Conservative Party leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt has restated his support for reducing the time limit for abortion to twelve-weeks.
In response to a question on the issue on Sky’s Ridge on Sunday programme this morning, Hunt responded: “These are matters of conscience, yes, my view hasn’t changed on that. I respect the fact other people have very different views and that’s why these matters are matters for free votes in the House of Commons.”
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Clare McCarthy said:
“Polling shows there is strong support from women for reducing the time limit for abortion. Seven out of ten women support reducing the abortion time limit to twenty weeks or below, from the current twenty-four-week time limit. Only 1% of the UK public would support the goal of UK abortion campaigners to introduce abortion up-to-birth.
A twelve-week time limit would bring the UK in line with the majority of EU countries that have a time limit for most abortions of 12 weeks or lower.
At twelve weeks an unborn child is fully formed, has a heartbeat and all the organs, muscles, limbs and bones are in place. The baby’s fingers will soon begin to open and close, her toes will curl, her eye muscles will clench, and her mouth will make sucking movements.“
ENDS
- For additional quotes and media interviews contact 07847 454108 or email press@righttolife.org.uk
- For further information on Right To Life UK visit www.righttolife.org.uk
- Polling was carried out in May 2017 by ComRes, a member of the British Polling Council.
- The BBC have put together details on European time limits in this resource here. We have recently reviewed the time limits stated there to update changes in legislation and put them in the table below.
| Country name | Time limit for most abortions | References |
| Austria | 12 | Penal Code (1974), sections 96-98: English / German |
| Belgium | 12 | Code Pénal (Penal Code), articles 348-360 (French) |
| Bulgaria | 12 | Decree No. 2 (1990) on the conditions and procedures for the artificial termination of pregnancy (English). |
| Croatia | 11 | Law No. 1252-1978 (1978), Act concerning the medical measures for materialisation of the right to freely decide on the birth of children (English) Note: This law is the same for Slovenia, as both were part of Yugoslavia when it was passed. |
| Cyprus | No upper limit. | Criminal Code of Cyprus (sections 167-169 and 169A) as amended by Law No 59 (1974) and Law No 186 (1986) (no retrievable and entirely up-to-date version online) |
| Czech Republic | 12 | Law 66 and Regulation 75 (1986) (English) Czech Criminal Code, Sections 159-163 |
| Denmark (Mainland) | 12 | Act No. 350 (1973), Section VII as amended by Law No. 389 (1995) and LBK No. 95 (2008). |
| Estonia | 11 | ‘Termination of Pregnancy and Sterilisation Act’(1998) (Estonian) Criminal Code of the Republic of Estonia, sections 125-128 |
| Finland | 20 | Law 239 (‘Abortion Act’) (1970) as amended Law No 564 (1978), Law No 572 (1985), and Law No 328 (2001) (Finnish) |
| France | 12 | Loi No. 75-17 du 17 janvier 1975 relative à l’interruption volontaire de la grossesse (Law No. 75-17 of January 1975 Regarding Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy)(French) Code Pénal (Penal Code) Articles 223-10 & 223-11 (French) Code de la Santé Publique (Public Health Code) Articles L2222-1 to L2222-4, and L2223-1 to L2223-2 (French) |
| Germany | 22 | Strafgesetzbuch (Penal Code), sections 218-219 (English) |
| Greece | 12 | Law No 821 (1978), as amended by Law No 1609 (1986), and the Greek Criminal Code, Article 304 (no online access). |
| Hungary | 12 | Act LXXIX (1992) on ‘the Protection of the Life of the Fetus’ as amended by Act LXXXVII (2000) Criminal Code (2012), Section 163 |
| Ireland | 12 | Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 |
| Italy | 12 | Law 194 (1978) (Italian) |
| Latvia | 12 | Sexual and Reproductive Health Law (2002) (English) Criminal Law of the Republic of Latvia, section 135-136 |
| Lithuania | 12 | Decree of the Lithuanian Minister of Health (which replaced the former Soviet law) (Lithuanian) Criminal Code of Lithuania, article 142 |
| Luxembourg | 12 | Penal Code Articles 348-353, as amended by Law on sexual information, illegal abortion and termination of pregnancies (1978) (French) |
| Malta | None: abortion is totally illegal. | Criminal Code, Articles 241-243 |
| Netherlands | 24 de facto | Criminal Code, Articles 82a and 296 (Dutch) Directions on the Non-Prosecution of Cases of Euthanasia and Late Abortions (2007) (Dutch) Law on termination of pregnancy (1981): English/ Dutch |
| Poland | 12 | Act on Family Planning, Protection of the Human Fetus, and Conditions for Pregnancy Termination (1993), and Penal Code (1997) (English and Polish) |
| Portugal | 12 | Código Penal (Penal Code), Articles 140-142 (Portuguese) |
| Romania | 14 | Noul Cod Penal (Penal Code), Article 201 (2014) (Romanian) |
| Slovakia | 12 | Law 73 (1986), as amended by Law No 419/1991 (English) See also Act No. 576/2004 Coll. of Laws on Health Care, Health Care-Related Services, and Amending and Supplementing Certain Acts as Amended by Act No. 345/2009. Criminal Code of Slovakia, Articles 150-153 Further context (U.N.) |
| Slovenia | 11 | Law No. 1252-1978 (1978), Act concerning the medical measures for materialisation of the right to freely decide on the birth of children (English)Note: This law is the same for Croatia, as both were part of Yugoslavia when it was passed. |
| Spain | 14 | Ley 2/2010 Orgánica de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva y de la Interrupción Voluntaria del Embarazo(Organic Law 2/2010 on Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy) (Spanish) |
| Sweden | 18 | Lag om abort (Abortlagen) (1974): (Swedish) |
