Pro-life MPs must sack Claire Curtis-Thomas

Claire Curtis-Thomas (pictured), the Labour MP for Crosby and a vice-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group (APPPLG), has confirmed her anti-life position in a reply to a SPUC supporter in her constituency. Mrs Pat MacDonald wrote to Mrs Curtis-Thomas to ask her to vote against the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) bill at third reading on 22 October, which was the last chance for MPs to vote on the bill. (As expected, no pro-life amendments to the bill had been passed before third reading, the Commons passed the bill at third reading and no pro-life amendments were made the House of Lords following Commons third reading. The bill is expected to receive Royal Assent in the next few weeks.)

Mrs Curtis-Thomas said in her reply to Mrs MacDonald:

"Thank you for your concern. You have, however, missed the point. Voting against the whole of the bill would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There are many clauses in the bill which are very necessary and welcome. As co-chair of the all party pro-life group, I am clear on my responsibilities and will continue to vote against those parts of the bill which I find morally objectionable. Regards Claire."

Mrs MacDonald replied: "If you are clear on your responsibilities as co-chair of the all party pro-life group, then it is unacceptable that you were not present, or took part in this vote ... It is time you either resigned from the All Party Pro-Life group, or start taking your responsibilities seriously and act with moral conviction. Your duplicitous behaviour is unacceptable."

Mrs Curtis-Thomas replied: "Thank you for your comments. Kind regards, Claire."

As Mrs MacDonald has commented to SPUC, "As usual [Mrs Curtis-Thomas] cannot reply to what was asked of her."

I personally find it sickening that Mrs Curtis-Thomas has said that voting against the bill would have been "throwing the baby out with the bathwater", when so many innocent unborn children will be abused and killed under the bill. I am unaware of any arguments presented by Mrs Curtis-Thomas as to which clauses in the bill "are very necessary and welcome", nor how those clauses could possibly outweigh "those parts of the bill which [she] find[s] morally objectionable".

The truth of the matter is that:

• the HFE bill is intrinsically evil - not just as a whole, but also in all its parts;


• Mrs Curtis-Thomas also made her pro-abortion position clear in May;


• the APPPLG must remove Mrs Curtis-Thomas immediately from the APPPLG.

It should also be noted that Mrs Curtis-Thomas is a Catholic. Organisations associated with the Catholic Church (or indeed any group, religious or secular, opposed to abortion or embryo-killing) should not invite Mrs Curtis-Thomas to their events. Would such organizations invite a Catholic to their events who was not opposed to the killing of members of ethnic minorities? The unborn child has the same human dignity as everyone else and must be given the same respect.

Well done to Pat MacDonald for again holding Mrs Curtis-Thomas to account!