Moves to reform the island’s abortion law took a major step forward on Tuesday.

Several bids to impose tighter restrictions than those mapped out in Dr Alex Allinson’s Abortion Reform Bill were defeated in the House of Keys this week.

MHKs voted against amendments tabled by Chris Robertshaw (Douglas East) that would have reduced the proposed time limit from abortion on request, from 14 weeks to 12 weeks, and abortion for serious health reasons or serious social concern from 24 to 22 weeks.

He also made an unsuccessful attempt to remove the provision of abortion being permitted on ’serious social grounds’ in the 15-24-week period.

There was a successful amendment to introduce a new clause to the bill, however, which would outlaw sex-selective abortions.

At the start of Tuesday’s lengthy debate, Dr Allinson told his colleagues: ’This is grown-up politics. It is creating laws which directly affect people’s lives and, I hope, improve the situation for women on this island who cannot continue with an unwanted pregnancy for their own personal reasons.

’It also implicitly supports those women with a commitment to counselling both before and after any treatment.’

He pointed out that when the bill passed a second reading, it ’sent out a clear signal that abortion was no longer a criminal matter but an intrinsic part of women’s reproductive healthcare’.

However, it was not long before the first attempts to rein in the bill’s provisions were made.

Mr Robertshaw sought to re-word the bill’s definition of health to remove the reference to ’social well-being’ and to make reference to ’person or foetus’.

The bill, as it stands, bases its definition of health on that made by the World Health Organisation, stating that it means ’a state of complete, physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’.

Mr Robertshaw argued that the WHO definition was ’broad-based’ and in its ’analysis and submissions and detailed guidance on abortion, that comment of social wellbeing does not appear there’.

However, members voted 15 to 8 against the amendment.

Further moves were made, on a different clause in the bill, to remove the permission for abortion on ’serious social grounds’ in the 15-to 24-week period.

Mr Robertshaw said the supporters of the bill had argued it was a medical issue, but that provision made it a matter for the person concerned to judge.

’The second trimester is effectively abortion on demand and we need to face up to that,’ he argued.

He also lamented the absence of a list of applicable social grounds.

The original bill had such a list but was removed following the consultation process, due to concern over its prescriptive nature.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle, who also sought to remove the social grounds provision, said: ’If this was legislation that brought the women of the Isle of Man up to the same level of support for abortion as they enjoy in the UK, I am in no doubt this would have been approved 24-0 a long time ago.

’We are looking at legislation which goes significantly further and in some areas into totally uncharted waters.’

unintended

Mr Quayle warned against ’unintended consequences’ of the clauses.

’We need to go into this with our eyes wide open.’

But Dr Allinson rejected their claims.

He said: ’This is not abortion on request up to 24 weeks, this is limiting, it is reducing access to abortion, because the doctor has to be convinced in good faith that she meets the criteria.’

He said it was not possible to produce a definitive list of social reasons.

’How can you have a list that quantifies people’s suffering?’ he asked.

’The total sum of human experiences cannot be something pigeon-holed, put in a box or put in a list.’

The clause was necessary to support women who could find themselves in crisis, often not of their own making, and ensuring the health care services can respond in a ’sympathetic and humane way’.

Members voted 15-8 against the attempt to remove the serious social grounds provision and also rejected an amendment from Mr Quayle that would have required a consultant psychiatrist or consultant surgeon to give evidence to support the woman’s assertion.

MHKs also voted against Mr Robertshaw’s amendments reducing the time limit for abortion on request from 14 weeks to 12 weeks and to bring down the time period for abortions on serious health or social grounds from 15-23 weeks to 13-22 weeks. In both instances, the vote was 17-6 against.

Those who wanted to reduce the limit argued that took into account medical advances, but the bill’s supporters warned it risked rushing women into decisions. The longer time limit for abortion on request, they said, could actually result in fewer abortions.

There will be further scrutiny of the bill’s clauses next week.