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reduce
the time limit for legal terminations of pregnancy from 24 to
20 weeks; |
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to introduce a cooling-off
period after the first point of contact with a medical |
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practitioner about a termination;
to require the provision of counselling about |
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the medical risk of, and
about matters relating to, termination and bringing |
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the pregnancy to term as
a condition of informed consent to termination; and |
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Be
it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty,
by and with the advice and |
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consent of the Lords Spiritual
and Temporal, and Commons, in this present |
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Parliament assembled,
and by the authority of the same, as follows:— |
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1 |
Amendment
of the Abortion Act 1967 |
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(1) |
Section 1 of the Abortion
Act 1967 (c. 87) (medical termination of pregnancy)
is |
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(a) |
in subsection (1)(a) for
“twenty-fourth week” substitute “twentieth
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5 |
(b) |
after subsection (1)(b)
insert— |
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“(ba) |
that the pregnant woman,
after the first relevant point of |
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contact
with a registered medical practitioner, has |
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undertaken
a seven-day cooling-off period of informed |
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consent,
during which she receives counselling from a |
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10 |
registered
medical practitioner or health visitor about |
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the
respective medical risks of, and about other matters |
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relating
to, terminating and carrying a pregnancy to |
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(c) |
after subsection (1) insert— |
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15 |
“(1A) |
In subsection (1)(ba)— |
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“the first relevant point of contact” means the
earliest |
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occasion
on which the possibility of a termination of the |
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pregnant
woman’s pregnancy is discussed; |
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“cooling-off period of informed consent” means a
period |
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20 |
before
the expiry of which the pregnant woman shall |
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not
be taken to have given informed consent to the |
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termination
of her pregnancy. |
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(1B) |
The Secretary of State
shall by statutory instrument make |
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regulations
to establish how the counselling described in |
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subsection
(1)(ba) above should be provided.” |
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5 |
(2) |
In section 2(4) of that
Act, for “section” substitute “Act”. |
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(1) |
This Act may be cited as
the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2007. |
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(2) |
This Act does not extend
to Northern Ireland. |
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