Great Britain dead?

‘Long live the fox and thumbs down to the father and the fetus’.

In recent years under the current Government, the mother of all Parliaments has dedicated 700 hours to protecting the fox from the hunters, with a triumph for the fox.

In contrast this week a mere three hours were allocated for an unsuccessful defence of the unborn child, three more to throw out the child’s need for a father in assisted reproduction, and a further three hours to approve the creation of animal-human embryos.

It has been a shameful week for the United Kingdom, the only consolation being that we have probably reached rock bottom on the international scale of libertarianism. As far as this country is concerned there are no further taboos we could possibly break or any politically correct nonsense that we have not already embraced with foolish enthusiasm. The only way out of this moral morass has to be up.

Those who spoke in debates on Monday and Tuesday in defence of common sense and compassion did a magnificent job, and it was particularly uplifting to hear moving speeches from some of the very men this Bill attacks with such vitriol.

One after another we heard their heart-warming defence of the child in the womb, juxtaposed with opposing tirades from entrenched pro-choice women blinded to the humanity and rights of the most fragile members of the human race.

It was often the same women who would not move one millimetre on the upper limit for abortion who earlier argued that a child does not need a father. Children would have to be safer in the hands of the fatherly Members of Parliament who spoke up for the right to life of the unborn, than in the care of some of these vehement females!

There were of course good women on the side of reason, not least the Conservative MP, Nadine Dorries, who has campaigned tirelessly to try and bring this country a little to its senses. Her amendment aimed at reducing the upper limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 20, was a compromise that any MP should have been able to cope with.

Absolute pro-lifers may fear compromise but in the real world of politics one has to start somewhere, and Mrs Dorries’s amendment drew support from unlikely angles; even from doctors who perform abortions. Dr Vincent Argent, was has worked for the biggest abortion provider in the UK, the ironically-named British Pregnancy Advice Service, was one such doctor who has spoken in favour of reducing the upper limits, going down even further to 16 weeks.

According to polls the public wants fewer abortions by a ratio of 2 to 1, and women more than men are expressing concern. The vote in Parliament did not reflect that ratio, but at least on the 22-week amendment the votes in favour of the rights of the baby were encouraging; with a difference of only 61 votes between the ayes and the nos.

The legislation before Parliament is a Government Bill, heartily endorsed by the Prime Minister. One suspects that some in his party will not have had the courage of their convictions when the time came to be counted. The precarious state of the Labour Party in all opinion polls will certainly have influenced some of the faint-hearted.

We would certainly have liked better, but will simply move on with optimism. It is time for a new beginning and we have been encouraged by the groundswell of support from the public, living proof of the wisdom of crowds.

Most people know in their hearts that abortion is not a desirable or compassionate way to deal with crisis pregnancy, know that what develops so wonderfully in the womb is indeed a member of the human race, and most would prefer that everything possible be done to bring down the death toll.

The majority of the public also knows that fatherhood is a vital not optional role in the family unit.

The battle for hearts and minds is definitely going our way, and the mood of Parliament is slowly changing. There will be general elections within the next two years, ample time to persuade our elected representatives to toe the line, and make this country great again.