New Minister for Women - Maria Caulfield - is pro life.

[ArabellaScott]

www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/anger-as-mp-who-suggested-cutting-abortion-time-limit-is-made-minister-for-women/ar-AA13vIjr?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=af0ca7de70284591967a666f2eeebfad

'The Lewes MP has previously come under fire for arguing babies born at as little as 18 weeks “grow up to live long, healthy lives like the rest of us”,'

I thought it was Women & Equalities, has that changed?

I want my Minister for Women to centre women, not the voice of the unborn, which doesn't exist.

Let it go folks. Stop making it a "thing" and it won't be one.

WTAF @ChristinaXYZ?🤯 The protection of women's bodily autonomy is too important. We cannot ignore anti-women ministers in the government. Especially this Tory government who have shown that they will throw away our rights on a whim.

I saw Maria Caulfield on Politics Live yesterday. She emphasised as a minister she had introduced the first ever Womens Health Strategy and that abortion legislation sits within that. She also supported introducing obtaining abortion pills for home termination. I'm not a Conservative but I think she made it plain her opinions were hers and she supported the government policy. She did also point out that it was right that politicians were allowed personal opinions and were not forced to subsume all their opinions into their party policy. I think she defended herself well on the issue and I don't see that she will be a dangerous appointment in terms of trying to prevent anyone having abortions.

She voted against women in NI being able to access abortions.

Deeds, not words.

Also, she thought you might want to buy a bridge, and it would be shame if you missed the opportunity.

Thanks, that's useful info.

Or was "comfort" an autocorrect?

Stop making it a 'thing' and it won't be one.

ChristianaXYZ, did you just tell us women to shut up and not talk about this?

For info, Maria: I do not want your 'comfort' while I access health care. No, thank you.

I imagine apart from voting with her conscience she is aware any further attempts to alter the current legislation would harm her career within the party and government and she appears to be ambitious enough not to risk it.

I dont think theres an appetite with the public to reduce time limits is there?

I cant see any government in the next few years risking an unpopular policy change.

We cannot ignore anti-women ministers in the government

She is not anti-women.

No, she's not anti-women. And I agree that there seems to be little appetite to change abortion laws. But I will always keep an eye on what's going on in relation to women's right to abortion.

Maybe she was put in that position so that her conscience could influence policy. After all, voting to deny NI women the same abortion rights held by other UK women was no barrier to her getting a job as minister for women.

she appears to be ambitious enough not to risk it.

See above about Brexit.

Which was supported by one Boris Johnson – who appears not to have actually wanted it. But thought it a jolly good wheeze to pretend to support this non-starter, in order to pick up the votes of those who actually did want it.

Talk about the dog that caught the car.

This meme is the only copy I have, but this photo really is of Gove and Johnson "enjoying" their campaign's victory the morning after the Leave vote.

@TooBigForMyBoots that's possible. I take heart from the fact she is supporting women in the concerns over the GRC and EA. I feel there are sufficient people willing to squash any abortion amendments. I do think it's right people are allowed to vote on moral issues as they feel is right rather than as dictated by the party and I don't believe she will be able to influence abortion legislation. It's been tried recently and failed.

But I will always keep an eye on what's going on in relation to women's right to abortion.

Very strongly agree with you, Arabella.

I'm pro choice but feel terminations should be restricted after 14 weeks to those with medical reasons, mother or foetus.

We've just had the unseemly scramble (twice!!) of people who've been merrily claiming that trans issues are all about Labour and virtuously proclaiming they could never vote Lab (thus enabling repeated Tory govts), suddenly losing their shit when the penny dropped that Penny Morduant might become Prime Minister.

If it weren't so serious it would have been funny. (But it is serious, and isn't funny.)

I expect to be similarly headdesking in, oh dunno, let's say 3 years' time over abortion. When this issue has gone from 0 to 90 in just a few years, and People Like Us can't understand why, because No-one We Know supports restricting abortion. But hint, look at social media campaigning.

@ArabellaScott @PerkingFaintly I totally agree she needs watching. But I also feel the fact she is on the ball on trans issues means we can't just say she's a Tory so she's going to be on the opposite side to us on all womens issues. As you've just said, Labour aren't exactly helpful. And the prospect of Penny Mordaunt was terrible. I feel you have to examine each person for what they do, and yes, deeds not words, but so far she's not in a position to do much on abortion but she may well be able to influence the GRC and EA

I can’t understand at all why there is this constant comparison to brexit. Not remotely similar. Brexit didn’t come from nowhere. If you paid attention to what people felt, wanted and needed, not to twitter but actual real life people, you wouldn’t say brexit came from nowhere.
There is no public interest whatsoever in rolling back abortions rights in this country. We just extended them. There has always been the appetite for it in the US.

I absolutely agree we should always keep an eye on abortion rights and all women’s rights, but her appointment has made absolutely no difference to our rights and I have no reason, based on her own words, to think it would. The scaremongering over it is just that.

Just because someone is anti-TRA does not mean they are pro women. Any Minister who votes to deny women access to abortions is anti-women.