U.K. official urges abortion restriction

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LONDON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- British Home Secretary Theresa May has become the third senior cabinet member in recent weeks to call for reducing the time period for legal abortions.

May said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 the government has no plan to change the limit but it is her "personal belief" that the limit should be reduced to 20 weeks into a pregnancy, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

The limit is now 24 weeks.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller said earlier in the week that lowering the legal limit at which pregnancies could be terminated would "reflect the way science has moved on."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for a cut to 12 weeks.

Babies born as early as 24 weeks can now be successfully treated due to advances in medicine.

Prime Minister David Cameron's office has said there are no plans to change the limit, although Cameron said before he was elected that he favored reducing the limit to between 20 or 22 weeks.