BMJ  2007;335:960 (10 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39386.700949.DB (published 1 November 2007)

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MPs want to drop second doctor's signature for abortion

Adrian O'Dowd

Margate

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Only one doctor's permission should be necessary for a woman to have an abortion, rather than the current UK legal requirement for two, MPs have recommended.

The 24 week time limit for abortions to take place should be kept, the MPs also recommended in the newly published report from the parliamentary Science and Technology Committee on whether abortion laws need updating.

The report, which focuses on issues capable of scientific evaluation rather than ethical considerations, says that the MPs are concerned that the requirement for two signatures to allow an abortion could be causing delays in access to abortion services and found no evidence of its value in terms of safety.

The other major recommendation made in the report is that there is no scientific basis to argue for a reduction in the upper time limit for abortions. Although survival rates at 24 weeks' gestation (the current upper limit for . . . [Full text of this article]


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