Early day motion 600

That this House notes the admission in the American Medical News by Dr Ron Fitzsimmons, President of the American National Coalition of Abortion Providers, that he lied 'through his teeth' when justifying the partial birth abortion technique to Congress; notes that the procedure involves making a cut in the base of the skull through which the brain is vacuumed out, thus collapsing the head and ensuring that the baby is born dead; draws attention to Dr Fitzsimmons' denial of his original claim that the technique was used only for women faced with death or in 'agonising situations' where the babies were hopelessly 'disabled' - arguments used by President Clinton when vetoing a Bill to outlaw such practices; notes further that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists issued a statement in January declaring that it could find no 'circumstances under which this procedure would be the only option to save the life of the mother or to preserve the health of the woman'; yet recalls that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Britain used exactly those arguments to justify their opposition to a Bill presented to Parliament by the honourable Member for Batley and Spen to outlaw this barbaric practice; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to introduce measures for greater protection of unborn children, including the banning of the partial birth abortion technique and giving the opportunity for a free vote of this House on the Bill.

leave out from 'Providers' to end and add 'when giving evidence to Congress he underestimated the number of intact dilation and extraction (D&X) abortion procedures performed by doctors in the United States; notes that a polcy statement issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on 12th January 1997 made it clear that this method is used in abortions after 16 weeks gestation and that it can be an appropriate choice; further notes that the College opposes legislation to prohibit the procedure because although other methods of abortion are available, 'the potential exists that legislation prohibiting specific medical practices, such as D&X, may outlaw techniques that are critical to the lives and health of American women'; recalls that although this procedure is not used in Britain , the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Medical Association emphasised that decisions about the appropriate clinical procedures should be made by doctors and not by politicians; and reminds Her Majesty's Government that those who repeatedly seek to bring legislation to prohibit these procedures, oppose abortion in principle, regardless of the method by which it is carried out.'.