Abortion reform took a major step forward today after a failed attempt to delay the debate.

Safety zones to prevent harassment of patients or medics have now been approved as part of the he Abortion Reform Bill.

As the bill completed its clauses stage, an attempt to remove ’social well-being’ from the bill’s definition of health was rejected by MHKs.

Other crucial definitions in the bill have been agreed, following amendments.

However, a controversial bid by Alfred Cannan (Ayre and Michael) to delay debate by one week - following a flurry of last-minute emails, including one issued just minutes before the sitting got under way - was rejected.

Mr Cannan said he was concerned that the attorney general had yet to be consulted directly about the bill - although some MHKs pointed out that the AG had stated that he would not necessarily expect to have been consulted at this stage, while others argued that was the whole point of the bill later going through scrutiny in the Legislative Council, upon which the AG sits.

Ralph Peake (Douglas North) finally succeeded in adding a safety zone provision to the bill.

New clauses were added that will enable the creation of ’access zones’ around the hospital, centres offering abortion services and the homes of medical staff. Some, mainly technical, amendments were approved.

Under the new provision, anti-abortion protestors will face prosecution if they target vulnerable women or staff in such access zones.

Kate Beecroft (Douglas South) attempted to remove the phrase ’social well-being’ from the definition of ’health’ as set out in the bill.

Dr Alex Allinson (Ramsey), who is guiding the bill through the House of Keys, pointed out the bill’s definition of health matched that of the World Health Organisation and her amendment was rejected by 14 votes to nine.

Amendments were approved giving detailed definition to ’serious impairment’ and ’serious social grounds’, to apply to the already approved provision for when abortions can take place in the 15-24-week period and for emergency late terminations.

Abortion on request in the first 14 weeks of a pregnancy was approved at an earlier House of Keys sitting.

New provisions to set out the obligations on the medical profession for what happens after a termination procedure, approved in principle last month, also passed detailed scrutiny.

The bill still requires a third reading in the House of Keys, before it can move on to the Legislative Council for further consideration.