Ministers press on with controversial abortion changes The Government had indicated support for the amendment, tabled by Nadine Dorries, a backbench Conservative MP, but days before the vote, Downing Street said David Cameron said he would not back it. The Liberal Democrats took credit for the apparent change of stance, with party sources saying Nick Clegg, their leader, had "made plain" his opposition. However, since then, Anne Milton, the health minister, has been working with DoH civil servants behind the scenes on plans to dramatically alter the system. Draft proposals will set out three options. The most radical change would see abortion clinics, such as those run by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) and Marie Stopes International, barred from providing counselling, and under a legal duty to refer women seeking it to an independent service - as had been laid out in Mrs Dorries' amendment. An second option is for a system of "voluntary registration." This would would mean any organisation offering counselling to women with a crisis pregnancy would have to meet minimum standards, and only use appropriately-trained counsellors. A cross-party group of 10 MPs which has held secret talks over the proposals has become deeply divided about whether organisations running such servicse should be required to declare any ethical stance - such as holding pro-life beliefs. If that demand is made, some pro-life campaigners are likely to argue that abortion clinics would have to declare a financial interest in carrying out terminations. A third option, to retain the current, is also detailed in the DoH policy paper, despite acknowledgement that it would mean a "postcode lottery" remained in the standard of care. Ministers are braced for fierce debate over the proposals, which are due to form a Department of Health consultation, likely to begin next month. It follows a decision on Friday by advertising watchdogs to allow commercial abortion clinics to promote their services on television and radio. The plans have been met with fury by pro-life campaigners, who say the move trivialises human life, putting the choice to terminate a pregnancy on a par with "buying toothpaste or breakfast cereal." Until now, only non-profit making clinics have been allowed to advertise their services on TV and radio, with Marie Stopes International the only charity to run a television advert in Britain, attracting more than 4,500 complaints when it ran in 2010. More than 200,000 abortions are carried out a year in Britain, with the majority taking place in private clinics, whose services are funded by the NHS. Pro-life campaigners believe the introduction of independent counselling to give women "breathing space" could reduce the number of abortions by one third. In England, taxpayers spent £118 million on abortions in 2010, of which £75 million went to private clinics. Mrs Dorries, who is on the cross-party group of MPs, said that the position reached was "an absolute victory for women" and that independent counselling would mean more support for the most vulnerable. The MP said: "For the past fifty years, well educated, articulate women have known exactly what they want. They have accessed abortion, and been supported by friends and family - and for those women this will mean no change. For thousands of vulnerable women, the abortion decision is taken when overwhelming practical pressure meets emotional turmoil and this is why the offer of independent counselling is so important - as it is this group of women who will probably accept it. Frank Field, the Labour MP, who is also on the group, said he was keen to see a clear division made between services which carry out terminations, and those counselling women with crisis pregnancies. He said: "There is no other sphere of life in which we accept that the same people giving advice are those selling the product. We don't do it with pensions, I cannot see how it is acceptable to do it with abortions. In August, The Sunday Telegraph disclosed the Government's plans to consult on independent counselling for women contemplating abortion, just ahead of a Commons vote on an amendment by Mrs Dorries. Initially, the Government indicated support for the MP's proposal - but this was withdrawn the week before the vote, following a backlash from pro-choice campaigners, abortion clinics, and Liberal Democrats, including Mr Clegg. Although votes on abortion are always treated as a matter of individual conscience, and subject to a free vote, pressure was then heaped on all Coaltion MPs to follow their leaders. In an unprecedented step, Mrs Milton wrote to them just days before the free vote, advising them that no health minister would back the amendment. The vote on the amendment was lost by 118 votes to 368. Ann Furedi, chief executive of BPAS, said she was "appalled" to hear about the options which had been drawn up, and stated that she had been given repeated assurances from DoH officials that abortion clinics would not be barred from providing counselling services. She said: "The point is that you cannot parcel out counselling; it needs to be something that is on offer at any stage when a woman considering ending or continuing a pregnancy might want it. My concern is that this whole situation has been politically driven, and that the consequences could be hugely damaging to the service which is provided to women. A spokesman for the DoH said: "Work is under way to develop proposals so women can access independent counselling but no decisions have yet been taken. It's crucial that women considering an abortion get the best advice and support available so they can make the right decision for them. We will consult on this publicly later this year.