An MHK has accused some of her House of Key colleagues of trying to reduce the Abortion Reform Bill into an ’unworkable shadow’ of what it set out to do.

The accusation came from Daphne Caine (Garff), but was angrily rejected by Chris Robertshaw (Douglas East), who has tabled a number of major amendments to the reform proposals, including a reduction in the time limits for the different categories of permitted abortion.

Mr Robertshaw has already suffered one setback, when his attempt to re-write the definition of ’health’ in terms of the bill was rejected by the House of Keys this morning.

However, he signalled he may make another attempt to change that definition after he learned that the Keys would be returning to debate the relevant clause later.

Mr Robertshaw has tabled amendments that would reduce 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 is also seeking to remove the provision of abortion being permitted on ’serious social grounds’.

But Mrs Caine said: ’There seems to be an aim to reduce this bill to an unworkable shadow of its original intention.

’We must stay true to the original intention of the bill.’

Mr Robertshaw said he was ’astonished’ at Mrs Caine’s claim.

He added: ’She is completely and utterly wrong and I do take exception to this idea that detailed and careful amendments are somehow turning this bill into a shadow of its former self.’

Earlier, Mr Robertshaw attempted 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 that by made by the World Health Organisation and states that it means ’a state of complete, physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’.

The amendment was defeated by 15 votes to eight.

Mr Robertshaw, who is attempting to remove later references to ’serious social grounds’ in the bill, said that the social provision amounted to allowing abortion on demand up to 24 weeks.

That was rejected by Dr Alex Allinson, who is steering the bill through the Keys, said it placed restrictions on the circumstances in which a doctor could permit an abortion during the 15-24-week period.

Dr Allinson 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.’

The debate resumes this afternoon.