Abortion time-limit vote

Eleanor Laing, who has marched for a woman's right to choose during her student days, says she voted to reduce the time-limit for abortions after carefully weighing up the moral and physical issues.

She said:
"I respect a woman's right to chose but that right, as with all other rights, must be exercised with responsibility. Abortion at 12 weeks is a very different moral and physical position from abortion at 24 weeks.

"I voted against reducing it to 12 weeks because I believe a woman should have the ability in the very early stages of pregnancy to make a decision not to bear a child.

"But the position changes very drastically as the pregnancy progresses.

"I therefore voted to reduce the time-limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 20 weeks."

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