Ministers in new row over abortion ruling Once the department has received a response from Mr Grieve, the chief medical officer will provide "further clear advice and guidance to doctors to avoid these events occurring again," according to a letter written by Anna Soubry. Miss Soubry was the public health minister until Monday, when she moved to the Ministry of Defence in the reshuffle. The department is also working with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to "ensure that all clinicians fully understand the legal requirements" when carrying out abortions. The General Medical Council is also considering what action it could take after The Daily Telegraph's investigation into sex-selective abortion. The issue will be debated at Westminster on Wednesday. Dozens of MPs have criticised the medical establishment for seeking to redefine abortion laws. Undercover footage published by The Telegraph in February 2012 shows a doctor in Manchester offering to terminate a foetus because of its gender David Burrowes, the MP for Enfield Southgate, who called for the debate, said he was concerned about the current abortion laws. "The DPP's [Director of Public Prosecutions] decision makes it very unlikely that anyone could be prosecuted for an abortion-related crime," he said. The CPS decided it would not be in "the public interest" to prosecute the two doctors. Mr Starmer published his analysis after serious questions were raised about the CPS's approach to the inquiry. A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "We have asked the regulators to look at the guidance for clinicians in light of the DPP's letter." The current BMA advice states: "The association believes that it is normally unethical to terminate a pregnancy on the grounds of foetal sex alone, except in cases of severe sex-linked disorders." But it adds that a pregnant woman's views about the "effect of the sex of the foetus on her situation and on her existing children should nevertheless be carefully considered." Mr Starmer said this guidance meant that if a woman said she would be seriously affected by giving birth to a girl, it would "provide legal and ethical justification for a termination." The Rt Rev James Newcome, the Bishop of Carlisle, said he was concerned that Mr Starmer's decision "might be interpreted as legitimising this practice" and it was important that the law was clarified to ensure "the sex of a child is never considered to constitute grounds for an abortion."