Local MP one of 137 MPs voting against decriminalising abortion
In a free vote, Robbie Moore joined most Conservative MPs in opposing the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill.
The MP for Keighley and Ilkley has voted against an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in what has been described as the biggest change to reproductive rights in almost 60 years.
Robbie Moore joined most of his Conservative colleagues in voting against the change that has been put forward by the Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi. This included Suella Braverman, Robert Jenrick, Danny Kruger, Priti Patel, Chris Philp and Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition.
Moore, along with all MPs, was given a free vote. This type of vote in the House of Commons is typically permitted when dealing with “ethical issues that are seen as a matter of conscience”, as was the case with the Assisted Dying bill. A total of 379 voted in favour of the amendment and 137 against.
Moore has not commented on his decision. Badenoch, however, released a statement saying, in part, that “I am a mother of three and I know from personal experience how important the right to choose is, but this amendment goes too far”.
Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, James Cleverly, Ester McVey, Katie Lam and Helen Grant were among the 16 Conservatives who didn’t vote. Laura Trott, Kit Malthouse, Caroline Dinenage and Ben Spencer were among the eight Conservative MPs who were recorded as voting aye.
Abortion is still classed as a criminal offence. The landmark 1967 Abortion Act did not change this. Instead, as the independent healthcare charity the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has noted, it “rendered lawful activities that would otherwise constitute a crime under the Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) 1861”.
The passing of the amendment means that women seeking to terminate their pregnancy outside of the current legal framework will no longer face the threat of being arrested, convicted and imprisoned. It currently carries a life sentence.
What hasn’t changed is the law concerning the provision of abortion. The 24-week term limit will remain (and in exceptional cases beyond that limit) and the abortion will still need to be approved by two doctors.
The amendment has been backed by over 50 organisations, including the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Midwives, BPAS and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Ed Frew, the BMA’s medical ethics committee deputy chair, described the vote in favour of decriminalising abortion as a “significant and long overdue step towards reforming antiquated abortion law”. He said:
“Women seeking an abortion can be in an incredibly vulnerable situation. They need access to timely and good quality healthcare and support, not to face questions from the police and be threatened with prosecution and up to a lifetime in prison.
‘The BMA has long been of the view that abortion is a healthcare matter, not one for the police and the criminal courts – this amendment and vote goes some way to recognising this.”