London
CNN
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British lawmakers voted on Tuesday to decriminalize abortion among pregnant women.
Lawmakers vote by the overwhelming majority, allowing women to be prosecuted to end pregnancies in England and Wales, but medical professionals who help end pregnancy beyond certain limits are still breaking the law.
Currently, abortions beyond the first 24 weeks of pregnancy are illegal in these two parts of the UK. It is permitted in certain circumstances, such as when the mother’s life is at risk, exceeding that time limit. Abortions are common in England and Wales, but women who end their pregnancy outside of existing restrictions face the threat of criminal investigations, arrests, prosecutors and even imprisonment.
Tuesday’s vote – amending the draft police and crime law – is trying to remove these threats. The amended bill must pass both rooms in the UK Parliament before it becomes law.
The majority of British people believe women should have abortion rights, according to a YouGov survey dating back to 2019. The latest poll in April showed that 88% of respondents support that right.
The UK vote is because transatlantic allies dramatically limit their abortion rights. The US Supreme Court will Roev in 2022. Because they overturned Wade and promoted abortion as a constitutional right, many US states have introduced serious or complete bans on practices. This change completely ruined the reproductive health and choice landscape in America.
Louise McCudden, UK Foreign Secretary, heads MSI Reproductive Choices, a charity providing abortions, and believes there is a link between Tuesday’s vote and the “hostile climate” to UK abortion rights driven by US change.
McCudden told CNN that there is “an increase in activity from external (MSI) clinics” that they feel “encouraged” by the crackdown on abortion rights across the pond.
“The rare opportunity to see women suspected of ending their pregnancy over 24 weeks has always been in a very vulnerable situation,” she said. The women investigated in the UK said that survivors of domestic abuse, potential human trafficking survivors, and women who suffered miscarriage and died.
However, the Union of Fetal Protection strongly condemned the vote on Tuesday.
“If this clause becomes law, women aborting a baby at any point during pregnancy, even at prenatal moments, have committed no criminal offence,” Arithea Williams, the association’s public policy manager, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Now, even the very limited protection given by the law is stripped of,” she added.
