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£300 million made available for families and children from conception to two years old

£300 million will be made available for a “start for life offer for families”, which begins from the child’s conception to around their second birthday.

Earlier this week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, as part of the Autumn Budget, announced that this money will be made available for “high-quality parenting programmes” and “tailored services to help with perinatal mental health”. This is in response to evidence, according to Sunak, of the importance of the first 1,001 days of a child’s life, starting from conception.

Sunak said: “The evidence is compelling that the first 1,001 days of a child’s life are the most important. We are responding today with £300 million for a Start for Life offer for families – high-quality parenting programmes, tailored services to help with perinatal mental health”.

The Prime Minister commissioned the former Conservative cabinet minister, Andrea Leadsom, to write a review on this period – as the minister had long argued that the first two years of a child’s life is key. The £300 million will be provided alongside other funds intended to help families.

The Government has also announced that they will provide “£7 million by 2024-25 to improve access to services and support for adopted children and their families”.

Currently, under UK law, a death of a baby is only registered after 24 weeks gestation. At this stage, the baby’s death is registered as a stillbirth. If a child is born and dies before 24 weeks, the baby’s death is recorded as a miscarriage, and the child is not entitled to a death certificate.

Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said: “We welcome this increased funding that will help babies, both unborn and born, along with their families”.

“Making this funding available from conception is significant because it implicitly recognises exactly what the pro-life movement and scientific investigation has always said: life begins at conception. This is well known and undeniable”.

“Of course the days before and after birth are important, and it is encouraging to see the Government recognise that fact, even if it is in this minimal manner. However, this support for children, from conception, exists in sharp contrast to the abortion laws in the UK”.

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Help fight major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.

Dear reader,

Despite the Leadbeater assisted-suicide Bill passing its Third Reading on 20 June, it scraped through by just 23 votes (314-291) after enjoying a 55-vote majority at Second Reading. Had 12 more MPs switched sides, the Bill would be dead. It now limps into the Lords with a wafer-thin majority, where peers can amend, delay or reject it outright.

THE CHALLENGE

Dignity in Dying, My Death My Decision and Humanists UK have poured millions into pushing assisted suicide and will fight hard to stop the Lords overturning the Bill.

At the same time, the Antoniazzi abortion-up-to-birth amendment, passed by MPs in June, also heads to the Lords. If it becomes law, it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason – including sex-selective purposes – and at any point up to and during birth.

We will be up against the UK’s largest abortion providers, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes), who are expected to push for even more extreme changes to our abortion laws in the Lords.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Thousands of vulnerable lives are now at stake. Battling these two threats is the biggest and most expensive effort in our history, and has drained our limited resources. To fight effectively on both fronts, we aim to raise £200,000 by midnight this Sunday (13 July 2025).

Every donation, large or small, will help protect lives, and UK taxpayers can add 25p to every £1 through Gift Aid at no extra cost.

Will you make a donation now to help protect vulnerable lives from these major threats?

URGENT
APPEAL
to protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.