Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab Rejects Call To Make Access To Abortion A Human Right In The UK

Dominic Raab has said that he will not back a proposed amendment to the British Bill of Human Rights which would give women the fundamental right to have an abortion.Dominic Raab, who took the place of Boris Johnsonat the NATO summit held in Madrid, said the legality of abortion in the UK is "settled".

"It's decided by honourable members across this House. It's an issue of conscience. I don't think there is a strong case for change."What I wouldn't want to do is find ourselves, with the greatest of respect, in the US position where this is being litigated through the courts rather than settled as it is now settled by honourable members in this House. Mr Raab further stated that abortion is an "issue of conscience" for members of parliament and that it is up to them to decide the law.

Just last week. the US Supreme Court voted to overturn the Roe v Wade landmark which was a 1973 case which decided that pregnant women are entitled to an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. Still, there was room for legal restrictions and bans in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Now that Roe v Wade is overturned, each individual state has been given the freedom to ban abortions even before 12 weeks if they so choose.US President Joe Biden said on the matter: "It's a sad day for the court and for the country. Biden encouraged voters to consider this change in the November elections and said: "This decision must not be the final word."

However current abortion laws in the UK are currently a complex legal situation, with only women in Northern Ireland having the guaranteed right to an abortion. Abortions in Northern Ireland remain difficult to access.

When it comes to England and Wales, the 1967 Abortion Act made pregnancyterminations legal in the countriesup to 24 weeks in most circumstances. However the law is framed in terms whereby abortion is not a right, but is an exception when two doctors agree it would be a risk concerning the mental or physical health of the woman. That phrasing has come under some recent scrutiny from campaigners.