UK health secretary backs cutting abortion time limitOctober 6, 2012 - 19:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Jeremy Hunt, the UK new secretary of state for health, and Maria Miller, the new minister for women and equalities, have both declared support for cutting the abortion time limit, socialistworker.co.uk reports. Hunt says he supports a drastic cut in the limit from 24 to 12 weeks. He voted for a 12 week limit during the 2008 parliamentary debate on the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill. Miller declares herself a “modern feminist” and says she is “driven by the practical impact that late term abortion has on women” to cut time limit to 20 weeks. She doesn’t say what the “practical impact” might be on women forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. David Cameron and Theresa May both back a cut to 20 weeks. A majority of cabinet ministers now favor cutting the time limit, the report says. Lowering the limit to 20 weeks would affect a small but vulnerable minority of women seeking abortions. Of the 190,000 abortions carried out last year some 91 percent took place before 13 weeks. These figures cover England, Scotland and Wales only - abortion is still illegal in Northern Ireland. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. U.S. believes peace is “possible” in South Caucasus The United States continues to believe that peace is possible in the South Caucasus, Vedant Patel said. |