Tory peer says 'Lords allowing systematic killing of disabled babies' after abortion Bill thrown out

Hitting out: Lord Shinkwin defends his bill aiming to curb abortion disability
Kate Proctor13 March 2017
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A Tory peer has accused colleagues in the Lords of allowing the “systematic killing” of disabled babies after his abortion rights Bill was thrown out.

Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks, but the Abortion Act 1967 extends the limit until birth if there is significant risk of the baby having serious disabilities. Lord Shinkwin, who has brittle bones and uses a stick, wants a 24-week limit.

His private member’s Abortion (Disability) Bill made it to the final legislative stage in the Lords after five months of debate. On February 24, seven peers spoke against it, effectively “talking out” the Bill and blocking any chance of it becoming law.

Lord Shinkwin, 45, said: “What I don’t understand is how after birth I can be good enough for the Prime Minister and the Queen to send me to the House of Lords but before birth I’m only good enough for the incinerator.

"I’m part of a group of people with congenital conditions that is being systematically killed.”

He said that his colleagues “don’t want disabled babies to see the light of day”.

Between 2005 and 2015 the number of disability abortions increased by 68 per cent. Ninety per cent of babies with Down’s syndrome are aborted in the UK. Two babies with brittle bones were aborted last year beyond 24 weeks.

Lord Shinkwin was born with a broken leg and aged 24 suffered 50 fractures and was left fighting for life. After his recovery he worked in the charity sector and for the Royal British Legion and became a Conservative peer in 2015.

The results of a ComRes poll released last week show the public support his proposed change. They found only one in three people surveyed think it is acceptable to ban abortion for gender or race but allow it for disability.

Fifty two per cent of people agreed that having a law on abortion which discriminates against the disabled creates the perception disability is a tragedy.

Among the peers against the Bill was fertility scientist and writer Lord Winston. He said Lord Shinkwin’s proposal was not reasonable for women facing “hugely difficult decisions”.

Baroness Massey, a former director of the Family Planning Association, said limiting disability-selective termination to 24 weeks risks a return to backstreet abortions.

The charity Disability UK said: “Whatever time limit is set after which abortion should not happen, no distinction should be made between a foetus where the child will be born disabled and where the child will be born non-disabled. All lives are equal.

“We are deeply disappointed that this important Bill has not had the time it needs to be debated. We urge Government to rectify this.”