Maria Caulfield, who has also advocated reducing the time limit on abortion, was appointed minister for women by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The Lewes MP was also previously a member of the pro-life all-party caucus and voted against legalizing abortion in Northern Ireland. Charities and women’s rights groups have significantly criticized the appointment. On BBC Two’s Politics Live on Monday, Caulfield raised eyebrows by trying to defend her voting record in neutral zones. He said: “For me, the definition of what constitutes harassment is open to interpretation. This is my concern – [that] someone who wants to, perhaps, comfort someone who is upset or upset could be charged with harassment and could face six months in prison.” Caulfield said that as a minister, she would be bound by the parliamentary vote in favor of buffer zones. She said that in her previous role as health minister she had supported pro-choice policies. Labeling someone as “anti-women” or “anti-choice” based on specific votes was wrong, she argued. He also said that he is entitled to have a personal opinion on these matters. In 2018, when Caulfield was Conservative deputy leader for women, she called for a debate on reducing the 24-week time limit for legal abortions, describing the 1967 Abortion Act as “one of the most liberal abortion laws in the world”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. She urged her colleagues in the House of Commons to be “cautious about further liberalizing the law” on abortion and said the need to get approval from two doctors before terminating a pregnancy protected vulnerable women. Sunak has been accused of failing to represent women in his new cabinet, with around 23% of roles going to women, up from almost a third under Liz Truss.
