Letter to Editor: But what is even more horrifying is that abortion is now legal up to birth
Your Say / Mon 30th Mar 2026 at 11:59am
Dear Editor
LAST week, the House of Lords confirmed the votes held in the Commons to (a) allow abortion via “pills by post” to continue, and (b) to allow abortion at any point of the pregnancy – even up to immediately before birth. [1]
Not often reported in the media is that many women who use the “pills by post” option experience complications, and require medical assistance [2].
But what is even more horrifying is that abortion is now legal up to birth.
I have a good friend who was born several months premature. He has a PhD and a family. But, had he been in the womb under this new situation, his mother could have chosen to abort him.
Advocates of abortion have often argued that a baby in the womb is just a clump of cells which is part of the mother’s body. Can you really say that is true at 8 or 9 months’ gestation?
Our nation is now under God’s judgement. This time we have gone too far, and we will reap what we have sown.
I urge your readers to cry out to God for mercy.
Yours sincerely
Matthew Gillman
References
[1] “House of Lords backs bid to decriminalise abortion.”, Jennifer McKiernan, BBC, 19 March 2026. URL: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp323zpxp11o
[2] “Ambulance calls for abortion complications rise 54% in 2020”, Christian Concern, 24 February 2021. URL: https://christianconcern.com/news/ambulance-calls-for-abortion-complications-rise-54-in-2020/
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-30 12:09:22
Just to clarify: the House of Lords voted for this on Wednesday 18th March.
Boris
2026-03-30 12:42:52
"Gods judgement" ,will a God protect children from abuse, of course not. If a child is not wanted, is unable to be supported or has severe disabilities surely it is better to have the abortion option than risk for a child to have years of misery.
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-30 13:07:31
Boris. Even at 9 months' gestation?
James
2026-03-30 17:53:49
It’s not the babies fault it’s not wanted there’s people that cat have children and are waiting to adopt. This is murder it must stop
Mike
2026-03-30 17:55:25
Matthew, I cannot find evidence anywhere that this change allows "abortion at any point of the pregnancy – even up to immediately before birth", as you state. As far as I can see, the amendment voted for in 2025 and confirmed by the House of Lords last week - Removes criminal penalties for a woman who ends her own pregnancy. It does not change the existing time limits or medical framework set by the 1967 Abortion Act – including the 24-week limit for most cases, and exceptions for serious risk to life, health, or severe foetal anomaly. The reform stops short of full decriminalisation — abortion would remain within the framework of the 1861 Act, unlike in NI, where those provisions have been repealed.
Hugo
2026-03-30 17:58:28
What utter nonsense. The change in law makes no difference to the length of time. This nonsense was debunked last week. What UK proposal to decriminalize (not legalize) abortion up to birth actually means https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/uk-full-term-abortion/ "The United Kingdom did not legalize "full-term" abortion, or abortion up until birth. This rumor originated from a March 18, 2026, vote by the U.K.'s House of Lords rejecting a bid to remove language in a bill that would decriminalize the act of seeking an abortion outside the country's legal restrictions. " "In sum ... U.K. lawmakers have not considered and are not considering legalizing abortion up until birth. The House of Lords rejected a bid to remove language from a pending bill that would prevent police from prosecuting people who are seeking abortions for themselves outside of the country's legal framework for terminating pregnancy. The bill is expected to pass. " So no, Mathew, not even at 9 months gestation because the law change was not about that. And, no, abortion is NOT now legal up to birth. Stop spreading false rumours.
David Forman
2026-03-30 18:26:49
Welsh Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi introduced her amendment to decriminalise abortion in the Crime and Policing Bill on June 17, 2025 in the House of Commons. What she said about the scope of her amendment is: "My amendment, new clause 1 [NC1] would disapply the criminal law related to abortion for women acting in relation to their own pregnancies. NC1 is a narrow, targeted measure that does not change how abortion services are provided, nor the rules set by the 1967 Abortion Act. The 24-week limit remains; abortions will still require the approval and signatures of two doctors; and women will still have to meet the grounds laid out in the Act." See for yourself at https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-06-17/debates/CEAC32EB-971E-4A0D-BD3A-80A92B6DC230/CrimeAndPolicingBill#contribution-8EE5A3F9-FDCF-448E-A8EA-338F4F4B9841
David Forman
2026-03-30 18:37:26
Here is what Baroness Fox of Buckley said in the House of Lords amendments debate on March 18, 2026: "...I want to reflect on time limits. Many of us will have received a tsunami of emails and letters urging us to oppose Clause 208, stressing emotively—and factually inaccurately—that this clause will legalise abortion until birth, and that that amounts to the state-sanctioned killing of babies, as someone explained to me. We have to restate for the public that this clause does not change the limits for abortion. There is still a 24-week abortion time limit. In fact, abortion itself remains a crime, just as it has been since 1968, unless very stringent conditions are met. I stress again that any medical professional, or anyone else, who assists a woman to get an abortion beyond the legal limit of 24 weeks will be committing a serious crime and will be liable for prosecution." See for yourself https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2026-03-18/debates/C9F70B7A-3723-4DEB-869B-F641A8E86A1B/CrimeAndPolicingBill#contribution-80B55714-BDCE-449A-940C-28E2235FC247
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-30 18:58:56
All, thanks for the comments. I think you'll find these are not false rumours. Nine Labour MPs are among 79 who have written to Shabana Mahmood and Wes Streeting to protest the decriminalisation of abortion up to the point of birth: https://x.com/DominicPenna/status/2036830183068409926
Rose
2026-03-30 20:19:39
Oh look, a man preaching about women’s rights over her own body and life (and getting it wrong) what a bloody surprise
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-30 20:29:47
Rose. What about the baby's rights?
