A former MP has told Premier that two potential amendments to abortion legislation have been “tacked on” to an existing bill, in a move she thinks could prove dangerous for scrutiny.
MPs are being offered a free vote on two amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, meaning there will be no party whip on how they vote.
Caroline Ansell, who left the Commons in 2024 and now represents Christian public policy organisation CARE, has concerns about a “major change in legislation” being brought in as “a p.s. to another bill.”
At present, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks. Terminations beyond that timeframe are only legal if approved by two doctors, who deem carrying the pregnancy to be a health risk.
In the last three years, there have been six prosecutions of women relating to abortions.
These have in part been due to the previous government’s expansion of at-home medicated abortions during lockdown, which meant that women could access “pills by post” without a face-to-face appointment.
In some cases, women had mistakenly believed themselves to be under the 24 week time limit when requesting the pills, only to discover that they had been later term, and were facing prosecution.
Now, an amendment submitted by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi would prevent women from being prosecuted over terminating a pregnancy.
A second amendment submitted by Labour MP Stella Creasy would go further, enshrining a right to abortion – but keeping the 24 week limit.
Antoniazzi said it is "wrong" that any woman should face legal consequences for ending a pregnancy. "Police have investigated over 100 women... including those who have had miscarriages or stillbirths," she said. "It's a waste of taxpayers' money... it's not in the public interest."
However, some are worried about unintended consequences surrounding new legislation.
“In the House of Commons [today], it's meant to be the Crime and Policing Bill,” said Ansell. “That bill is all around knife crime. It's around child sex abuse, stalking, anti social behaviour, safety, it's all around safety. And essentially, this bill has been hijacked rather.”
Other Christian groups have expressed concern at a lack of restriction, should all abortions be decriminalised.
The Evangelical Alliance said: “Creasy’s proposal would legalise abortion for any reason, including sex-selective abortion… legal boundaries are not merely punitive – they’re protective.”
Ms Ansell said: “None, no one wants to see women in court or in prison… Parliament got it wrong in making that COVID concession permanent, but it's got a chance to put that right today in another clause relating to abortion care.
“That is by Dr Johnson, who is proposing a clause that would reinstate that appointment. So there is that really positive move that would do exactly what campaigners want to see, which would further protect women from coercion and from real risk to their life.”
