Proposals to reform abortion laws in the UK are expected to be debated in the House of Commons on 17th or 18th June, as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.
Two separate amendments have been tabled, both aiming to prevent women from being prosecuted for ending a pregnancy after the current 24-week legal limit. One is viewed as more far-reaching than the other.
What is the current abortion law in the UK?
Under the 1967 Abortion Act, abortion is legal in England, Scotland, and Wales up to 24 weeks, provided two registered doctors agree that continuing the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman’s physical or mental health.
Abortion is available after the usual time limit if there’s evidence of severe foetal anomaly or a significant risk to the woman's life if she continues with the pregnancy.
Abortions carried out outside these conditions remain criminalised under older legislation, the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929, both of which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The proposed amendments aim to address this. In the past three years, six women in England have appeared in court for allegedly ending or attempting to end their pregnancies outside the legal framework.
In one recent case, Nicola Packer, 45, was cleared by a jury after being accused of unlawfully taking abortion pills at home during the 2020 lockdown. She was around 26 weeks pregnant and told jurors she believed she was within the legal timeframe.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said the trial showed “just how outdated and harmful” the current law is, and called for urgent reform.
What do the amendments propose?
Tonia Antoniazzi MP’s amendment
This amendment states that “no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy.” It would mean women who terminate a pregnancy outside the current legal framework would no longer face prosecution or investigation.
This proposal does not alter the legal time limit for abortion. Rather, it removes the threat of criminal charges against women and shifts accountability to medical professionals or others who may facilitate an unlawful abortion.
In legal terms, decriminalisation means that although an act may remain technically unlawful, it would no longer carry criminal penalties.
Antoniazzi’s amendment has broad support across the medical community, including the RCOG, other royal colleges, major charities, trade unions, and leading abortion providers. It has so far been signed by 136 MPs from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, and some Conservatives.
Stella Creasy MP’s amendment
This more wide-reaching proposal would recognise access to abortion as a human right, fully decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks, and remove criminal penalties even in late-term cases.
Creasy argues the amendment would bring the rest of the UK into line with Northern Ireland, where abortion was decriminalised in 2019.
While her proposal has the support of 101 MPs so far, some abortion providers have raised concerns that it is being introduced too hastily and without sufficient parliamentary scrutiny. They warn it could unintentionally undermine the 1967 Abortion Act and spark broader legal challenges around abortion rights.
What do church leaders say?
So far, the only senior church leader to have commented publicly is the Archbishop of Liverpool, Most Rev John Sherrington, who also serves as the Lead Bishop for Life Issues. He said he was “deeply alarmed” by both proposed amendments, warning they would take “our law further in the wrong direction.”
He believes Antoniazzi’s proposal could result in “an increased illegal use of abortion pills and an escalation in late-term at-home abortions,” and would undermine legal protections designed to prevent women being coerced or pressured into an abortion.
On Creasy’s amendment, he warned it “would leave women with little protection against forced or coerced abortions by families or third parties,” and could lead to “abortion on demand up to birth.”
He added: “Keeping abortion within the criminal law provides some level of protection for women and unborn children. Of course, where cases do arise under the current law, the authorities should act with both justice and mercy.”
More responses from church leaders are expected in the days ahead.
Will both amendments be voted on?
The decision over whether one or both amendments will go to a vote, expected on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, lies with Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons.