“The Department of Health has lost a court battle to keep secret some details on abortion statistics.”
BBC News, 20th April 2011
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
from the Inner Temple Library
“The Department of Health has lost a court battle to keep secret some details on abortion statistics.”
BBC News, 20th April 2011
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The Department of Health is making a High Court challenge today to stop figures being published on the number of late abortions on ‘less than perfect’ foetuses with physical abnormalities, including cleft palate and club foot.”
Daily Telegraph, 18th April 2011
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Women who want an abortion in the early weeks of pregnancy must continue to take the pills at the clinic and not at home, unless health secretary Andrew Lansley stipulates otherwise, a judge has ruled.”
The Guardian, 14th February 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The high court is due to rule on Monday in a landmark case that could make it easier for women to complete abortions at home.”
The Guardian, 13th February 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Department of Health is today accused of allowing political considerations to prevail over the wellbeing of women who need an abortion in early pregnancy, by refusing to allow them to take the necessary pills in the comfort and security of their own home.”
The Guardian, 13th January 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The advertising watchdog has cleared the first British television advert to offer advice on abortion services, despite almost 5,000 complaints.”
The Guardian, 4th August 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The act of procuring the miscarriage of a woman’s child did not, by itself, amount to an offence known to English law. Where a defendant was charged with an offence of supplying or procuring any instrument or thing, knowing that it was intended to be unlawfully used or employed with intent to procure the miscarriage of a woman, the ‘thing’ supplied or procured had to be some sort of article or object and could not include a medical procedure. ‘Procure’ of the instrument or thing did not include the taking of possession of or use of an instrument or thing by a third person.”
WLR Daily, 2nd August 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“ASA to assess criticism of TV campaign for sexual health charity Marie Stopes.”
The Guardian, 28th May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A woman who killed her unborn twins after injecting herself with drugs to induce their birth was finally jailed today after going on the run.”
The Independent, 6th November 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“A doctor has been found guilty of poisoning his lover in a failed attempt to induce an abortion.”
BBC News, 19th October 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Regulators have delayed publication of the results of a controversial review of the UK advertising code, which includes proposals that could allow abortion clinics to run TV commercials, until next year after receiving around 4,000 submissions.”
The Guardian, 8th September 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Releasing data on the number of abortions performed for conditions like clubroot and cleft palate may cause ‘mental distress or harm’ to vulnerable women and must be kept secret, lawyers for the Department of Health have argued.”
Daily Telegraph, 29th May 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Pro-life campaigners are continuing their fight for the publication of details of late medical abortions. An information tribunal is set to hear a Department of Health appeal that such information should not be published.”
BBC News, 28th May 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“A woman who accidentally killed her unborn twins then blamed a midwife has been convicted in her absence at Bristol Crown Court.”
BBC News, 1st May 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Late abortions of ‘less than perfect’ foetuses are the subject of a secrecy row with the Government.”
Daily Telegraph, 8th December 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The most significant shake-up of embryology laws for 20 years was last night approved by MPs, as the government faced down accusations of ‘shabby’ behaviour for thwarting the debate on abortion.”
The Guardian, 23rd October 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“MPs are set to debate the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, amid anger that Commons timetabling means amendments on abortion will be shelved.”
BBC News, 22nd October 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Harriet Harman is planning to block a series of Commons votes tomorrow to liberalise Britain’s abortion laws, which could have overturned a ban in Northern Ireland, in a move that was condemned as ‘disgraceful’.”
The Guardian, 21st October 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Anti-abortion MPs last night abandoned their parliamentary fight for new restrictions, calling for the bitterly contested issue to be resolved by a high powered inquiry instead.”
The Observer, 19th October 2008
Source: http://observer.guardian.co.uk
“Britain’s 40-year-old abortion law flouts the legal principles that underpin modern medical practice, 85 academic lawyers and ethicists say today.”
The Times, 17th October 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Plans to overhaul Britain’s fertility laws have been held up by political squabbling over abortion rights, the head of the country’s fertility watchdog said yesterday.”
The Guardian, 14th October 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A cross-party group of MPs will attempt next week to end the requirement for a second doctor to give their approval for an abortion to take place.”
BBC News, 8th July 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The upper time limit for abortions will remain at 24 weeks after MPs voted against proposals to reduce it.”
BBC News, 21st May 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“As MPs prepare to debate the upper time limit for abortions, what is the debate about and what are the current rules?”
BBC News, 20th May 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“MPs will today begin a two-day debate that will affect the future of embryo research, IVF treatment and abortion.”
The Guardian, 19th May 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Dawn Primarolo, the Public Health minister, has accused MPs campaigning for a stricter law on abortion of having a hidden agenda which aims ultimately to prevent all terminations.”
The Independent, 19th May 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“An attempt to lower the legal abortion time limit will be opposed by Gordon Brown during next week’s vote on the issue.”
Daily Telegraph, 15th May 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“MPs will reject demands for tighter controls on abortion but are ready to allow new laws pushing back the boundary of research on human embryos, according to a survey carried out by the Guardian.”
