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Termination of Pregnancy Bill


 

Termination of Pregnancy Bill

 

 
 

Contents

1   

Amendment of the Abortion Act 1967

2   

Short title and extent

 

Bill 41                                                                                                 

54/2

 
 

Termination of Pregnancy Bill

1

 

A

Bill

To

reduce the time limit for legal terminations of pregnancy from 24 to 20 weeks;

to introduce a cooling-off period after the first point of contact with a medical

practitioner about a termination; to require the provision of counselling about

the medical risk of, and about matters relating to, termination and bringing

the pregnancy to term as a condition of informed consent to termination; and

for connected purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and

consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present

Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1       

Amendment of the Abortion Act 1967

(1)   

Section 1 of the Abortion Act 1967 (c. 87) (medical termination of pregnancy) is

amended as follows—

(a)   

in subsection (1)(a) for “twenty-fourth week” substitute “twentieth

week”;

5

(b)   

after subsection (1)(b) insert—

“(ba)   

that the pregnant woman, after the first relevant point of

contact with a registered medical practitioner, has

undertaken a seven-day cooling-off period of informed

consent, during which she receives counselling from a

10

registered medical practitioner or health visitor about

the respective medical risks of, and about other matters

relating to, terminating and carrying a pregnancy to

term; or”.

(c)   

after subsection (1) insert—

15

“(1A)   

In subsection (1)(ba)—

“the first relevant point of contact” means the earliest

occasion on which the possibility of a termination of the

pregnant woman’s pregnancy is discussed;

“cooling-off period of informed consent” means a period

20

before the expiry of which the pregnant woman shall

 
Bill 41 54/2
 
 

Termination of Pregnancy Bill

2

 

not be taken to have given informed consent to the

termination of her pregnancy.

(1B)   

The Secretary of State shall by statutory instrument make

regulations to establish how the counselling described in

subsection (1)(ba) above should be provided.”

5

(2)   

In section 2(4) of that Act, for “section” substitute “Act”.

2       

Short title and extent

(1)   

This Act may be cited as the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2007.

(2)   

This Act does not extend to Northern Ireland.

 
 

 
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