Thérèse Coffey, was named Britain’s new Health Secretary on Tuesday after Liz Truss succeeded Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. While she has an excellent pro-life voting record in parliament she has indicated that she will not use her position to usher in any changes to the law on abortion.
The media and pro-abortion organisations like the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) however were quick to denounce her appointment. BPAS chief executive Clare Murphy said: “To have a health secretary who would place their personal beliefs above expert clinical guidance is deeply concerning.”
Since her election to parliament in 2010, Ms Coffey has voted for pro-life positions on 10 separate occasions. She voted against the imposition of abortion on Northern Ireland and was the primary sponsor of a motion in parliament to provide information to women prior to abortion on the possible mental health risks of an induced abortion. She also voted in favor of introducing independent abortion counselling services that would ban abortion providers from engaging in counselling women before an abortion.
Whenever politicians assume more powerful positions in parliament or government, it is regrettable that many cave to the pressures that come with their new job and abandon the principled stances they held on issues like abortion. Let’s hope and pray that Thérèse Coffey will withstand these pressures and stick to her principles when important decisions about life and death and the right to life are being made during her tenure in office.