MPs have voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, marking the biggest step forward for reproductive rights in nearly 60 years.
Parliament has decided in favour of an amendment to the government’s crime and policing bill that alters the criminal laws of abortion in England and Wales so that women who have an abortion can’t be prosecuted.
This means women who terminate their pregnancy outside the rules, including after 24 weeks of pregnancy, will no longer be at risk of being investigated by police.
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Although existing rules, such as requiring two doctors’ approval and complying with time limits on abortions, will continue, and doctors who flout the rules will continue to risk prosecution.
The amendment, tabled by Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi, was approved in a free vote with 379 MPs voting in favour and 137 against.
Under current law, bringing about a miscarriage is punishable by a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Speaking at the G7 in Canada, Keir Starmer indicated he would have voted for the bill if he were in parliament.
“It is a conscience issue, therefore it is a free vote. And therefore in that sense, it’s in the same category as assisted dying,” he told reporters. “But my longstanding in principle position is that women have the right to a safe and legal abortion.”
The president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, professor Ranee Thakar, said the vote was “a victory for women and for their essential reproductive rights.”
“At a time when we’re seeing rollbacks on reproductive rights, most notably in the United States, this crucial milestone in the fight for reproductive rights sends a powerful message that our lawmakers are standing up for women,” Louise McCudden, UK head of external affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices, said.