The House of Commons in the UK voted on Tuesday to change abortion laws so that women in England and Wales won’t be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy.
Current legislation in England and Wales makes abortion illegal but allows it up to 24 weeks of pregnancy and after that in certain circumstances, such as when the woman’s life is at risk.
The amendment provides for the decriminalisation of abortions performed after 24 weeks of pregnancy, which account for 1% of all terminations in England and Wales.
Under the updated law, women who have had a late-term abortion will not be subject to investigation, arrest or detention.
According to the UK’s largest abortion service, at least 100 women have been investigated for abortion in the last five years, and six of them have been brought to court.
The amendment’s initiator, Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, stressed that punishment for abortion was introduced back in Victorian times.
The impetus for the legislative changes came from the story of Carla Foster, who had an illegal abortion at 32-34 weeks of pregnancy during the coronavirus pandemic and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
From October 2024, a new law came into force in the UK prohibiting opponents of abortion from holding demonstrations within 150 metres of medical facilities where abortion services are available.
