UK repeals 19th century law, votes to decriminalise abortion in England, Wales
The UK parliament has taken its first major step towards reproductive rights for women in 60 years and voted to decriminalise abortion.
The amendment, which called for the decriminalisation of abortion beyond the 24-week mark, was put forward by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi.
In a landslide vote, British MPs voted 379 in favour of decriminalising abortion, while 137 voted against the bill.
Based on this historic passing, women who terminate their pregnancy outside the rules (24 week mark), will no longer be at risk of being investigated by the police or be subject to a life sentence.
However, medical professionals who assist women in obtaining an abortion outside the 24-week limit could still face prosecution.
While presenting the amendment, Antoniazzi highlighted the recent cases of Nicola Packet, Carla Foster, Bethany Cox and other women who had been penalised and sentenced to prison for terminating their pregnancies.
In the amendment passed by British MPs, parts of the 1861 law will be revoked. The bill was originally passed by an all-male parliament that deemed that ending a pregnancy was a crime.
In 1967, this law was amended and permitted abortion in certain circumstances. However, the potential life sentence for women who terminated their pregnancy beyond the 24-week limit remained vulnerable.
The Labour MP added that the 19th century law had resulted in investigations being launched against 100 women in the past five years. The MP added that the majority of the cases were against women who had given birth prematurely or were forced into abortions by abusive partners.
"Each one of these cases is a travesty enabled by our outdated abortion law. This is not justice, it is cruelty, and it has got to end," she was quoted as saying.
The bill will now move to the House of Commons and then the House of Lords to be implemented into a law.
(With agency inputs)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Indian-American professor slammed for blaming 'reservation' for Air India crash: 'Freeloaders are more important'
Indian-American professor Dr Rajeshwari Iyer triggered a social media storm, blaming 'reservation' behind the that killed at least 265 people, including those on board and also those on the ground. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sharing a recruitment notice of the Airports Authority of India for the post of Air Traffic Control, the Indian-origin professor argued that in India, safety is not as important as "freeloaders". "In India, freeloaders are more important than Safety. Including Indian Citizens we lose many British citizens too, 241 died in plane crash. What a pathetic system," she wrote. While many users supported her observation, many pointed out how Indian-origin people in America are jumping to conclusions about the crash. Indian-origin businessman, Hotmail co-founder, Sabeer Bhatia also made insensitive comments about people grieving for the Air India crash victims and also defended that comment. "The crash happened due to malfunctions in Boeing Dreamliner which is manufactured by USA company due to loss of thrust. There is no fault of crew. So chill a bit before farming," one wrote, reacting to Dr Iyer's reservation post. "Firstly, it's too early to conclude anything. Also, desperately wish where one day such brilliant migrants and naturalised citizens of other 'first world' nations ( whether through parents or self) like yourself, fix the flaws of this young Indian democracy and work towards ensuring that it comes out of years of colonial and outdated ideas and depredations," another wrote. Some X users dug up Brahmin named behind accidents in India and slammed her for connecting the crash with caste, and also to the ATC, as there has been no report on ATC's involvement know the crash. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In the aftermath of the incident, Air India reduced its international services on wide-body aircraft by 15 per cent for the next few weeks. The decision has been taken to add to the airlines' reserve aircraft availability to take care of any unplanned disruptions and this will continue until at least mid-July.
First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
UK PM Starmer Declines to Meet Yunus in London Vantage With Palki Sharma
UK PM Starmer Declines to Meet Yunus in London | Vantage With Palki Sharma | N18G UK PM Starmer Declines to Meet Yunus in London | Vantage With Palki Sharma | N18G British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reportedly declined a meeting with Bangladesh's Interim Chief Muhammad Yunus in London. Yunus is on a four-day trip to the UK, his 11th foreign trip after taking charge in August last year. Why did Starmer refuse to meet Yunus? What is the interim chief doing in London? Palki Sharma tells you. See More
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
What shocking findings in the Casey Report pushed Labour to launch a national inquiry on grooming gangs
The UK government has announced a national inquiry into grooming gangs following a serious audit report conducted by Baroness Louise Casey. The review, which was launched after public pressure, including a post by Elon Musk , found that police and local councils deliberately avoided recording or disclosing the ethnicity of many offenders to avoid being labelled racist. After it had been published on June 16, 2026, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the findings 'deeply disturbing' and issued an 'unequivocal apology' over the failure of the administration to protect young girls from predatory grooming gangs over 16 years. She admitted that the state had repeatedly failed victims. Cooper confirmed that all 12 audit recommendations would be accepted and implemented. It includes launching a new national criminal operation under the National Crime Agency (NCA), creating an independent commission with legal power to summon witnesses, and introducing a national inquiry into grooming gang crimes. Earlier, the Prime Minister Starmer had accused politicians and activists of "spreading lies and misinformation over grooming gangs. What is the Casey Report and its findings? Commissioned in early 2025 by Prime Minister Keir Starmer , the Casey Report reviews how UK institutions handled cases of child sexual exploitation . It focused specifically on so-called 'grooming gangs', groups of men mostly from Asian heritage who targeted vulnerable girls, and exploited them often over long periods. Baroness Louise Casey's report found widespread failures to protect girls from rape, abuse, and violence. It stated that many grooming cases had been downgraded or dropped. Often, victims aged 13 to 15 were wrongly seen as having 'consented' or been 'in love' with their abusers. Casey called for a change in the law. She recommended that any adult who penetrates a child under 16 be automatically charged with rape. The report also criticised how authorities avoided collecting or discussing the ethnicity of offenders. Casey said it was not racist to examine this data. Local police data showed many suspects of Pakistani heritage. However, two-thirds of national case records had missing ethnicity data, making broader analysis impossible. Why did Labour change its position on grooming gangs? Labour had earlier said a new inquiry into the grooming gangs was unnecessary because of an existing seven-year investigation. However, experts believe growing public and political pressure from the massive number of cases led to a policy reversal. Pressure also came from billionaire Elon Musk, who criticised Labour's past actions. He supported far-right activists like Tommy Robinson and accused Starmer of failing to prosecute child rapists during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions. Following Musk's comments, senior Conservatives and Reform UK MPs have called for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation. The report stated clearly: fear of being seen as racist led to authorities ignoring clear patterns in the cases. This fear, the review said, overpowered the duty to protect vulnerable children. The new national inquiry will have full legal powers. It will call witnesses, review past decisions, and examine failures by local agencies. The review also called for better information sharing between police, social workers, and schools. It said the government must improve how data is collected and used to track offenders. Transparency and accountability were described as urgent needs. The Conservative Party has asserted that grooming gangs represent a 'border security issue,' noting that many suspects in ongoing cases are either foreign nationals or individuals claiming asylum.
