UK Lawmakers Vote to Decriminalise Abortion for Women

The United Kingdom’s House of Commons has passed a pivotal amendment to decriminalise abortion for women in England and Wales, marking a significant shift in reproductive rights legislation.

The amendment, sponsored by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, received overwhelming support, passing by a majority of 242 votes. If enacted into law, it will ensure that no woman in England or Wales faces criminal prosecution for terminating her own pregnancy—regardless of circumstances or gestational age.

Under current legislation, abortion remains a criminal offence under the Victorian-era Offences Against the Person Act of 1861, carrying a theoretical maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The Abortion Act of 1967 legalised abortion under certain conditions, requiring the approval of two doctors and restricting terminations to before 24 weeks, except in cases involving serious risk to the mother’s health or severe fetal abnormality.

Antoniazzi, speaking to AFP, said, “Women are currently being arrested from hospital bed to police cell and facing criminal investigations on suspicion of ending their own pregnancy. My amendment would put a stop to this. It is the right amendment at the right time.”

The push to decriminalise abortion gained urgency following high-profile legal cases. In one instance, a woman was acquitted after taking prescribed abortion pills beyond the legal 10-week limit. Another woman, Carla Foster, was jailed in 2023 for terminating a pregnancy between 32 and 34 weeks using abortion tablets; her sentence was later suspended by the Court of Appeal.

Between 2020 and 2025, over 100 women in the UK have reportedly been investigated by police for suspected illegal abortions, including cases of miscarriages and stillbirths, according to Antoniazzi.

Critics of the amendment, including the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, have labelled the move as “the greatest threat to unborn babies in decades.” Nonetheless, more than 50 organisations—including abortion providers, women’s rights groups, and medical associations—have backed the amendment.

While the amendment protects women from prosecution, it does not alter existing restrictions on abortion provision or time limits. Medical professionals who assist with unlawful abortions will still be subject to criminal liability.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the outcome, stating that “women have the right to a safe and legal abortion.” The proposed change must still pass through further readings in Parliament and receive approval from the House of Lords before becoming law.

Abortion has already been decriminalised in Northern Ireland since 2019, and Scotland is currently undergoing a review of its abortion laws. The latest vote signals a potential turning point for reproductive justice in the rest of the UK.