The UK strongly opposes sex-selective abortion, a practice resulting from deep-rooted discrimination against women and girls. The UK supports partner governments' efforts to prevent this discrimination through our programmes and international leadership on gender equality. This includes, for example, ensuring clear policies and effective training are in place.<\/p>
Ending sex-selective abortion also requires promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Through our Strategic Vision for Gender Equality, we are working to ensure every girl has access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, is protected from violence, receives 12 years of quality education and is supported to be economically and politically empowered.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4358", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Wendy Morton"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Aldridge-Brownhills"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Wendy Morton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-10-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-10-05T14:27:52.19Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "208"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-09-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abortion: Sex Selection"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the practice of sex-selective abortion internationally.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4857", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Carla Lockhart"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Upper Bann"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Carla Lockhart"} ], "uin" : "96228"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1200245", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Northern Ireland Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1200245/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
An abortion on the grounds of sex-selection is not one of the lawful grounds for a termination of pregnancy under the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020.<\/p>
<\/p>
The UK Government takes any suggestion of sex-selective abortion seriously and has conducted a careful study of the data in GB which shows no evidence that it has been taking place.<\/p>
<\/p>
Data collection and publication on abortion related issues in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to take forward.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4091", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Robin Walker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Worcester"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Robin Walker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-06-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-06-08T11:13:01.913Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "21"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Northern Ireland"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Northern Ireland"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-06-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abortion: Sex Selection"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2020 to Question 6069, what steps he will take to prevent sex selective abortion under the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No 2) Regulations 2020.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3958", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Fiona Bruce"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Congleton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Fiona Bruce"} ], "uin" : "54088"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1172213", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1172213/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Sex selection is not one of the lawful grounds for termination of pregnancy. It is illegal for a practitioner to carry out an abortion for that reason alone, unless the certifying practitioners consider that an abortion was justified in relation to at least one of the grounds in the Abortion Act 1967 such as a sex-linked inherited medical condition.<\/p>
We have no evidence that sex related abortions are taking place in Great Britain. The latest analysis by the Department found that the United Kingdom gender ratio over the period 2013 to 2017 was 105.4 male to 100 female births, which is within the normal boundary. The Department continues to keep this under review.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4008", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gosport"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Dinenage"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-01-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1172213/answer/previousversion/3026", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4008", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gosport"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Dinenage"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-01-28T17:21:56.463Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-01-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abortion: Sex Selection"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that gender-selective abortions are not carried out in UK.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3958", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Fiona Bruce"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Congleton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Fiona Bruce"} ], "uin" : "6069"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1020398", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1020398/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department publishes annual sex birth ratio analysis, which provides information on whether there is any evidence for sex selective abortions happening at scale within specific communities in Great Britain. The most recent analysis was published in October 2018 and found no evidence of sex selective abortions occurring in Great Britain over the period 2012 to 2016. The report is available at the following link:<\/p>
<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sex-ratios-at-birth-in-great-britain-2012-to-2016--2<\/a><\/p> <\/p> The UK National Screening Committee has recommended Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) be a contingent test in the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme only for trisomy 13, 18, 20 and not for any other genetic marker including sex. Plans are currently underway to make the NIPT test available on the National Health Service for Down\u2019s syndrome, Edwards\u2019 and Patau\u2019s syndromes only.<\/p> <\/p> Sex selection is not one of the lawful grounds for termination of pregnancy. It is illegal for a practitioner to carry out an abortion for that reason alone, unless the certifying practitioners consider that an abortion was justified in relation to at least one of the grounds in the Abortion Act 1967 such as a gender-linked inherited medical condition. Anyone with evidence that sex selective abortion is occurring should report it to the police.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4065", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thurrock"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jackie Doyle-Price"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-12-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "199400"}
, {"_value" : "199401"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-12-12T11:39:19.163Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2018-12-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abortion: Sex Selection"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department next plans to publish an assessment of the extent of sex selective abortion in the UK.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4126", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mary Glindon"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Tyneside"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mary Glindon"}
], "uin" : "199399"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1020400", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1020400/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department publishes annual sex birth ratio analysis, which provides information on whether there is any evidence for sex selective abortions happening at scale within specific communities in Great Britain. The most recent analysis was published in October 2018 and found no evidence of sex selective abortions occurring in Great Britain over the period 2012 to 2016. The report is available at the following link:<\/p> <\/p> https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sex-ratios-at-birth-in-great-britain-2012-to-2016--2<\/a><\/p> <\/p> The UK National Screening Committee has recommended Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) be a contingent test in the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme only for trisomy 13, 18, 20 and not for any other genetic marker including sex. Plans are currently underway to make the NIPT test available on the National Health Service for Down\u2019s syndrome, Edwards\u2019 and Patau\u2019s syndromes only.<\/p> <\/p> Sex selection is not one of the lawful grounds for termination of pregnancy. It is illegal for a practitioner to carry out an abortion for that reason alone, unless the certifying practitioners consider that an abortion was justified in relation to at least one of the grounds in the Abortion Act 1967 such as a gender-linked inherited medical condition. Anyone with evidence that sex selective abortion is occurring should report it to the police.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4065", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thurrock"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jackie Doyle-Price"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-12-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "199399"}
, {"_value" : "199400"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-12-12T11:39:19.287Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2018-12-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abortion: Sex Selection"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what structures are in place for healthcare professionals in (a) primary care and (b) other settings to raise concerns on sex selective abortion occurring.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4126", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mary Glindon"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Tyneside"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mary Glindon"}
], "uin" : "199401"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/806716", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/806716/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " In August 2015, the Department published an \u2018Assessment of termination of pregnancy on grounds of the sex of the foetus\u2019 on the gov.uk website at:<\/p> https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/abortion-on-grounds-of-sex-of-the-foetus<\/a><\/p> A further analysis of birth ratios in Great Britain was published on the gov.uk website in October 2017 at:<\/p> https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gender-ratios-at-birth-in-great-britain-2011-to-2015<\/a><\/p> No substantiated evidence was found of gender selective abortions taking place in Britain. The Department will continue to monitor this issue closely through repeating the analysis of birth ratios annually, and working with other government departments and researchers. This includes collaborating with a successful applicant to the Economic and Social Research Council on research into son preference and sex selection against females in the United Kingdom, which will look at evidence, causes, trends and implications.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4065", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thurrock"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jackie Doyle-Price"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-12-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-12-21T16:07:56.823Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2017-12-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abortion: Sex Selection"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the prevalence of gender-selective abortion in the UK.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3958", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Fiona Bruce"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Congleton"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Fiona Bruce"}
], "uin" : "119792"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/686171", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/686171/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Serious Crime Act 2015 contains a requirement that an assessment be carried out into evidence of gender abortions occurring in England, Wales and Scotland. In August 2015, the Department published an Assessment of termination of pregnancy on grounds of the sex of the foetus on the gov.uk website at:<\/p>