The date of the next skirmish in the House of Commons has now been revealed: it is 23rd October, when there will be a 10 minute Rule Bill put before the House for a vote.
The vote on 23rd October is the start of the process: and it will give great heart to whichever side wins, influencing when and whether further attempts are made to remove abortion from all specific legal oversight.
What should we do? I have spoken with a number of MPs and former ministers over the years, and they all agree that personal lobbying by individual constituents is the thing that is most likely to influence how they vote on many issues. This has far more influence than (eg) large postcard campaigns organised by lobby groups, which are easily disregarded (I am old enough to remember the huge Mail Maggie A Mountain campaign back in the day: thousands of postcards delivered - and disregarded...)
Of course, the die-hard pro-abortionists will not be swayed, and the die-hard pro-life MPs can be relied on. But they are a minority (in both cases). There is a large 'muddled middle' and these are the MPs who are open to influence.
It is worth noting that an MP need not be pro-life to recognise that the proposed de-regulation is extremely unwise - as long as someone takes him or her through the implications.
So what we must do is make the time to visit our MPs' surgeries, if at all possible, or failing that, to write clear and courteous personal letters or emails, outlining why this is a bad idea. If you don't know why it's a bad idea, or think that as we have virtual abortion on demand already, then it makes no difference, read my posts linked to above; or better still, perhaps, go to the excellent introductory brief video by Life, and more importantly, read and use their excellent comprehensive guidance, that gives all the background you need.
If we lose this legislative battle, we risk setting the pro-life cause back by decades in this country, and opening the door to abortion on demand for any reason up to birth, to the indoctrination of our children in schools, to the imposition of abortions as a compulsory aspect of training for medics and nurses, and of course, the continued bullying and exploitation of young or vulnerable women - and worst of all, even more young lives destroyed before birth.
Don't tut and do nothing. Don't salve your conscience by sending a pre-printed postcard. Take personal responsibility and lobby your MP personally: it is the most powerful political tool we have. Encourage others to do so.
And pray.
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Lest you be in a position to ask: Lord, when did I see you unborn and fail to protect you?...
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