Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (LD)

My Lords, I was here for Second Reading and I was here to hear the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, tell us about how the abortion landscape is shifting quite rapidly. Between Second Reading and today, we saw a vivid example of just how that landscape is shifting and why it needs to shift very rapidly, because we saw the conclusion of the trial of Nicola Packer. Thankfully, the jurors recently cleared the 45 year-old of illegally terminating her pregnancy. She suffered more than four years of police and criminal proceedings. In fact, the number of women being prosecuted on suspicion of breaking abortion laws has increased over recent years, so the landscape is getting worse. That is partly why I am very pleased to support the noble Baroness, Lady Thornton, in opposing the clause standing part, because the Bill does nothing to improve the abortion landscape. Personally, I am quite surprised that the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, has brought it back today to Committee, because it was made evident to us at Second Reading by the Minister and other speakers, including my noble friend Lord Scriven, that it was absolutely unnecessary and very unhelpful. Indeed, we heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Freeman of Steventon, today exactly why that is. I hope that this House will soon have the opportunity to debate and enact real change, along the lines of the two amendments tabled in the other place, referred to by the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett. I want to check something with the noble Lord, Lord Moylan. He said at Second Reading—and I expect he is thinking it again today: “What is so strange about the advocates of choice in this debate is that they are so defensive; they speak as if they are surrounded by conspiracy ... If I thought I was surrounded by conspiracy, I would want to live in a world of facts and not hide myself from them”.—[Official Report, 13/12/24; cols. 1994-5.]