Conservative Party stalwart Jacob Rees-Mogg has made his views known of abortions
(Picture: Reuters)Jacob Rees-Mogg has compared the UK’s abortion rights to a “cult of death” in a Westminster Hall debate on whether to strengthen womens’ rights constitutionally.
The senior Conservative has recently returned to the backbenches, having briefly served as business secretary under Liz Truss, and is now using his freedom to call out his party - with the Tories set to follow the US’s path in making abortions harder to access.
During a debate after a petition about abortion practice reached 100,000 signatures, Mr Rees-Mogg said it was “wrong” for the government to allow abortions even in the cases of rape and incest.
He took on Labour MPs and members of his own party over the petition which urged the government to protect abortion rights in a proposed UK bill of rights, following the US Roe v Wade courtroom fallout over the same issue.
If you think we don’t need to codify in law that women have a human right to choose to have an abortion, Jacob rees-mogg just argued against women who are victims of rape or incest having a right to have one.
— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) November 28, 2022
Women deserve equal rights. Whoever is in government. #trustWomen
The MP for North East Somerset responded to a question from Labour’s Stella Creasy by saying the number of abortions performed is a “tragedy”.
He said: “I think the destruction of life is wrong, I do not believe that we should say that a new life should be destroyed. I do not believe that that is the right of the state.”
Politicians in the debate were heard to call his comments “dangerous” and “grotesque” but Mr Rees-Mogg continued undeterred.
“This is about destroying life,” he said. “This is the cult of death. It is the great tragedy of abortion, and it is considered normal.
“The extraordinarily high number of babies that are destroyed is something that should sadden us all to the depths of our souls.”
Walthamstow MP Ms Creasy, who had asked Mr Rees-Mogg if he thought abortions should be banned even in the case of rape and incest, said: “Women deserve equal rights. Whoever is in government.”
She added: “If you think we don’t need to codify in law that women have a human right to choose to have an abortion, Jacob Rees-Mogg just argued against women who are victims of rape or incest having a right to have one.”
Mr Rees-Mogg has, however, stated he feels the right to an abortion, stemming from the 1967 British Act, was not going to change.
Indeed, justice minister Edward Argar said the government policy would continue to be “settled by legislatures” based on existing laws.
