Parliament defeats bid to outlaw sex-selection abortion in UK
February 25, 2015
The British Parliament has voted down a bid to outlaw sex-selection abortion.
By a vote of 292- 201, Parliament defeated a measure that would have explicitly banned abortions performed solely to determine the sex of the child.
The government had contended that existing law already prohibits sex-selection abortion. MP Fiona Bruce, who introduced the proposed ban, said that the law is now being “interpreted in different ways.” Her proposal, she said, would “clarify beyond doubt in statute that sex selective abortion is illegal in UK law.” The government would then be able to issue regulations making the ban effective, she argued.
Parliament voted almost unanimously (491- 2) in favor of an alternative proposal to study the question of sex-selection abortion and determine whether the practice is widespread.
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