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Women who fall pregnant after being raped will be denied child tax credit unless they fill in an 8-page government form, it was revealed today.

Changes to the benefit, limiting it to the first two children, came into force this morning.

In what has been dubbed the “rape clause”, children conceived without consent are exempt from the limit - but only if they prove it.

The move has been described as "immoral" and "unworkable" by the SNP's Alison Thewliss.

And Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Debbie Abrahams called on Theresa May to scrap it.

The exception was slipped through parliament without a vote, and details were published during Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony.

But the Department for Work and Pensions defended the form, which asks victims to provide "evidence" they've been raped.

The form, published today by HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions, requires women to sign a legal declaration confirming their child was conceived without consent, and that they are not living with the child’s other parent.

On top of that, mothers must provide supporting evidence - a declaration from a doctor, social worker or healthcare professional from a Sexual Support Referral Centre.

The form reads: “This is to give us the evidence we need to support you further.”

Victims are required to sign a declaration reading: "I believe the non-consensual conception exemption applies to my child".

They must fill in the child's name and sign again to confirm they are not living with the child's other parent.

SNP MP Alison Thewliss has been campaigning against the ‘rape clause’, which she described as “scandalous”.

Launching a poster campaign in opposition to the clause today, she said: "From today, women will need to prove that their child was conceived as a result of rape - just in order to claim tax credits. It is one of the most appalling, disgraceful and demeaning policies ever to emanate from Whitehall and should never have seen the light of day, let alone the statute books.

"At every turn, Ministers have tried to quietly implement this policy under the radar, knowing how unworkable and immoral it is.

"It is scandalous that this policy was railroaded through parliament without a vote or debate and it's simply not good enough that the Government has promised MPs an opportunity to consider this when Parliament returns after Easter. The reality is, this policy is now in force and it is going to cause untold distress and harm to vulnerable women.

"The rape clause and two child policy is in utter chaos - with no guidance or training having been provided to the public service workers who will now be arbitrating on the credibility of a woman's claim to have conceived as a result of rape. We are not letting this sail through without a fight."

Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions secretary Debbie Abrahams said: "“I have called on the Prime Minister to scrap this inhumane policy, which will have a devastating impact upon many families on the lowest incomes in our society.

“The so-called ‘rape clause’ and the DWP’s recently issued form, to prove their third child was conceived without consent, is a wholly unacceptable extension of the Department’s remit into deeply sensitive areas of women’s lives.

"Having spoken to survivors of rape about the trauma of disclosing attacks upon them I have little confidence in the Government’s competence when approaching this highly sensitive issue.

"More so when viewed in the context of the punitive DWP culture fostered by this Government.”

The Department for Work and Pensions defended the form.

A spokesperson said: "This exception is crucial to protect women who are faced with very difficult circumstances.

“This reform ensures people on benefits have to make the same choices as those supporting themselves solely through work. But we have always been clear this it will be delivered in the most effective, compassionate way, with the right exceptions and safeguards are in place.”

“The policy was debated, and voted on, in Parliament, and the exceptions were consulted on widely”

While the two-child limit was debated and voted on in parliament, the 'rape clause' was not.

The detail of the policy was amended to an existing law last month, meaning it was allowed to slip through parliament without a vote.

The consultation document for the detail of the rape exception was published on the day of Donald Trump's inauguration in January, despite the consultation having ended in November.