Blair in abortion row
Tony Blair is at the centre of a debate over abortion today as he launches another bid to appeal to women voters.
It comes after Tory leader Michael Howard called for abortions to be banned 20 weeks into a pregnancy, rather than 24 weeks, because the current law amounted to "abortion on demand".
But the Prime Minister said that tightening the law would "criminalise" women.
He said: "However much I dislike the idea of abortion, you should not criminalise a woman who, in very difficult circumstances, makes that choice.
"Obviously, there is a time beyond which you can't have an abortion and we have no plans to change that, although the debate will continue." Mr Blair's comments on abortion in an interview with Cosmopolitan came after he received a rough ride from women in a TV audience.
He was attacked over everything from Iraq to hospital cleanliness, while a new opinion poll showed that more women wanted Gordon Brown to be prime minister.
Mr Blair's remarks on abortion were seen as part of a drive to win the backing of female voters, who switch their party allegiance more easily than men.
But the Tories believe that in trying to appeal to younger women's right to choose, he has once again misjudged the mood of older women who are more likely to vote.
Research shows that older women, particularly those who have children-back a tightening of the law. In the same issue of the magazine, Mr Howard says: "I believe abortion should be available to everyone but the law should be changed.
"In the past I voted for a restriction to 22 weeks and I would be prepared to go down to 20."
The number of abortions has soared in recent years. Shadow home secretary David Davis confirmed-that a Tory government would give any MP proposing the change the parliamentary time they needed.
There may be good reasons but there was also "the prospect of real cruelty to the foetuses, to the children involved," Mr Davis said.
"We are talking 24 weeks here. It is an enormous length of time."
Only 0.6 per cent of abortions are carried out between 22 and 24 weeks and family planning campaigners warn teenagers would be particularly hit by any tightening of the law.
The Tories have left Labour looking flat-footed in recent weeks as they highlighted women's individual issues .
