Abortion Rights: Two signatures not needed
Tuesday, 23 Oct 2007 15:44
Just one signature from a doctor is sufficient for an abortion to be carried out, Abortion Rights claims.
Under the 1967 Abortion Act two signatures are needed before a termination can go ahead.
But campaign group Abortion Rights says the law is now out of date and needs to be revised.
Its comments come as the science and technology committee is hearing scientific evidence about pregnancy, abortion and the law.
Abortion Rights director Anne Quesney said: "Forty years ago we were on the eve of a vote, which would transform women's lives.
"The 1967 act ended decades of dangerous back-street abortions and saved the lives and health of thousands of women in Britain. Forty years of safe, legal abortion in Britain is something to celebrate.
"But, the majority of the public clearly feels that the legislation is now out of date. It is time for a law that trusts women to make the abortion decision and remove the need for two doctors' permission to access the procedure - a process that can lead to delays for women at a difficult time."
