A parliamentary bill put forward to the House of Commons by Burnham-On-Sea’s MP Tessa Munt has received overwhelming support in a vote.
The bill seeks to ensure abortion undertaken for reasons of sex-selection is made illegal.
The issue first came to light last year when a national newspaper reported on the Director of Public Prosecutions choosing not to bring charges against two doctors caught on camera agreeing to arrange abortions of baby girls purely because of their sex.
The case was investigated by Scotland Yard and passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service, which said that although there was enough evidence, it was not “in the public interest” to bring charges.
Tessa told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Whilst this incident was a rare occurrence in the UK, in countries like India, China and Pakistan it’s a big problem. I felt it would be helpful to clarify the law for the avoidance of doubt in the future.”
MPs voted 181 to 1 for a Bill put forward by Ms Munt and 11 other MPs aiming to end confusion about the legality of this practice. The Bill will have its second reading in Parliament in January.
