Put folic acid in flour to cut defects like spina bifida, abortion provider urges

Britain’s biggest abortion provider is urging the Government to fortify flour with folic acid to cut the number of babies developing defects such as spina bifida.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) said it was time recommendations to fortify flour with the vitamin were implemented to reduce neural tube defects, which it said can lead to the “difficult decision” to choose abortion.

Spina bifida is caused by a fault in the development of the spine and spinal cord, which leaves a gap in the spine. There are a number of different types of spina bifida, the most serious being myelomeningocele (which affects one pregnancy in every 1,000 in Britain).

Anencephaly is a neural tube defect caused by the bones of the skull not forming properly.

This results in severe damage to the baby’s brain when it is developing.

Anencephaly occurs in about one to six of every 1,000 pregnancies.

The baby cannot survive after birth for more than a few  hours.

In the UK, women are advised to take folic acid supplements before conception and for the first three months of pregnancy to cut the risk of neural tube defects.

But Bpas said almost half of pregnancies are unplanned, meaning many women do not manage to take the supplement in time.

In May 2007, the Food Standards Agency agreed that fortifying flour with folic acid should be mandatory following recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

The SACN estimated there were between 700 and 900 pregnancies affected by neural  tube defects every year in the  UK.

Health Ministers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are now reported to be considering their current  position on the recommendations.