One MP argued that prosecuting women to end pregnancy is cruel, with British MPs voted on Tuesday to legalize abortions in England and Wales.
The House of Commons has approved an amendment to a broader crime bill that would prevent women from being criminally punished by outdated laws.
Tonia Antoniazzi, a member of parliamentary worker who introduced one of the amendments, said changes needed because police have investigated more than 100 suspected illegal abortions over the past five years, including some who suffered from natural miscarriages and stillbirths.
“This legislation will only bring women out of the criminal justice system because they are vulnerable and need our help,” she said. “What public interest is this? It's not justice, it's cruel and it has to end.”
The amendment passed 379-137. The House of Commons will now need to pass a crime bill, which is expected, before going to the House of Lords, where it can be delayed but not blocked.
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Under current law, doctors can legally perform abortions for up to 24 weeks in England, Scotland and Wales, and in special cases, such as the mother's life is at risk. Abortion in Northern Ireland was decriminalized in 2019.
Changes in the laws implemented during the 199 pandemic allowed women to receive abortion pills by mail and terminate their pregnancy within the first 10 weeks.
This has led to a number of widely publicized cases in which women were prosecuted for illegal access to abortion pills and used them to end their pregnancy after 24 weeks or more.
The anti-abortion group opposes these measures, believing that this will open abortion distance to abortion at any stage of pregnancy.
“Unborn babies will be deprived of any remaining protection and women will be imposed at the mercy of the abuser,” said Alithea Williams, public policy manager for the Association for the Protection of Unborn Children, which describes itself as the UK’s largest professional life sports group.
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