MPs' voting: How your MP voted on abortion, euthanasia and cloning

Current status

This material is in the process of being revised.

Introduction

This section includes lists of MPs' votes in key divisions on:

abortion (the move to ban abortions after 18 weeks, 24 April 1990)
euthanasia (Doctor Assisted Dying Bill, 10 December 1997)
cloning (Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Research Purposes) Regulations 2001, 19 December 2000).

The tellers, for and against, in each division have been listed among the voting MPs.

When you look at the lists, which are linked-to below, you may wish to open the pages in a new browser window so that you can also have this page (which contains keys to abbreviations and other explanatory information) open.

Links to tables of MPs' votes

Abstention and absence

Official voting records do not distinguish between MPs who are:

present and decide to abstain
away from the Commons chamber at the time of the vote.

Where an MP did not vote we have looked for other information, including records of around 100 relevant parliamentary divisions and motions, letters, interviews and other sources. Where we have been able to form an opinion of the MP's view on abortion, euthanasia or cloning, we have added a letter in brackets.

[F] indicates that we think that the MP is likely to support the pro-life lobby on the general issue.
[X] indicates that we think he or she is more likely to oppose the pro-life lobby than support it on the general issue.

Key to abbreviations used for MPs' votes

*	a vote that may not be typical of the MP's voting on the general issue.
A	abstained or was absent
A[F]	absent or abstained, but in our assessment, supportive of the pro-life lobby on the general issue
A[X]	absent or abstained, but in our assessment, more likely to oppose than support the pro-life lobby on the general issue.
dec	deceased
F	voted with the pro-life lobby
O	not a member of parliament at the time of the vote.
O[F]	not an MP at the time of the vote, but in our assessment, supportive of the pro-life lobby on the general issue.
O[X]	not an MP at the time of the vote, but in our assessment, more likely to oppose than support the pro-life lobby on the general issue.
ret	retired or retiring at the election
S	speaker or deputy-speaker. (MPs in the role of the speaker of the house do not vote.)
X	voted against the pro-life lobby

Key to abbreviations used for parties

Con	Conservative
DUP	Democratic Unionist Party
Ind	independent candidate
Lab	Labour
LDem	Liberal Democrat
PC	Plaid Cymru
R	Respect
SDLP	Social Democratic & Labour Party
SF	Sinn Féin
SNP	Scottish National Party
UKU	UK Unionist Party
UU	Ulster Unionist