The Abortion Act

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On the 12th May 1966 the 28 year old Liberal Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles, David Steel, drew third place in the ballot in the House of Commons for private members' bills. Two weeks later he agreed to sponsor an Abortion Reform Bill - it was the seventh attempt at law reform in Britain since 1952. On the 15th June the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill was published. It was a major piece of legislation, and on the whole a popular one (opinion polls were showing a two thirds majority in favour of termination in some cases) and many women felt it was a liberating move. But there were passionately held views against legalising abortion too - not least from Roman Catholics. The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child was formed at the beginning of the following year, fifteen months before the Bill became law in 1968. Any change in the law was a subject on which almost everyone had an opinion. For some, it was a life-changing affair. With Sue MacGregor, reunited to discuss the way Abortion Law was changed in Britain in 1968 will be members of the Abortion Law Reform Association of the time: Diane Munday, Alastair Service and Madeleine Simms, with David, now Lord Steel, who as a young Liberal MP proposed the legislation, and one of its chief opponents, the former Conservative MP Jill, now Baroness Knight. Produced by David Prest Series Producer: David Prest The Reunion is a Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4