Covert Whipping and Nadine Dorries.

I Must admit I am a little late to the comings and goings of this debate but as I understand it – and do correct me if I’m wrong…

Ms Dorries wants to put an amendment to the Health bill regarding abortion.

The amendment is a long the lines of making all independent information, advice and counselling services completely to the NHS. Any private body that supplies advice must not be able to supply the termination.

On the face o f it this is a reasonable measure, it’ll give women more choice and could remove any essence of pressure to receive a termination.

However as Lord Steel pointed out, existing legislation already caters to that as patients have to talk to two doctors before being passed on to the clinic.

As a further back up the Department of Health can close any clinics that receive complaints.

Also another fear is that Religious groups and charities may pressure women into keeping the baby.

The amendment has attracted a lot of attention and mixed reception. Liberals feel that it should be up to the patient to decide what is best for her body without pressure from either clinics or religious groups.

Others, like Doctor Liam Fox, believe there are “Too many abortions” these days  and measures need to be taken. Then there is the pro life debate that I shan’t get into here. Lets just say the debate is very heated.

Now Ms Dorries has launched a rebuke as a letter was sent to MPs urging them not to vote for the amendment that was sent by Health minister Anne Milton. The move is unprecedented according to Ms Dorries and will probably have the affect of convincing some Conservatives who were wavering to vote for her amendment now.

The Prime Minister, although sympathetic to her cause has said that he will not support it.

Who is to blame for this lack of support from Mr Cameron?

Well it has to be Nick Clegg!

Ms Dorries blames Nick and claims he has black mailed the Tory leadership by saying that his MPs won’t vote for the Health bill if the amendment went through.

Nick Clegg has put pressure on the prime minister, the prime minister is putting pressure on MPs

However the BBC reports that sources near to Nick Clegg say that although there have been conversations about it there have been no demands. Indeed this won’t be a party political issue and is down to all MPs to vote by their conscience – indeed if it even comes up, after all there are 1100 amendments and speaker Bercow may not even call it.

This is a very divisive issue and one that is down to the individual and the MPs to decide without pressure from anyone however it also shows that the strains within the coalition between Liberals and Conservatives, for some of the more right wing orientated feel any wavering or “coolness” must be down to our presence in government. As Nick once said;

“The right just horrified at having Liberal Democrats in power.”