MPs put forward proposals to decriminalise abortion in England
Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill which aim to ensure women cannot be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy at any stage are likely to be debated by MPs on Tuesday.
UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has come out against the two amendments, put forward by members of her party, saying they are ''unnecessary' and 'dangerous'.
Abortion remains a criminal offence in England and Wales but is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability.
READ MORE: UK 'feeding Scotland poison pills', John Swinney says
There is no specific piece of legislation criminalising abortion in Scotland, according to the Humanist Society Scotland, with the practice being criminalised in common law.
This reflects a historically 'more lenient approach' to the crime of abortion in Scotland, the group added.
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi's amendment, which has wide support from MPs, would result in 'removing the threat of investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment' of any woman who acts in relation to her own pregnancy.
She said she had been moved to advocate for a change in the law having seen women investigated by police over suspected illegal abortions.
The issue has come to the fore in recent times with prominent cases such as those of Nicola Packer (below) and Carla Foster.
Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks for taking such medication at home.
Foster was jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant though eventually saw her sentence reduced and suspended.
READ MORE: Scottish council rejects plans for huge 1000-home development with pub and park
Antoniazzi said police had investigated more than 100 women for suspected illegal abortion in the past five years 'including women who've suffered natural miscarriages and stillbirths'.
She added: 'This is just wrong. It's a waste of taxpayers' money, it's a waste of the judiciary's time, and it's not in the public interest.'
A separate amendment has also been put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy and goes further by not only decriminalising abortion, but also seeks to 'lock in' the right of someone to have one and protect those who help them.
(Image: Danny Lawson/ PA)
Mahmood (above) set out her objections to changing the law in a letter to her constituents in Birmingham Ladywood.
The UK Government has previously said it is officially neutral on decriminalising abortion and that it is up to Parliament to decide.
Mahmood, who will not be present for Tuesday's vote because she is away on Government business, said: 'It is hard to see these measures as anything other than extreme.
'I can unequivocally state that I would have voted against both amendments were I able to be there, and I will vote against them if given the opportunity in the future.
'I oppose extending abortions up until the point of birth beyond the exemptions that currently exist, as doing so would not only be unnecessary but dangerous.
'I am deeply concerned to see these measures being progressed in the name of women's rights, when the potential physical and mental impacts on women would be so devastating.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
‘Cruel' criminalisation of women over abortion must end, says MP ahead of vote
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi said her amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill would remove women from the criminal justice system in relation to their own pregnancies, ensuring they could not face investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment. She said the UK's 'Victorian' abortion law is 'increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls' and that her amendment is the 'right change at the right time' and a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity to bring change. Abortion in England and Wales remains a criminal offence but is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability. It is also legal to take prescribed medication at home if a woman is less than 10 weeks pregnant. Efforts to change the law to protect women from prosecution follow repeated calls to repeal sections of the 19th-century law, the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, after abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019. Ms Antoniazzi said her proposed 'narrow, targeted' measure does not change how abortion services are provided or the rules under the 1967 Abortion Act. She said: 'This piece of legislation will only take women out of the criminal justice system because they are vulnerable and they need our help. As I have said it before, and I will say it again, just what public interest is this serving? This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.' She added that her amendment is backed by 180 MPs from across the Commons and 50 organisations including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). Tonia Antoniazzi has tabled an amendment to decriminalise abortion (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/PA) The MP assured her colleagues the current 24-week limit would remain, abortions would still require the approval and signatures of two doctors, and that healthcare professionals 'acting outside the law and abusive partners using violence or poisoning to end a pregnancy would still be criminalised, as they are now'. A separate amendment has also been put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy and goes further by not only decriminalising abortion, but also seeks to 'lock in' the right of someone to have one and protect those who help them. Ms Creasy's amendment will also be debated but 'will fall' if Ms Antoniazzi's is passed by MPs, the Commons heard. Referring to Ms Creasy's amendment, Ms Antoniazzi said while she agreed 'more comprehensive reform of abortion law is needed', such change of that scale should take place through a future separate piece of legislation. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who is not present for Tuesday's vote, outlined her opposition to both amendments in a letter to constituents, saying while she believes safe and legal abortions are part of female healthcare, the amendments 'unnecessary' and 'dangerous'. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood will not be at the vote but stated her opposition (Ben Whitley/PA) The issue of women investigated by police over suspected illegal abortions has come to the fore in recent times with prominent cases such as those of Nicola Packer and Carla Foster. Ms Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks for taking such medication at home. She told jurors during her trial, which came after more than four years of police investigation, that she did not realise she had been pregnant for more than 10 weeks. The case of Ms Foster, jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant, eventually saw her sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal and suspended, with senior judges saying that sending women to prison for abortion-related offences is 'unlikely' to be a 'just outcome'. MPs had previously been due to debate similar amendments removing the threat of prosecution against women who act in relation to their own pregnancy at any stage, but these did not take place as Parliament was dissolved last summer for the general election. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has urged MPs to vote against both amendments, saying they would bring about 'the biggest expansion of abortion since 1967″. Alithea Williams, the organisation's public policy manager, said: 'Unborn babies will have any remaining protection stripped away, and women will be left at the mercy of abusers. 'Both amendments would allow abortion up to birth, for any reason. A separate amendment, tabled by Conservative MP Caroline Johnson proposes mandatory in-person consultations for women seeking an abortion before being prescribed at-home medication to terminate a pregnancy. She said her amendment aims to make sure women and girls are safe when they access abortion services. She told the Commons: 'I'm not trying to limit people's access to what is clinically legally available. I'm trying to make sure that people are safe when they do so.' She said the change she has proposed would be to protect women who have been trafficked and forced into sex work or those who have been sexually abused and where a perpetrator is attempting to cover up their crimes by causing a termination. But Ms Antoniazzi said remote access to abortion care was 'safe, effective and reduces waiting times', and that such a change would 'devastate abortion access in this country'. The changes being debated this week would not cover Scotland, where a group is currently undertaking work to review the law as it stands north of the border. On issues such as abortion, MPs usually have free votes, meaning they take their own view rather than deciding along party lines. The Government has previously said it is neutral on decriminalisation and that it is an issue for Parliament to decide upon.
