Parliament to debate “medieval” rape clause policy

SNP MP, Alison Thewliss, will today (Wednesday 12th October) force the UK Government to turn up to Parliament and account for its medieval rape clause and pernicious two child policy, which would limit tax credit payments to the first two children in a family.

The campaigning MP has applied for a parliamentary debate to force UK Ministers to come before MPs and account for the plans, which have been condemned by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Speaking in advance of today’s Westminster debate, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“Whilst the campaign to scrap the rape clause has been gathering momentum, endless unanswered questions about this medieval policy have been piling up in Whitehall.

Since spotting this proposal buried in the 2015 budget, it has been my firm belief that, as well as being fundamentally immoral, this is also completely unworkable.

“I am pleased that today will afford me the opportunity to forensically question Ministers in Parliament and, crucially, on the public record.

“Earlier in the year, I had an utterly woeful private meeting with the Welfare Minister, Lord Freud, who failed to answer very basic questions and, worse still, he suggested that physically and sexually abused women should just ‘flee’ from such situations. This demonstrated a blatant ignorance of the dehumanising nature of domestic and sexual abuse.

“The 2015 budget document suggested that the DWP would develop “protections” for women with more than two children, when that third child was conceived as a result of rape. Despite pressing Lord Freud on this, it was clear the Government don’t really know in practice how such a policy would work.

“For example, would a woman have to prove that she had conceived a child as a result of rape? If so, who would arbitrate on that? Would that information be retained on her DWP files? If so, would all and any DWP staff be able to access that information?

“It was suggested by the Government during the meeting that a letter be issued to survivors of rape which they could keep to prove they were exempt from the two child policy and could be presented as and when required. Does the UK Government genuinely think this is appropriate?

“One question this Government can’t answer is how limiting tax credits to two children per family fits in with its family test for policy. Put simply, this policy is anti-family and will stigmatise children.

“I’ve already had conversations with faith leaders who believe that this policy would directly discriminate families who, for religious reasons, might have larger families.

“There are just far too many unanswered questions and concerns around this policy; the Government wrote to me and confirmed that they still hadn’t figured out the detail of how their plans could be implemented.

“Theresa May’s new Government hasn’t been shy about making policy u-turns and ditching some of David Cameron and George Osborne’s prized policies. The rape clause and two child policy should be next to be thrown onto this new Government’s bonfire and I’m giving Ministers that very opportunity today, when they can come to the chamber and scrap these wicked plans.”

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