The Amendment clarifies that sex-selective abortion is illegal. Together with another part of the Serious Crime Bill, it gives the Government a chance to develop initiatives to combat the practice.

There is no consensus on the incidence of gender abortion in the UK. A recent 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 carries out by Oxford and Imperial College academics found evidence of gender ratio skewing which they thought may be attributable to sex-selective abortion. Outside of the statistics, there is 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.

The Amendment seeks 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.

Yes. The Amendment supports the Government’s policy, which is 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 contradicted the Government’s policy, outlining 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. Neither can be required to abide by the Government’s policy. Clearly, urgent clarification is needed.