The Guardian, 12th May 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Related link: What’s in the bill?
“A consultation is to be launched over whether to relax abortion rules by allowing terminations outside hospital settings in England, ministers say.”
BBC News, 7th May 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The Law may be changed to allow ‘abortion on request’ by ending the need for doctors to give permission for a termination, it has been disclosed.”
Daily Telegraph, 30th April 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“On this day (27th April) in 1968, British women were liberated from the dangers of back-street procedures.”
The Independent, 27th April 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“A businessman with an irrational fear of becoming a father has been jailed for almost four years after he laced his wife’s breakfast with abortion pills in an attempt to make her lose their unborn baby.”
The Independent, 1st March 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“The former spokesman for the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales was ‘robbed of his moral authority’ by a newspaper article which accused him of hypocrisy over abortion, the high court heard yesterday.”
The Guardian, 19th February 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Women could have abortions in doctors’ surgeries under proposals being considered by the Department of Health, it has emerged.”
Daily Telegraph, 5th December 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Pregnant women who find out that their baby has a serious disability would no longer be able to have an abortion under amendments to the law tabled in Parliament yesterday.”
The Times, 1st December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Three-dimensional images of a foetus ‘walking’ in the womb are to be shown to MPs and peers by a cross-party alliance of campaigners in an attempt to persuade the House of Lords to tighten the law on abortion.”
The Independent, 10th November 2007
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“Labour and Conservative MPs are preparing to unite in a cross-party attempt to restrict access to abortion in Britain, The Daily Telegraph has learned.”
Daily Telegraph, 9th November 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“There is no reason why women seeking an abortion should need the approval of two doctors, a group of MPs has said.”
BBC News, 31st October 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Forty years after the Abortion Act came into effect, terminations in Britain are running at 450 a day.”
BBC News, 28th October 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The most extensive liberalisation of abortion laws for 40 years is being planned by MPs, The Times has learnt.”
The Times, 25th October 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“It was 40 years ago that the bill was passed marking the end of back-street abortions and the beginning of women’s right to choose whether or not to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. David Steel’s aim was to avoid the deaths and misery arising from illegal terminations, at a time when abortions were only legal if the mother’s life was seen to be in danger. In the first full year of the bill coming into force, there were 55,000 abortions in the UK. Today, that figure has risen to 200,000 a year. As the anniversary of the law’s introduction approaches this weekend, the debate on abortions continues. Here, we examine where the interested parties stand.”
The Guardian, 24th October 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Archbishop of Canterbury has intervened in the debate over whether to reduce the time limit for abortions.”
BBC News, 21st October 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The 40th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act will be marked this week with a fresh battle over the issue. On Wednesday, Dawn Primarolo, the Public Health minister, will tell a Commons committee investigating whether the law needs to be changed that she has had no scientific evidence to support a lowering of the upper time limit for abortion from 24 weeks.”
The Independent, 22nd October 2007
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“More than 100 babies with minor disabilities, such as a cleft palate or club foot, were aborted in one area of England in a three-year period, statistics reveal.”
Daily Telegraph, 22nd October 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“An influential inquiry into the future of Britain’s abortion laws will begin today amid controversy over an apparent attempt by faith-based organisations to skew the balance of evidence presented to the committee of MPs.”
The Guardian, 15th October 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Women should no longer have to obtain the signatures of two doctors to have an early abortion, and the upper time limit for the procedure should remain at 24 weeks, doctors’ leaders said yesterday.”
The Guardian, 11th October 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Pro-choice campaigners are planning to use an international conference this autumn to urge legal change to ease restrictions governing abortion in Britain.”
The Guardain, 27th August 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“An NHS hospital trust has agreed to pay £27,500 compensation in an out-of-court settlement with a mother of three for aborting her unborn baby against her will and ignoring her attempts to withdraw her consent.”
The Guardian, 30th July 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Nurses and midwives should be allowed to perform early abortions, doctors will say next week.”
Daily Telegraph, 23rd June 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“MPs are to launch an inquiry into the impact of scientific developments on abortion law, including whether medical advances in the care of very premature babies mean the 24-week time limit should be reduced.”
The Guardian, 21st June 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“An increasingly bitter debate as the Abortion Act marks its 40th year looks set to be reignited on Tuesday when the government publishes annual figures for the number of terminations.”
Reuters, 12th June 2007
Source: www.reuters.com
“Pro-abortion MPS are preparing for a bitter political battle in an attempt to bring in termination on demand in the first three months of pregnancy.”
The Guardian, 10th June 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Women seeking an abortion could be forced to receive counselling under proposals being considered at Westminster today.”
The Guardian, 5th June 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Both sides in the battle over abortion rights are gearing up for a test of strength in parliament to see which of them has the political muscle either to liberalise David Steel’s 40-year-old legislation or to curb what opponents of abortion call ‘two Dunblane massacres a day’.”
The Guardian, 4th June 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A woman who had a backstreet abortion when she was seven-and-a-half months pregnant was convicted on a rare charge of child destruction yesterday.”
Daily Telegraph, 27th May 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Related link: Child destruction: charge is rarely used