What to Know as U.K. Lawmakers Consider Decriminalizing Abortion
British lawmakers on Tuesday were debating whether to decriminalize abortion in England and Wales, a move which would represent a landmark change to legislation dating from the Victorian era.
The debate comes at a time when access to abortion in the United States has been banned or severely restricted in 19 states, after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion in 2022 and threw it to the 50 states to make their own laws.
In Britain, surveys suggest that a vast majority of the population — consistently around 88 percent, according to YouGov, a polling agency — believes women should have the right to an abortion.
Two lawmakers have put forward separate amendments to a crime and policing bill that would partly or wholly decriminalize abortion. At least one of the amendments that are being debated on Tuesday is likely to be voted on.
Is abortion legal in Britain?
It's complicated. At present, having or providing an abortion remains a crime under the Offenses Against the Person Act of 1861, and could theoretically be punished with a life sentence.
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