PROPOSALS to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales have been put forward.
Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill which aim to ensure women cannot be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy at any stage are likely to be debated by MPs on Tuesday.
UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has come out against the two amendments, put forward by members of her party, saying they are “unnecessary” and “dangerous”.
Abortion remains a criminal offence in England and Wales but is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother’s life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability.
There is no specific piece of legislation criminalising abortion in Scotland, according to the Humanist Society Scotland, with the practice being criminalised in common law.
This reflects a historically “more lenient approach” to the crime of abortion in Scotland, the group added.
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi’s amendment, which has wide support from MPs, would result in “removing the threat of investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment” of any woman who acts in relation to her own pregnancy.
She said she had been moved to advocate for a change in the law having seen women investigated by police over suspected illegal abortions.
The issue has come to the fore in recent times with prominent cases such as those of Nicola Packer (below) and Carla Foster.
Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks for taking such medication at home.
Foster was jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant though eventually saw her sentence reduced and suspended.
Antoniazzi said police had investigated more than 100 women for suspected illegal abortion in the past five years “including women who’ve suffered natural miscarriages and stillbirths”.
She added: “This is just wrong. It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money, it’s a waste of the judiciary’s time, and it’s not in the public interest.”
A separate amendment has also been put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy and goes further by not only decriminalising abortion, but also seeks to “lock in” the right of someone to have one and protect those who help them.
Mahmood (above) set out her objections to changing the law in a letter to her constituents in Birmingham Ladywood.
The UK Government has previously said it is officially neutral on decriminalising abortion and that it is up to Parliament to decide.
Mahmood, who will not be present for Tuesday’s vote because she is away on Government business, said: “It is hard to see these measures as anything other than extreme.
“I can unequivocally state that I would have voted against both amendments were I able to be there, and I will vote against them if given the opportunity in the future.
“I oppose extending abortions up until the point of birth beyond the exemptions that currently exist, as doing so would not only be unnecessary but dangerous.
“I am deeply concerned to see these measures being progressed in the name of women’s rights, when the potential physical and mental impacts on women would be so devastating.”
