By James Chapman Last updated at 2:57 AM on 21st May 2008 MPs rejected a cut in the time limit for abortions last night despite graphic testimony about the

By Reeta Chakrabarti Then the issue was similar to that facing them this week - have the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn child shifted

By Andrew Porter and Rosa Prince The time limit for abortion was kept at 24 weeks last night in the first vote on the issue in 18 years.

Britain's abortion laws survived their most serious challenge in two decades last night when MPs from across the House of Commons rejected a cross-party attempt to reduce the upper limit of 24 weeks, and they threw out other restrictions tabled by the pro-life camp.
A late plea by the head of the Catholic church in England in Wales for an end to 200,000 abortions a year, which he made as pro- and anti- campaigners demonstrated outside parliament, failed when a series of amendments to reduced the time limit were rejected one-by-one.
ned to pave the way for greater scientific research to cure diseases, by tabling a series of abortion amendments. In addition to the four votes on time limits, a fifth - an attempt to make counselling compulsory - was rejected by 309 votes to 173.

If you sever the link between law and science, where do you draw the line? In the end, science carried the day. MPs decided not to break the powerful link

London - Attempts by opposition Conservatives to tighten Britain's liberal abortion laws were defeated late Tuesday, when Parliament voted to leave the upper time limit for pregnancy termination at 24 weeks.
A number of Conservative motions, ranging from lowering the legal limit to between 12 and 22 weeks, were rejected. In the last of a series of votes, members of Parliament (MPs) defeated a reduction to 22 weeks by a vote of 304-232.
law since 1990, when the limit was cut from 28 to 24 weeks.

AP LONDON: British lawmakers on Tuesday voted against lowering the upper time limit for abortions despite calls to reduce access to pregnancy terminations