In a landmark decision, UK Members of Parliament have voted to end the prosecution of women in England and Wales who terminate their own pregnancies, signaling a pivotal change in the country’s approach to ab0rtion enforcement.
On Tuesday, June 17, MPs passed an amendment introduced by Labour’s Tonia Antoniazzi with a 242-vote majority. While the amendment doesn’t alter existing ab0rtion laws, it guarantees that women themselves can no longer be criminally prosecuted for ending a pregnancy — even if done outside legal parameters.
The move comes amid growing concern over outdated statutes and high-profile cases where women faced jail time for terminating pregnancies beyond the legal limit. Antoniazzi said the amendment “puts a stop” to women being “arrested from hospital bed to police cell.”
Currently, ab0rtion in England and Wales is still technically a crime under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, with legal exceptions carved out by the 1967 Ab0rtion Act. The amendment does not change the need for two doctors’ approval or the 24-week limit, nor does it affect penalties for providers performing illegal ab0rtions.
The proposal now moves to the House of Lords for final approval before becoming law.
