The House of Lords is due to put forward legislation which could decriminalise abortion for women seeking a termination outside of the legal framework. Last year, MPs voted in favour of changes to the law to ensure that women could not be prosecuted for terminations in relation to their own pregnancies.
The relevant law would be included in the Crime and Policing Bill. The amendments being considered include the prohibition of investigations and criminal proceedings being brought or continued under any offence related to abortion where a woman is acting in relation to her own pregnancy. Circumstances can include the use of abortion pills obtained online, termination after the 24-week limit, and ending a pregnancy without the required signatures of two doctors. It has also been proposed that women who have previously been convicted under abortion law should be pardoned and have their criminal record expunged.
If enacted, this would be a significant landmark as abortion laws have remained unchanged since the introduction of the Abortion Act in 1967. A key driver of these changes is Toni Antoniazzi, a Labour MP, who hopes this reform will ensure protection to vulnerable women. When initially pushing for amendment she stated the new clause is ‘about recognising that these women need care and support not criminalisation’. These reforms aim to reflect modern practices and views while protecting women at risk of harm from invasive and prolonged criminal investigations.
There has been consistent support in the UK for the decriminalisation of abortion following the proposal last year. Deputy Chair of the British Medical Association Ethics Committee, Ed Frew, described this as a ‘significant and long overdue step towards reforming antiquated abortion law in England and Wales’. Kate Ellis, Head of Litigation at Centre for Women’s Justice, also stated that it is ‘high time these outdated, Victorian laws were removed.’
However, there is opposition to the law from some peers with Rosa Monckton proposing a ‘strikethrough amendment’ which would delete the decriminalisation of abortion clause from the Bill.
There is evidence of influence from the US encouraging anti-abortion mindsets and activism in the UK. Driven partly from social media activity, the UK has seen a rise of these groups by around 34% and British branches of US organisations by roughly 46%.
Votes on the proposed amendments will be taken on Wednesday. The Bill should finish its passage through Parliament in the next few weeks.
