LORDS GIVE WAY ON ABORTION BILL

BY A STAFF REPORTER THE change of heart in the House of Lords early this week has meant that the controversial abortion (No. 2) Bill, formerly the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill, will become law.
The Lords reversed two amendments to the Bill on Monday night which they had approved in the Committee stage in July, and completed its third reading.
They thus avoided a clash with the Commons which would probably have wrecked. the Bill for the present session and could have caused a constitutional crisis.
First. the Lords defeated by 113 votes to 79 the requirement that one of the two doctors needed to agree on an abortion must be a National Health Service consultant. They had voted this clause into the Bill in July by 116 votes to 67.
"SOCIAL" CLAUSE
Later on Monday they voted by 80 to 69 to restore the "social" clause, allowing an abortion on the grounds of injury to the health of children of the family. They had defeated this clause in July by a majority of one.
At first, in Monday's debate it seemed as if the Lords would stick to their July amendments, led by Viscount Dilhorne, Lord Brock (president of the Royal College of Surgeons), the Marquess of Salisbury. the Earl of Longford, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
ARCHBISHOP REBUKED
The first sign of weakening came when Dr. Ramsey, after speaking firmly against the deletion of the requirement of an NHS doctor. voted in favour of its deletion. Rebuked by Lord Dilhorne, the Archbishop said he had been convinced by arguments during the debate and changed his mind.
The Bill's sponsor. Mr. David Steel, Liberal MP for Roxburgh, said after the debate: "I am delighted with the Lords' decision to reverse the two important changes made during the Committee stage,"
• A public opinion poll carried out on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, before the Lords debate. showed that 53 per cent. of people asked supported the NHS doctors amendment and 40 per cent the "social" amendment.