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
Trump says Iran's leader is ‘easy target' as Starmer calls for de-escalation
The US president abruptly left Sir Keir and allies at a major global summit amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The Prime Minister said 'nothing' he had heard from the US president suggested Washington was poised to get involved as western leaders continue to press for de-escalation between the two long-time foes. But within hours, Mr Trump said his patience was wearing thin with Iran and suggested Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was an 'easy target' who the US could 'take out' if it chose. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. 'He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. 'But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.' Without further explanation he also wrote 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' on the platform. And he suggested the US had 'complete and total control of the skies over Iran'. Mr Trump left the G7 conference in Canada a day early to deal with what he called 'big stuff' and urged Iranian citizens to evacuate from Tehran, which triggered speculation that American forces might join Israeli strikes. The Prime Minister is holding talks on the conflict with fellow leaders of the G7 in Canada (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Asked whether the US could get involved as the conflict threatens to spiral into all-out war, Sir Keir told reporters with him at the conference in Kananaskis: 'There is nothing the president said that suggests he's about to get involved in this conflict. On the contrary, the G7 statement was about de-escalation.' In a statement on Monday before Mr Trump's departure, leaders had reiterated their 'commitment to peace and stability' but stopped short of calling for a truce between Israel and Iran. The Prime Minister said the wording 'faithfully reflects' the discussions of allies around the table. 'I don't think anything that the president said either here or elsewhere suggests that,' he said when pressed on the prospect of imminent US involvement. 'I think that the statement really speaks for itself in terms of the shared position of everybody who was here at the G7.' The Prime Minister was asked whether Britain would potentially support the US if it took action to limit Iran's nuclear programme, which leaders have condemned. US President Donald Trump left the G7 conference in Canada a day early for 'big stuff' (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) 'On nuclear, Iran's nuclear programme, I've been very clear. We are deeply concerned about the programme. I certainly do not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon,' he said. 'But the thrust of the statement is in accordance with what I was saying on the way out here, which is to de-escalate the situation, and to de-escalate it across the region rather than to escalate it.' Hours after signing the Middle East agreement, Mr Trump has suggested that he was not interested in a truce while also attacking French President Emmanuel Macron, who had told French media that the US leader was leaving early to negotiate a ceasefire. Asked whether he was disappointed in the apparent US move to act unilaterally in relation to the conflict amid concerns the G7 could be sidelined, Sir Keir played down divisions. He told reporters: 'I think what (the president) said was he wanted to go beyond a ceasefire effectively and end the conflict. 'And I think he's right about that. I mean, a ceasefire is always a means to an end.'
STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
Swinney: 'Independence is the defining choice for this generation'
The First Minister has said independence is the 'defining choice for this generation' of Scots, adding Scotland should have right to choose its future. Speaking at a Scotland 2050 conference in Edinburgh on Tuesday, John Swinney took the opportunity to make the case for Scottish independence – something his Alba party opponents previously accused him of putting on the backburner. Looking 25 years into the future, Swinney said: 'It's only, in my view, by taking charge of our own destiny, with our own hand on the tiller that we're better able to ride the waves of change, that we're better able to shape our own future.' The First Minister hoped to see a 'modern, dynamic, compassionate, enterprising and forward looking' Scottish nation state 'back at the very heart of Europe' by 2050. Swinney said Scotland is 'prey to a broken system and a failing economic model' that holds Scotland back and leaves people 'praying that decisions taken at Westminster are not too damaging'. 'I've long believed that Scotland is an afterthought to successive UK governments, Scotland is not on Westminster's radar in the same way as, say, London or the Midlands or the south west,' Swinney said. 'From a UK perspective, that is completely understandable, but from a Scottish perspective, to accept it is total folly.' He added: 'It means as a nation that we must try to thrive on what amounts at worst to poison pills and at best to policy scraps from the UK table,' he said. The First Minister told the conference that he believes Scotland should have the right to choose its future. 'Whether it is Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch, or Nigel Farage, no Westminster politician should have the ability to deny Scotland her right to national self determination,' Swinney said. However, Alba Party leader Kenny MacAskill criticised Swinney's speech for missing the mark. 'What we needed and what SNP activists, members and supporters are crying out for was a clear vision and action on independence what we got from the First Minister was a 'damp squib',' MacAskill said afterwards. The same Scotland 2050 conference was later addressed by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Sarwar used his speech as a pitch for his party ahead of next year's election. 'If I'm being blunt about it, tinkering around the edges is not going to work,' he said. Sarwar added that next year's election being treated as an 'auction' is also not going to work. 'One political party will offer you 1,000 nurses, another will offer you 1,100 nurses, or one party will offer you 1,000 nurses and another will offer you 1,000 police officers, another one will say 1,100 police officers,' he said. 'That is not going to fix the challenges facing our country right now and it's not going to build the kind of Scotland we need for our children and our grandchildren.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