Benny
2026-03-31 10:47:37
Matthew - An unborn child is not considered a legal person (with independent rights) until they are born.
Gary Abbots
2026-03-31 10:57:30
Personal beliefs (religious or otherwise) are valid for guiding your own life. But when trying to influence others, especially through laws/policy you need reasons that don’t rely on having faith.
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-31 12:19:44
Benny: indeed. That's very sad
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-31 12:22:38
Gary: Christians set up the first free schools, hospitals, and led the fight to abolish slavery. All because their faith didn't just guide their own lives, but influenced others. They knew this would make society better.
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-31 12:24:57
All: regarding the votes, I am not a lawyer. But here is an article by a lawyer, giving more details about the changes in the law, and its effects: https://christianconcern.com/comment/the-human-cost-of-abortion-up-to-birth/
Staff
2026-03-31 13:57:04
Laws should be independent of religion
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-31 14:02:58
Staff: the laws used historically in England were based on the Christian belief that we are all equal before God, and are precious in His sight.
Allen
2026-03-31 14:23:39
Matthew historically we were Pagan but I'm not building stone circles in my garden
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-31 14:41:01
Allen: right, but you benefit from things such as I mentioned, like schools and hospitals etc.
Allen
2026-03-31 15:06:47
My point is religious groups may have contributed in the past but they don’t have a monopoly on values. Modern laws need to work for everyone not just people of one belief
Matthew Gillman
2026-03-31 16:51:05
Allen: the votes about abortion have changed the law. They don't work for me! Or the children in the womb. If we are truly going to allow abortion upto birth, what other depths might our nation sink to? It's very concerning.
Mike
2026-03-31 22:20:42
Matthew, i still cannot find evidence that the abortion law has been changed to allow abortion up to birth. From what I can find there is No change to the 24-week limit for abortion No change to who can provide the abortion No change to the grounds for abortion No change to the requirement for two doctors approval. i understand that because of your religious beliefs you do not approve of abortion, and its your right to have that opinion. But its important to stick to the facts of what the law actually says. "The change is to stop women being criminally prosecuted on suspicion of ending their own pregnancy under a law passed before women even had the right to vote. In the past year in England, 6 women have appeared in court charged with ending or attempting to end their own pregnancy outside abortion law. Abortion providers have reported that in recent years they have received around 50 requests for women’s medical records from the police in relation to suspected abortion offences. The change will not affect the abortion time limits or provision in any way. It is solely a question of whether women should be sent to jail for ending their own pregnancies".
Doc Brown
2026-03-31 22:41:37
The claim that abortion is now legal “up to birth” in the UK is misleading. The law still allows abortion up to 24 weeks in most cases with later abortions only permitted in rare situations such as serious risk to the mother or severe abnormality. Recent proposals being discussed would not change these limits but instead aim to stop women from being criminally prosecuted for ending their own pregnancies outside the legal framework. This has led some commentators to suggest it effectively allows abortion up to birth but that interpretation is not accurate in terms of how legal medical services are regulated.
Matthew Gillman
2026-04-01 10:15:30
If the changes have NOT allowed abortion up to birth, why did those MPs and Lords write to the Home Secretary and Health Secretary about it? Their letter can be seen at https://x.com/DominicPenna/status/2036830183068409926
Matthew Gillman
2026-04-01 10:32:41
PS I have no wish to mislead anybody.
Matthew Gillman
2026-04-01 11:11:53
To clarify: Abortion will be decriminalised for women acting in relation to their own pregnancy. This means abortion up to birth for a women taking pills or some other means will be legal. Assisting someone for an abortion beyond the legal limit of 24 weeks remains illegal. I understand that women obtaining pills via a telephone consultation with an abortion provider (so-called "pills by post") will NOT require input from a doctor. As mentioned previously, there are more legal details in this article: https://christianconcern.com/comment/the-human-cost-of-abortion-up-to-birth/
Eddie
2026-04-01 18:41:23
Abortion up to the point of birth is not Abortion, it's murder.
Rooney
2026-04-02 16:07:55
So what I'm getting from this is that Matthew is going to single-handedly solve the issue by adopting and providing care for every child that would otherwise be aborted, right? And I assume his god will help him out, of course. Right? If not, I shudder to think "what other depths we might sink to". Things like allowing women autonomy over their own bodies, or not basing our laws on an outmoded belief system known for SA children, invading and murdering its way across other countries, and surpressing other religions!
Matthew Gillman
2026-04-02 19:17:24
Rooney. In the past, unwanted babies were adopted. Nowadays, they are aborted. Do you think it's acceptable for a baby to be killed at 9 months' gestation?
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