Nowadays, access to legal and safe abortion is part of our social structure and four out of every five British adults support the much more liberal idea of a woman’s right to choose an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy (BMJ leader 24 October 1992). Under these circumstances the two MPs Teresa Gorman and Jo Richardson hosted a commemorative evening at the House of Commons to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the passing of the Abortion Act.
Over 100 guests attended and the roll closely mirrored the active participants in 1967; it included Lady Vera Houghton, Sir Robin and Lady Brook, Lord Brightman, Dilys Cossey, Peter Diggory, Peter Jackson, Sir Nicholas Fairburn, Diane Munday, Lord Rhea, Madeline Simms and Brian Sedgemore. David Pantin, Chair of the Birth Control Trust, ably opened the meeting and introduced the two speakers, Sir David Steel and Lord Houghton of Sowerby.
Sir David, in a modest speech, first attributed all the credit to others - particularly the Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRA). He outlined the great progress which has followed the Act. In 1967 the Home Office estimated that between 50 and 60 British women died as a result of criminal abortion; the toll of morbidity was beyond estimate. Death or morbidity from this cause is now exceedingly rare.
Lord Houghton, now an incredibly active 93, gave a spontaneous and lucid account of the parliamentary vicissitudes of attempts to reform the abortion law; he pointed out that the House of Lords is strongly supportive of easy access to safe legal abortion and that last year’s votes in the House of Commons also showed strong support. Nevertheless, he suggested, when an attempt is made from either side to reform the law there is always the possibility that opponents will manage to introduce and achieve measures utterly opposed to the spirit of the law. Lord Houghton hoped that less restrictive procedures in early pregnancy would be brought about and he called attention to the plight of Northern Ireland where the Law does not apply. After the speeches and some lively discussion, all retired to the Jubilee room where reminiscences and planning continued with the aid of refreshments.
In the early 1960s, the Eugenics Society supported ALRA both by financial grants for vital research and by providing office space and support. During the passage of the Abortion Bill in 1966 and 1967, Peter Diggory was adviser to David Steel on the medical implications. The presence of our president, Professor Margaret Sutherland, at this anniversary celebration shows that the debt is still acknowledged and appreciated.