In a landmark decision, Members of Parliament have voted to change abortion legislation to stop women in England and Wales being prosecuted for ending their pregnancy. The landslide vote to decriminalize the procedure is the biggest change of abortion laws in England and Wales for nearly 60 years.
The amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, put forward by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, was passed by a majority of 242 votes. Under the new law, women who terminate their pregnancy outside the rules, for example after 24 weeks, will no longer be at risk of being investigated by police. However, the law will still penalize anyone who assists a woman, including medical professionals, in getting an abortion outside the current legal framework.
The current law in England and Wales states that abortion is illegal but allowed up to the first 24 weeks of pregnancy and beyond that in certain circumstances, such as if the woman’s life is in danger. Women can also take medication at home to terminate their pregnancies under 10 weeks. Antoniazzi highlighted a series of cases where women had been arrested for illegal abortion offenses, including Nicola Packer, who was taken from hospital to a police cell after delivering a stillborn baby at home after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant.
Antoniazzi urged MPs to support her amendment to recognize “these women need care and support, and not criminalization.” She said, “Each one of these cases is a travesty, enabled by our outdated abortion law. Originally passed by an all-male parliament elected by men alone, this Victorian law is increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls.”
The amendment won the support of 379 MPs, with 137 against. The new clause will not change any law regarding the provision of abortion services within a healthcare setting, including but not limited to the time limit, telemedicine, the grounds for abortion, or the requirement for two doctors’ approval. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and other medical organizations welcomed the decision, saying it was a victory for women’s rights and autonomy.
However, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) said it was “horrified” by the vote, arguing that the law would strip away protection for unborn babies. The amendment still needs to complete its legislative journey through both the Commons and the Lords before it can become law.
Campaigners, including the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), have been pushing for the change since 2016. BPAS chief executive Heidi Stewart said, “This is a landmark moment for women’s rights in this country and the most significant change to our abortion law since the 1967 Abortion Act was passed.”
