A Hull MP has responded to an East Riding Councillor’s social media outburst after MPs voted to decriminalise abortion.
Earlier this week MPs voted to amend the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure women could not be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy. In England and Wales, abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy are illegal and can only be done in certain rare circumstances such as when the life of the mother is in danger.
The changes, voted through by MPs earlier this week do not change this, abortions after 24 weeks will still only be done under the same circumstances and medical professionals who assist in illegal abortions will still be punished. The vote simply removes the risk of criminal prosecution for women who do end their own pregnancies.
MPs were given a free vote on the issue meaning they did not have to follow any party lines. In our region the six MPs were split. The three Labour MPs in Hull (Emma Hardy, Karl Turner, and Dame Diana Johnson) all voted for the changes whilst the three Conservative MPs in the East Riding (Charlie Dewhirst, David Davis, and Graham Stuart) all voted against the changes. Ultimately MPs voted in favour of the changes by 379 votes to 137.
Following the vote, East Riding Councillor, Maria Bowtell, took to X (formerly Twitter), to express her disdain at the vote’s outcome. Cllr Bowtell left comments under a number of posts about the vote, including one where she falsely described the vote as “legalising murder,” whilst in another she claimed that all the MPs who voted for the changes are “pro murder.”
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The councillor, who recently left Reform UK to become an Independent, also commented on a post from the Political Editor of The Guardian, Pippa Crerar, who described the vote as “the biggest step forward in reproductive rights in almost 60 years”. Cllr Bowtell wrote: “You want to legalise murder. You’re nothing but pro-murder. Sick.”
In response to an account pointing out that the MP for Hull West and Haltemprice, Emma Hardy, voted for the amendments, Cllr Bowtell replied: “We must remind people what she stands for the next time she is asking for their vote!”
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Following this, Ms Hardy herself took to social media to address “some confusion-particularly on social media about what was actually voted on and what it means.”
The MP explained that the vote did not legalise abortions after 24 weeks and that “the core legal framework remains unchanged.”
Ms Hardy added: “There are many deeply held views on the issue of abortion, often shaped by personal, moral, or religious beliefs. I have great respect for all of them and always consider the views of everyone in Hull West and Haltemprice when making decisions on such sensitive matters.”
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