Abortion (Disability Equality) Bill [HL]

Key Points

• An agreed Committee-stage amendment creates an 'Impact of this Act' clause, requiring the Secretary of State to review the Act’s impact on disabled children, their families and carers, and on support services.
• A late-term abortion amendment proposing an exception for serious fetal anomaly beyond 24 weeks was proposed at Report Stage but withdrawn.
• Debates on UK-wide scope included attempts to remove Scotland from the law or to extend it to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• Other amendments sought to require input from medical bodies (RCOG and BMA) and from disability organisations (e.g., Disability Rights UK, Down Syndrome groups) in shaping or reviewing the policy.
• Several changes touched on the structure of Clause 1 and the timeframes within Clause 3, reflecting differing views about how broad or narrow the bill should be, including which nations are covered and how long certain timelines should be.
• There is a continuing emphasis on data transparency (linked to concerns about under‑reporting of disability-related abortions) and on ensuring disability organisations have a voice in the process.

Progress

The bill is at Report Stage in the Lords. An impactful Committee-stage amendment creating an official impact review was agreed, but a number of other substantial amendments introduced at Report Stage were not decided or were withdrawn, indicating ongoing debate about scope and detail.