MPs voted on abortion for the first time in 18 years, and rejected limit cut

David Cameron, the Tory leader, wanted to lower to 20 weeks the limit of abortion in the UK but Gordon Brown and a majority of MPs voted yesterday to keep the current limit to 24 weeks, in the first vote on the issue in 18 years.

A lowering of the limit had been predicted, but MPs instead rejected by a comfortable majority of 71 all the amendments that would have lowered the limit.

On Monday, the Commons rejected a ban on animal-human embryos being created for use in scientific research. Last night’s vote marked the failure of a concerted campaign to reduce the abortion limit.

Dr Evan Harris, the Liberal Democrat MP, said: “Parliament has made the right decision, respecting women’s rights to access abortion and taking the advice of the medical world about what the appropriate time limit should be.”