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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill

No, I will not; I do not have the time. The issue is simple; there is clearly a developmental time line. At about 24 weeks—plus or minus a day or two; such things are never fixed and there is bound to be variation on either side of the line—there is a minimum point at which a foetus is capable of independent existence. That is basic biology, and no amount of argument can get past it. Remember that nearly all late-term abortions are carried out for medical reasons because of foetal abnormalities that can be detected only very late in the pregnancy. Cutting the time limit would mean more births of deformed children. Do we want that? I think not. I hope that the Bill will go through largely unamended.