MPs will today launch a campaign to cut the number of abortions carried out and reduce the upper time limit for termination from 24 to 20 weeks.

Campaigners warn a “less casual” approach to abortion is now needed and hope to reduce the number of terminations made for social reasons.

By lowering the time limit for these abortions, they estimate 2,300 lives a year could be saved.

The campaign comes as MPs are later this month set to vote on an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would reduce the upper limit to 20 weeks.

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Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, who is tabling the amendment, will tell the campaign launch today: “Britain has 200,000 abortions a year, or 600 a day. That is just too many - we must slow down on abortion.

“I respect a woman’s right to choose. But we are close to being the abortion capital of the world and it is now time to adopt a more moderate, common sense approach to abortion.”

She will insist that the figures are higher than envisaged when the procedure was legalised 40 years ago, and say medical advances mean more and more babies born at less than 24 weeks can now survive.

“Abortion is now being used as a form of contraception. It is time to send a new signal about abortion, a less casual message, bringing Britain into line with the rest of Europe.”

Full article here.