During my tenure as a Member of Parliament, I made two attempts to reduce the legal time frame for abortions in the United Kingdom, advocating for a decrease from 24 weeks to 20 weeks. Each instance proved to be a harrowing ordeal as the issue is fiercely divisive.

Ideally, I would have liked to push for an even lower limit of 12 weeks, similar to the restrictions implemented in France and other European nations. However, being pragmatic, I realized that such a proposal stood little chance of even being debated, much less approved.

The topic remains contentious, as evidenced this summer when some Labour MPs pushed to decriminalize abortion, with some government supporters leaning towards sanctioning terminations up to the moment of birth.

My strong stance on this matter is deeply influenced by my background in nursing. I vividly recall an incident where a baby boy, aborted yet still alive, briefly breathed before passing away. This occurred when the UK’s abortion laws were more permissive, allowing procedures up to 28 weeks. The memory of that day continues to haunt me.

As was made clear this summer – when some Labour MPs campaigned to decriminalise abortion – a number of government supporters want, effectively, to legalise terminations right up to the point of birth itself.

My own, passionate, views on the subject are coloured by my time as a nurse, when I saw an aborted baby boy emerge still alive, breathe for a short while then pass away. That was at a time when abortion rules in the UK were even more liberal than now, and abortions were allowed until 28 weeks’ gestation. The experience has scarred me.

So, imagine my horror when, at the weekend, The Mail on Sunday revealed that the Scottish parliament – run by the Scottish National Party (SNP) – is considering a change the law which would allow abortions for any reason whatsoever, including for the purpose of ensuring that only children of the ‘right’ sex are born. No rational person could doubt that if sex-selective abortion were legalised – which is what the Scottish proposals would allow – it is the lives of baby girls that would be ended.

Some prospective mothers might volunteer for this, particularly those from cultures where male babies are held to be more valuable. Others might be coerced into ending the pregnancy.

The process of foeticide, now recommended in the UK for late-stage abortions after 21 weeks, is harrowing, writes Nadine Dorries

When I was an MP, my constituency included part of Luton, a town where a large proportion of the population has south Asian roots. My constituents included women who spent most of their lives indoors, did not speak English and who were so restricted in their freedoms, they even had to ask permission of a male relative to see the doctor.

In my opinion, they were isolated, vulnerable and would be the first victims if such a measure became law. But the Left cares little about these voiceless women.

If the SNP government follows the recommendation of its advisers on the issue – who include former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf – it would be a dangerous and profoundly retrograde step for Scotland. The reverberations, moreover, would be felt around Britain.

It appears that there is nothing that gets Westminster’s Labour MPs more excited than ending life, whether through assisted dying or late-stage termination.

They have a huge majority so I expect to see abortion up to the point of birth become a reality in the UK before this government is finally done.

Surely, you might think, there are members on all sides of the House who will refuse, as a matter of conscience, to support such a barbaric proposal. Surely, they will be given a choice on the matter, a free vote?

Don’t believe it for a moment. When the Commons debated my attempt to reduce the upper limit in 2008, male Labour MPs told me they had been bullied into voting against. Female Labour MPs had linked arms and blocked their path to the Yes lobby, chanting ‘No, no, no.’

A number of government supporters want, effectively, to legalise terminations right up to the point of birth itself, writes Nadine Dorries

Why do I care so much? Aside from the shocking experience described above, I have seen foeticide take place.

The process, now recommended in the UK for late-stage abortions after 21 weeks, is harrowing: a drug, usually potassium chloride, is injected into the heart of the baby to ensure it is dead before the foetus is dissected and removed or delivered from the womb.

Foeticide is a process you will never see shown on television, but thanks to a medical whistleblower I have watched a scan filmed at a British clinic.

As the cannula (preceding the injection) was inserted into the womb – which should be the safest place on Earth for any foetus – the baby arched its back as if in panic and trying to escape.

Then I saw its tiny arms and legs flail outwards as the needle entered its beating heart. That’s the point at which, if you have a heart yourself, it breaks. I could barely see through the tears.

This is how later-stage abortions take place today, to prevent what I saw as a young nurse – an aborted baby being born alive. If those Labour MPs who want to introduce abortion up to the point of birth get their way – and I honestly believe they will –foeticide will be even more widespread.

And that’s why the changes now under consideration in Scotland are so important. They tell you all you need to know about the SNP.

But they also provide dangerous cover for the extreme pro-abortion lobby in London.

Assisted dying is just the start with this Labour government. There is worse to come.