Should abortion be an election issue?

There are often claims that different aspects of life in this country are becoming more and more Americanised, whether this relates to TV, radio and other parts of society.

This point is often made for politics too, not least through issues such as campaign tactics and methods. However one thing which is very prevalent in US politics but has not yet reared its head in the UK is that of matters such as abortion becoming a major election topic.

Abortion in the USA is one of those issues which can dictate a candidate’s success or failure. Witness US Presidential candidate John McCain who previously supported abortion before switching his position as he sought the Republican nomination.

However as yet in this country this phenomenon has not existed; indeed it’s always been a key aspect of debates on life and ethical issues (such as the recent Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill) that the party’s do not enforce a line and it’s left up to the conscience of individual Members of Parliament.

However if we are to believe this morning’s papers then this is changing as the issue of abortion and other ethical matters becomes a key part of the Glasgow East by-election, not least after yesterday’s BBC Politics Show when all the main candidates discussed the matter.

Now possibly the first thing to say is that there is still some debate as to whether or not this is actually the case or simply the media trying to create a controversy. It’s worth noting that the issue is primarily being raised in the broadsheet press and not in the influential local Glasgow media such as the Evening Times or Radio Clyde.

It could be the case that this by-election, despite its billing, has thus far been relatively quiet and so the media wishes to do something to raise excitement. Also with polls yesterday suggesting that Labour will win and nothing will change, this will only make what was supposed to be an explosive plebiscite much less interesting.

As a Catholic I am aware of life issues being raised in churches and politicians getting a higher than average amount of correspondence on the human fertilisation bill. However it’s not a topic I’ve ever heard mentioned in any significant sense outwith these circles, certainly not enough (I would have thought) to affect voting patterns.

And even if it is true there is still a debate as to how relevant this is in the context of this election.

Roughly a third of potential voters in Glasgow East are Catholic. However given that only around one in four Scottish Catholics regularly attend mass then this ultimately makes up a very small percentage of potential voters, even once you take account of people of other faiths voting on such matters too.

And, after considering all of this, there is the question of whether or not having matters such as abortion and such like decided through elections is a good thing. You can argue that technically this happens anyway - if the local electorate don’t like the views of their local MP on these matters then they would vote him or her out.

In spite of my own personal views on this, the majority of people in the UK favour abortion being legally allowed and this was reflected in the recent parliamentary vote on this when the majority of MPs voted to maintain the status quo. It’s notable that the reason the pro-life lobby are more vocal on these issues is because they are in the minority.

It’s likely that if there was a notable swing (whether in public or parliamentary terms) towards the idea of either banning legal abortions or reducing the time limit for them then this would see a rise in prominence of the pro-choice campaign. People are always more energised to campaign when they feel their position is ignored or under threat.

Still the debate on abortion and similar matters is a difficult and emotive one. Given the ability of many political parties to reduce debate on serious issues to a soundbite I am unsure that I would be comfortable with Scotland and the UK following America’s lead in having this as a prominent election issue.

The allowing of free votes on the House of Commons on this matter strikes me as the best manner in which to conduct these debates. There is an opportunity for elected members to carefully listen to and consider technical arguments each way, as well as different pressure groups and constituents, before reaching a conclusion.

And all this can be done without the glare and distraction of an election campaign. Of course there are faults with this idea but on such matters there’s no perfect way to decide.

It’s also worth noting that for all the discussions about this being an election and thus party political issue there was no party (SNP, Labour, Lib Dem, and Tory) which had a clear line on this. On the human fertilisation bill members from each of the parties voted in various ways, some for provisions to lower the abortion time limit and some against. This was the same for all the bill’s provisions.

Issues such as abortion are known in political voting circles as ‘matters of conscience’. Regardless of your views on these topics it is sensible to continue to have them debated in considered circumstances and not in the partisan heat of a by-election. To do otherwise only hurts us all and just demeans politics and the role of elected representatives.