A History Making Vote On Abortion Is Happening Next Week – This Is What You Need To Know
On Tuesday 17th June, MPs will face a historic vote on amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill that seek to decriminalise abortion.
There are two different amendments on the cards, the NC20 amendment proposed by Labour MP Stella Creasy and the NC1 amendment proposed by fellow Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi. MPs will only vote on one of these amendments, depending on which has most support ahead of the vote on Tuesday. If either of the amendments are passed it will mark the biggest overhaul to abortion law for 50 years.
As MPs prepare to cast this historic vote, we've broken down the differences in the two amendments, and what they mean for women.
Right now, abortions can take place in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy in England, Scotland and Wales. However, they have to be approved by two doctors, who must agree having the baby would pose a greater risk to the woman's physical or mental health than a termination.
Abortions were illegal before the introduction of the 1967 Abortion Act, which initially allowed them to take place up to 28 weeks. This was reduced to 24 weeks in 1990.
Abortions after 24 weeks are allowed only if:
the woman's life is in danger
there is a severe fetal abnormality
the woman is at risk of grave physical and mental injury
This is the amendment proposed by Stella Creasey, which would make accessing an abortion a human right. It seeks to decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks. It would also ensure that late-term abortions outside the Abortion Act did not result in prison sentences.
This topic made headlines last year when Bethany Cox, 22, was cleared over abortion charges when prosecutors offered no evidence against her. She was the sixth woman in Great Britain in a year to be tried for illegal abortion, ie, a termination after the 24-week legal limit.
Creasy believes the amendment will bring the rest of the UK into line with Northern Ireland, where abortion was decriminalised in 2019. 'Our proposal explicitly leaves in place the well-established time limit under which you can access an abortion,' Creasy said. 'It removes the threat of criminal prosecution for abortion because it is a healthcare matter.'
She added: 'Abortion law is incredibly complex. It governs 250,000 women's healthcare every single year. Because of that, it is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered. That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators – and proper debate time in parliament.'
The amendment put forward by MP Tonia Antoniazzi also seeks to decriminalise abortion at any stage by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy, ending the threat of investigation or imprisonment. However, it does not seek to make abortion a human right. Rather than seeking to create a new framework, Antoniazzi's amendment retains the existing abortion law. This more cautious approach is backed by The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) who say the more wide-ranging changes laid out in the NC20 amendment need more time to be debated.
Antoniazzi said: 'We've seen a sharp rise in the number of women and girls facing criminal investigations following pregnancy loss and abortion,' she said. 'It's just wrong to put women in this situation, to put them into the criminal justice system, because this is not a criminal law issue, this is essentially a healthcare matter.'
She added: 'I find it unbelievable that in the last five years, around 100 women have been investigated by the police. It's 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. Therefore, the law has to change.'
Only MPs can vote on the amendment but it is a free vote, so they are allowed to vote according to their 'personal conscience'. If you'd like to encourage your MP to support either of these amendments, you can find their contact details at writetothem.com.
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