Justice secretary to oppose abortion amendments in crime bill

Times

15 hours ago

The justice secretary will come out against stopping women being prosecuted for having an abortion before a landmark vote next week.
Shabana Mahmood will write to constituents saying she has 'significant concerns' that a change in the law could give women an incentive to have unsafe abortions at home.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is said to be weighing up whether to abstain or vote against amendments being tabled to the Crime and Policing Bill.
Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, the Conservative and Reform UK leaders, are expected to oppose the move.
Two amendments have been tabled by Labour MPs and the Speaker will decide which to select for a vote, likely on Wednesday. Under Tonia Antoniazzi's amendment, already backed by 168 MPs, women would no longer be breaking the law if they terminated a pregnancy after 24 weeks or without approval from two doctors.
New laws passed during the pandemic allow abortion pills to be taken at home up to ten weeks into a pregnancy, while later abortions must be carried out in a medical setting. Anyone who assists a woman in getting an abortion outside the law, including doctors, would still be liable for prosecution. The new rules would apply as soon as the change passes through parliament.
An amendment by Stella Creasey, backed by 110 MPs, would make accessing an abortion a human right and make it harder for future governments to tighten restrictions through secondary legislation.
The Times understands that Mahmood opposes both amendments, although she will be unable to vote against them as she is on ministerial business abroad next week. An ally said Mahmood had 'significant concerns' around the growth in the number of women using online services to order abortion pills without a physical consultation.
'She believes that, from a women's health and safety perspective, there's such little oversight,' the ally said. 'If you do take those pills later on, it can have a really terrible impact on you.'
Senior government figures expect Antoniazzi's amendment to pass with a large majority. In a survey of more than 100 MPs, about 70 per cent agreed that women should not be liable for prison sentences if they have abortions outside the rules.
Abortion providers have criticised Creasy's amendment and several MPs are considering dropping their public support for it in a bid to rally round a single cause.
Six women in England have been charged in the past three years with illegally ending or attempting to end their pregnancies. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Carla Foster, 46, a mother of three from Staffordshire, was sentenced to 28 months after pleading guilty to administering drugs or using instruments to procure an abortion under a law from 1861. This was reduced on appeal to a 14-month suspended sentence.
Last month, Nicola Packer, 45, was acquitted by a jury after being accused of taking abortion medicine at home in November 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown, when she was about 26 weeks pregnant.