US EditionUK parliament votes to decriminalise abortion, repeal Victorian-era law
- On Tuesday evening, MPs voted 379 to 137 to pass an amendment decriminalising abortion at any gestation in England and Wales.
- This vote followed growing concern about prosecutions of women for ending pregnancies outside the 1967 Abortion Act's provisions and calls for law reform.
- The amendment, introduced by Welsh Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, ensures women cannot face prosecution while maintaining the 24-week legal abortion limit and doctor approvals.
- Antoniazzi said the change removes women from criminal justice but does not alter abortion service rules, and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood opposed the amendment as unnecessary.
- The amendment marks the most significant reform to reproductive rights since 1967 and still requires the Crime and Policing Bill to complete parliamentary stages before enactment.
162 Articles
162 Articles
On 17 June, British MPs abolished criminal proceedings against women who resorted to an out-of-time termination of pregnancy, which will be valid in England and Wales, and was approved by a large majority in the House of Commons with 379 votes in favour and 137 against. It was supported by some 50 organisations, including the main BMA doctor's union, women's rights associations and abortion clinics.
Similar to Germany, abortions in England and Wales are possible, but in principle punishable. Now, however, the British Parliament is voting in favour of decriminalization - abortions will be legal in the future. Similar plans have always failed in the German Bundestag.
The British Parliament has introduced a legislative amendment to decriminalize abortions.
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