THE TORY two-child limit on benefits was a "significant factor" in many women’s decisions to have an abortion, according to a stark new report.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) said over half of the women it surveyed said the policy was “important in their decision-making around whether or not to continue the pregnancy”.
Some women told the group that the precarious economy and the benefit cap left them with little choice but to terminate their pregnancy.
One mother told BPAS: “The two-child cap forces people into a corner of knowing they can’t provide versus abortion. Although I understand it is not the government’s responsibility to be financially responsible for parents having children, I also felt that thanks to this rule I was forced to make this decision.”
Another mother said: “If there was no two-child limit, I would have kept the baby, but I couldn’t afford to feed and clothe it … I’ve really struggled to come to terms with my decision.”
One women told the group: “I am so anxious about the future of my job and my husband’s job. We can afford a third child now, but I don't know if we would still be in this position in nine months’ time.”
“I did something I never imagined I would ever do ... But at the back of my mind all I kept thinking is how would I have managed financially … I had to do this,” said another.
The two-child limit on benefits was introduced by former chancellor George Osborne in a bid to cut the welfare bill by £1bn.
The policy restricts parents from accessing tax credits or Universal Credit for more than two children, unless one of their children is a result of non-consensual sex.
SNP MP Alison Thewliss, who has long campaigned against the cap, has referred to the rape clause as “one of the most inhumane and barbaric policies ever to emanate from Whitehall”.
According to official statistics, 243,000 families had been affected by the two-child limit in the three years to April 2020. 900 women have been able to apply for a rape-clause exemption.
BPAS surveyed 240 women with two or more existing children who had ended a pregnancy since March. Of these, 59% said they were aware of the two-child policy prior to termination. Of those in receipt of universal credit or tax credits and likely to be affected, 57% said the policy helped them decide whether to have a baby.
Katherine O’Brien, BPAS associate director of campaigns called for the two-child limit to be scrapped.
"Our research provides clear evidence that the combination of the Covid-19 pandemic together with the two-child limit is a significant factor in many women’s decision to end a pregnancy. Given the scale of predicted job losses and long-term economic forecasts, we anticipate that the numbers of women in this incredibly difficult position will only increase.
“The two-child limit policy assumes that couples are able to use contraception to neatly plan pregnancies, and that they are also able to plan their financial circumstances for the 18 years following the birth of their child. Even prior to the pandemic, this was far from the case.
"However, the Covid-19 crisis means that more families will face unforeseeable and sudden financial hardship. It is harder for parents to plan their financial future, and it is also harder to access contraception to prevent pregnancy.
“When the policy was introduced in 2017, no-one could have predicted the impact it would be having on families in 2020. As ministers repeatedly state, these are truly unprecedented times that require unprecedented measures.
"If the Government does not want to see more women feeling forced into a corner between financial hardship or ending an otherwise wanted pregnancy, they must revoke the two-child limit as a matter of urgency.”
Thewliss said: “My thoughts on this wicked policy have not changed over time – the two-child limit, and the rape clause which stands part of it, are cruel and must be scrapped. This research makes clear that the two-child limit is having an irrefutable influence on women’s decisions to end pregnancies due to financial pressures.
“I pay tribute to the work of the British Pregnancy Advice Service. Their report and evidence paints a bleak picture of how draconian policies such as the two-child limit and rape clause, dreamt up by this Tory government, are causing real pain and suffering for women and families across the UK.
“It is beyond belief that the UK Government remain wedded to these measures, which in many cases force women into an impossible choice between serious financial difficulty, or terminating a pregnancy. This is a decision that no woman should ever have to make.”
She added: “Tory Mmnisters must recognise the impact their two-child limit is having on people’s decisions on whether they should or should not have more children. The two-child policy is malevolent, it has no place in modern society, and it has to go now”.
A DWP spokesperson said: “We know this is an uncertain time for families which is why we have taken unprecedented steps to support incomes and help with living costs. The support available through the welfare safety net reflects the fact that the majority of households in Britain (85%) have two or fewer children.”
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