Abortion debate heats up in Britain

LONDON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Anti-abortion protesters rallied Saturday outside the Houses of Parliament in London as Britain gears up for another debate on the issue.

The demonstration, marking the 40th anniversary of legalized abortion in the country, was aimed at lowering the time limit for abortions from 24 weeks to a pregnancy to 20 weeks, The BBC reported. It was followed by a service at the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral.

On Friday night, anti-abortion groups kicked off their campaign by projecting the number of abortions performed annually on the side of the Houses of Parliament facing the Thames.

Abortion rights campaigners held a meeting earlier in the week. One of the speakers was movie director Mike Leigh, who showed his film "Vera Drake" about a woman performing illegal abortions.

A report is scheduled to be released next week on changing the abortion law. While anti-abortion groups hope for a shorter time limit, Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said that she saw no need to change.

The report may also recommend doing away with the requirement that women seeking abortions get the signatures of two doctors, at least for terminations in the first trimester.