Catholic peer criticises Parliamentary inquiry , into abortion BY MARK GREAVES

A CATHOLIC peer has strongly criticised an inquiry into abortion by MPs for its refusal to consider moral issues.
The Commons science and technology committee is to launch Parliament's first-ever investigation into the issue of abortion but has ruled out any consideration of ethics.
The inquiry will instead examine the impact of scientific advances on abortion law, including whether the 24-week time limit should be reduced because more babies survive late abortions.
It will also look at whether the requirement for two doctors' signatures should be abolished, and whether nurses and midwives should be allowed to carry out abortions during the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.
But Lord Alton of Liverpool accused the committee of "ignoring the elephant in the middle of the room".
He said that if MPs were forced to address the morality of abortion it would doubtless "unsettle their preconceived conclusions".
"To ignore the ethical aspects of aborting a baby with a cleft palate, up to and even during birth, to ignore the ethics of the suffering and pain inflicted during late abortions, to ban discussion of both the ethics of taking the life and the status of an unborn child, is like ignoring the elephant in the middle of the room," the Catholic peer said.
He added: "The committee's fear of addressing these fundamental issues tells you all you need to know about the nature and status of this inquiry."
But Josephine Quintavalle of the Alive and Kicking anti-abortion alliance was more optimistic, saying that an inquiry into the Abortion Act would be impossible "without getting involved in ethical issues".
"We believe that the outcome of the inquiry will be to make the abortion laws less aggressive, not more aggressive," she said.
"The committee wants to confine it to medical considerations but even within these terms there are many issues that need to be addressed. Where there's an opportunity to air the issues, there's an opportunity to air the truth."
The Commons science and technology committee called on the Government to review the abortion law two years ago but the Government refused to do so.
The inquiry will also look at whether a medical definition of "abnormality" is needed. Abortions after 24 weeks are still allowed if there is a serious abnormality with the unborn child.
Figures show the survival rates of babies born at 22. 23 and 24 weeks are one per cent, 11 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.
Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe has announced that she will launch a Bill requiring psychiatric units to record whether female patients have had an abortion.
She said studies around the world showed that abortions had damaging effects on women's mental health and_led to an increased risk of suicide.
The only way to assess the psychological impact of abortion in Britain would be for psychiatric units to record the history of childbirth, miscarriage and abortion among its female patients, Miss Widdecombe said.
She pointed to a study in New Zealand which found that women who had had an abortion had twice the level of mental health problems as women who had given birth or had never been pregnant. Miss Widdecombe also accused officials at the British Medical Association this week of trying to stifle debate on abortion.
She said the agenda committee of the ,BMA's annual conference ignored motions that expressed concern over the workings of the Abortion Act and instead selected a motion which effectively called for "abortion on demand".
The BMA conference was expected to debate a motion on Wednesday suggesting that nurses and midwives should be allowed to perform early abortions.
They will also debate whether the requirement for two doctors' signatures should be scrapped for the first 13 weeks.
While in Britain only doctors can carry out surgical abortions or prescribe abortion pills, in America and South Africa abortions can be performed by nurses and midwives.
Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris, who is a member of the BMA ethics committee, proposed the motion. He is also a member of the Commons science and technology committee.
A recent survey published by the doctors' newspaper Pulse found that 19 per cent of GPs were opposed to abortion and 24 per cent refuse to sign abortion referral forms. Over half said they thought the 24-week limit for terminations should be lowered.
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