects focused on gender equality before and after birth, renewing guidance for doctors and counsellors so that they are sensitive to the problem and have at their fingertips relevant care pathways, and amending abortion regulations so that each doctor approving an abortion is satisfied that the procedure is not being sought on grounds of foetal sex. Those are just some effective ideas, none of which require profiling. The Amendment is tabled to the part of the Serious Crime Bill which deals with FGM and other crimes which disproportionately affect girls. It is true that, like FGM and forced marriage, sex-selective abortion appears to be more prevalent in some minority communities, but this should not deter us from trying to help these women and their baby girls.

While the Government maintains that abortion for reasons of gender alone is illegal, the problem is that other major stakeholders interpret the law differently. The British Medical Association (BMA) have outlined cases in which they believe sex-selective abortion to be permissible on mental health grounds. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) which performs more than 60,000 abortions per year in the UK take still another view. In their literature, they claim that abortion for gender is not illegal. Clearly, the urgent introduction of an explicit ban on sex-selective abortion is needed.

Recent polling undertaken by ComRes showed that 89% of the general population and 91% of women agree that gender-selective abortion should be explicitly banned by the law.