Regardless of the merits of Nadine Dorries’ attempt to re-open the abortion debate, consider this depressing-but-revealing part of Zoe Williams’ critique:
Emphasis added. So there we have it: another reminder that the NHS has become a kind of left-wing secular religion. If there are ideologues in this debate, they are the people who elevate a mere, if important, government-run service to sacred status, holy and perfect and never, ever to be modernised or reformed.There are two main problems with Nadine Dorries’s amendment to the health and social care bill: the first is that it looks innocuous. Who could object to independent counselling for women seeking abortions? It sounds so generous and caring, like getting free dental work when you’re pregnant. The second problem is that any discussion of the abortion amendment risks drawing fire away from the rest of the bill, which desecrates the NHS. There is no answer to that, apart from to carry on protesting against the whole thing.
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