Pro-life groups say it is good news that Rishi Sunak has called a snap General Election for 4 July as it means that the Criminal Justice Bill and extreme abortion amendments tabled by MPs are "very unlikely to survive". 

Following Wednesday's announcement, Parliament will be soon be dissolved, meaning that dozens of Bills will be unable to proceed any further this side of the election. 

It is possible for Bills to be fast-tracked through Parliament before it is dissolved for a general election, but this requires agreement. 

Commenting on the news, Alithea Williams, public policy manager at the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), said it was "almost certain" that the Criminal Justice Bill and extreme abortion proposals tabled by Diana Johnson and Stella Creasy would not proceed.

"A big, contentious bill like the Criminal Justice Bill is very unlikely to survive such a process. It is even more unlikely that controversial amendments, such as those relating to abortion, will be passed before Parliament dissolves," she said. 

Amendments by Diana Johnson and Stella Creasy called for the decriminalisation of abortion. 

Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right To Life UK, said that even if the Criminal Justice Bill were to be fast-tracked before Parliament is dissolved, it is highly unlikely that the final draft would include controversial amendments that have not yet been considered. 

"This means that the two extreme abortion up to birth amendments tabled by Diana Johnson and Stella Creasy will now not pass and these extreme changes to our abortion laws will not become law," she said. 

"If these amendments had passed in the House of Commons, they would have ushered in the largest change to abortion legislation since 1967 - this would have likely led to the loss of many more lives to abortion." 

She added, "The pro-abortion amendments, had they become law, would have likely resulted in many more lives being lost to abortion.

"These lives have been saved by this major victory."