ABORTION, COUNSELLING AND INFORMED CONSENT

That this House notes with concern that there were 198,500 abortions in England and Wales in 2007, a rise of 2.5 per cent. on 2006 and the highest total ever; notes that this represents a rate of 18.6 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years and that this is comparable to the average rate of 18.8 in European countries which allow abortion on demand; further notes that European countries that have informed consent legislation (offering counselling, provision of information and/or a cooling off period) have an equivalent average rate of 11.9; further notes the Royal College of Psychiatrists' recommendation on 14th March that good practice in relation to abortion will include informed consent and that consent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information regarding the possible risks and benefits to physical and mental health; acknowledges that the Annual Representative Meeting of the British Medical Association (BMA) on 10th July passed a motion (545) acknowledging that abortion can be a psychologically traumatic process for women, and urges the BMA to campaign for increased counselling and support for women before and after abortion and that this is therefore now official BMA policy; and commends the amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill seeking to ensure that women considering abortion are offered counselling and are also adequately informed about the health consequences of abortion, of alternatives to abortion, including adoption, and of help available should they decide to continue with their pregnancies.