The battle to reform the island’s abortion laws took a massive step forward this week, after clearing major hurdles in the House of Keys.

MHKs have passed the Abortion Reform Bill through its clauses stage after weeks of scrutiny, despite a last-minute attempt to adjourn the debate.

Provision to create safety zones around abortion clinics have been confirmed, while 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, as members completed the clauses stage of the bill.

Dr Alex Allinson (Ramsey), who first drafted the reforms and is guiding the bill through the House of Keys, described Tuesday’s progress as a ’very useful debate, very informed debate and a very civil debate’.

Earlier, in what was a key moment, Kate Beecroft (Douglas South) attempted to remove the phrase ’social well-being’ from the definition of ’health’ as set out in the bill.

She warned that, coupled with later provisions, the definition effectively gave abortion on demand up to 24 weeks.

Dr Alex Allinson (Ramsey) pointed out the bill’s definition of health matched that of the World Health Organisation.

Mrs Beecroft’s 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, agreed in principle last month, also passed detailed scrutiny on Tuesday.

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

Tuesday’s dramatic progress was welcomed by the Campaign for Abortion Law Modernisation, which hit out at what it described as attempts to ’delay and dilute’ the bill.

’We’ve found the persistent attempts by the same few MHKs to obstruct this bill to be incredibly frustrating,’ said CALM member Stephanie Kelsey.

’But we were relieved that in today’s debate the majority of the House saw sense and realised that the more this bill was unnecessarily delayed, the more Manx women would be forced to travel across or to buy illegal pills.’

CALM says it is looking forward to the bill ultimately receiving royal assent and replacing the current law.

The law in the Isle of Man, at the moment, allows termination in the island up to 24 weeks, but only where medical practitioners consider there is substantial risk the child will not survive birth, will die shortly afterwards or will be seriously handicapped.

Pregnancies resulting from rape, incest or sexual assault may be terminated up to 12 weeks, but women must provide an affidavit attesting to the cause of the pregnancy.

Terminations on social grounds are not permitted under the current law.