I completely understand what an incredibly emotive issue this is, and I appreciate the strength of feelings on both sides. It is for this reason that, as with other matters of conscience, the Government adopts a neutral stance on abortion, allowing Conservative MPs to vote freely according to their moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. This is a convention which I support wholeheartedly.

I have closely followed reports of the case you have outlined. While I appreciate that the specifics of this particular case are very difficult and it would not be appropriate for a politician to intervene in the work of judges, I believe it is important that the views of both the clinicians and the individual and their family members should be taken into account in cases like this. I understand that in this case the decision has been overturned, and the pregnancy will not be terminated.

Indeed, one of the reasons I have always voted against any attempts to repeal sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Persons Act 1861 is that the 1967 Abortion Act provides defences against the criminal law offences contained in the 1861 Act. If these offences were removed then abortion would in effect be decriminalised and no legal framework would be in place, including no gestational time limits, in such instances.