In a landmark decision, the UK Parliament has voted to decriminalise abortion, marking a significant step towards modernising reproductive rights in the 21st century. The initial approval of an amendment to abolish the 19th-century abortion law in Britain passed with a substantial majority of 379 votes to 137. This historic vote paves the way to repeal legislation that criminalised abortion, particularly after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
For nearly 60 years, abortion has been legally permitted in England and Wales up to 24 weeks, requiring the approval of two doctors. However, an archaic Victorian-era law, dating back to 1861, has remained in effect, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for women who terminate pregnancies beyond this limit or without proper medical authorization. While criminal convictions for breaking this law have historically been rare, the number of prosecutions has seen an increase following the COVID-19 pandemic, when changes in regulations allowed abortion pills to be taken at home for pregnancies up to 10 weeks.
The amendment, part of a broader criminal justice bill, seeks to remove the threat of police investigation and prosecution for women who end their own pregnancies. Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who championed the amendment, highlighted that the outdated law had led to investigations against approximately 100 women in the last five years, including those who had experienced premature births or were coerced into abortions. “Each one of these cases is a travesty enabled by our outdated abortion law. This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end,” Antoniazzi stated in Parliament.
While the vote decriminalises a woman’s act of terminating her own pregnancy, it is important to note that medical professionals who assist in abortions outside the established legal framework could still face prosecution. The proposal will now proceed through both the House of Commons and the unelected House of Lords for final approval, where it could still be subject to further alteration or even rejection. Nevertheless, this vote is widely hailed by women’s rights advocates as a crucial advancement, bringing England and Wales in line with more progressive abortion laws seen in countries like France, Canada, and Australia.
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