Prohibiting Sex-Selective Abortions

This policy proposes a clear legal ban on abortions performed solely on the basis of the unborn child’s sex. Sex-selective abortion represents a form of gender discrimination that undermines women’s equality and devalues female life before birth. The practice, while difficult to quantify, has been documented in certain communities and is linked to cultural preferences for sons. By criminalising sex-selective abortion, strengthening clinical oversight, and promoting gender equality, the UK can reaffirm its ommitment to women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).