The British Parliament, on Tuesday, voted in favour of decriminalising abortion in England and Wales. The vote followed growing concern over a rise in criminal investigations targeting women who terminate pregnancies, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic expanded access to abortion pills at home.
The amendment passed 379-137. The House of Commons will now need to pass the crime bill, which is expected, before it goes to the House of Lords, where it can be delayed but not blocked.
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The amendment would repeal parts of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, which originally made abortion a crime punishable by life in prison. A 1967 law legalised abortion under certain conditions, but it left the old criminal provisions in place.
Under current law, doctors can legally carry out abortions in England, Scotland, and Wales for up to 24 weeks and beyond under special circumstances, such as when the life of the mother is in danger. Women can also take medication at home to terminate their pregnancies under 10 weeks.
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who proposed the amendment, told Parliament that outdated abortion laws had led to investigations into more than 100 women over the last five years, including cases involving premature births or forced abortions by abusive partners. “This is not justice; it is cruelty—and it has got to end,” Antoniazzi said.
The amendment’s opponents contended that the rushed change could result in abortions occurring later in pregnancy without proper oversight. Rebecca Paul, a Conservative MP, cautioned that the amendment could permit the abortion of “fully developed babies up to term” without any repercussions.
From 1861 to 2022, only three women were convicted of illegal abortions in Britain, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. However, recent years have seen a rise in cases, with six women charged since 2022 and one imprisoned.
A widely publicised case involved Nicola Packer, who was acquitted earlier this year after taking prescribed abortion medication at around 26 weeks. The trial followed a four-year police investigation.
