Latest news with #1861OffencesAgainstthePersonAct
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Abortion rights activists say 'decriminalisation isn't enough' ahead of MP vote
As MPs gather to debate an e-petition calling for the decriminalisation of abortion on June 2, abortion rights campaigners explain why decriminalisation isn't enough to protect women After an e-petition calling for the decriminalisation of abortion received over 100,000 signatures, it's now been brought forward for a parliamentary debate on June 2. But some abortion rights campaigners are saying that decriminalisation isn't enough. At present, an abortion carried out after 24 weeks or without permission from two doctors is a punishable offence in the UK, with a potential sentence of life imprisonment. In December 2024, a petition was launched by campaigners to decriminalise abortion. It received 102,855 signatures, before being brought to the UK parliament. The petition stated: 'I am calling on the UK government to remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion.' The petition also pointed out that the UK is out of step with advice released by the World Health Organisation in 2022, which advises that medically unnecessary barriers to safe abortion, such as criminalisation, should be removed. The petition was delivered on April 28 to Downing Street, by the petition's creator Gemma Clark. She was joined by Katie Saxon and Lucy Ward from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), a charity leading the campaign for abortion law reform, and a woman who endured a police investigation after she was suspected of having an illegal abortion, as reported by BPAS. Katherine O'Brien, a spokesperson for BPAS, told The Mirror: 'In recent years, more than 100 women are believed to have been investigated by the police.' She continued: 'These include women who have experienced a late miscarriage or a stillbirth, and women who were pressured to take abortion medication by abusive partners. Women have been arrested straight from hospital wards, their homes searched, their children taken away, all under our cruel and archaic abortion law.' The Abortion Act was introduced in 1967 and allowed women to legally terminate a pregnancy up to 28 weeks with the certification of two doctors. In 1990, the limit was changed to 24 weeks. However, abortion law also falls under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, which carries a maximum life sentence. Elizabeth Walden, from MSI Reproductive Choices, told The Mirror why she believes the law is outdated. She said: 'Gender equality and medicine have both changed enormously since then. Our abortion laws should reflect today's common values and medical knowledge, not the opinions of men from nearly two centuries ago.' Labour MP Stella Creasy has put forward an amendment to the current lawwhich seeks to not only decriminalise abortion, but to put into law that access to abortion is a human right. Stella told The Mirror: 'Decriminalisation isn't enough. We need to make access to safe and legal abortion a human right as it is in Northern Ireland to protect services from politicians who are advocating restricting it.' In 2019, Northern Ireland repealed sections 58 and 59 of the 1861 Offences Against a Person Act, which meant that abortion was no longer an offence punishable by a life sentence. It is legal to have an abortion up until 12 weeks in Northern Ireland. Stella explained that her amendment aims "to help ensure women will be able to access a safe and legal abortion whoever is in power." She continued: "It is the only amendment that can do that and stop not just the investigations into women having abortions but attacks on access including attempts to overturn buffer zones and telemedicine.' "Telemedicine" refers to the use of technology to provide and support healthcare remotely. In 2020, at-home abortion pills were legalised for the first time due to restrictions enforced during the Covid pandemic. In August of 2020, this change was made permanent. Under Stella's amendment, she seeks to protect anyone acting 'in relation to their own pregnancy', or a registered medical professional acting with the "explicit consent" of a pregnant woman where the pregnancy has not exceeded 24 weeks, to be subjected to a custodial sentence. Equally, she seeks to provide alternative offences in the case of women who have not or are suspected to have not consented to their abortion.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Inside the Victorian-era law from 1861 that governs women's rights in the UK
As campaigners fight for the decriminalisation of abortion to the UK, we delve into the 1861 Victorian era law that currently governs women's bodily autonomy in Britain MPs, feminist and abortion rights groups are currently fighting for the decriminalisation of abortion in England and Wales. But what exactly is the law around abortion and when did it come into place? The Abortion Act was introduced to the UK in 1967, and allowed women to legally terminate a pregnancy up to 28 weeks with the certification of two doctors. In 1990, the limit was changed to 24 weeks. This means that a woman who undergoes an abortion without the permission of two doctors – for example, by buying abortion pills online – can be charged with a criminal offence. What is the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act? At the time of writing, seeking an illegal abortion in the UK carries a sentence of up to a lifetime in prison. This is because it falls under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. Under the Act, any person who provided or used a poison or tool to end a pregnancy can be found guilty of 'a misdemeanour' and, if convicted, could be imprisoned. Or, as the law puts it: 'kept in penal servitude for life'. In 1921, an exception was made to include a caveat that abortions could be performed in order to save the life of a mother. In 1938, a doctor was arrested after performing an abortion on a 14-year-old rape victim. He argued the procedure was necessary because of the risks to her physical and mental health. This prompted a revision to the law, which led to the 1967 Abortion Act. At present, all abortions after 24 weeks are illegal, with exception of limited circumstances. This includes the mother's life being at risk or if the child were to be born with a severe disability. The Abortion Act also states that abortions must be carried out either in a hospital or licensed clinic. However, this was changed during the Covid pandemic in 2020, when at-home abortion pills were made available by post for people seeking to terminate their pregnancy in the first 10 weeks. MPs voted to continue to allow women to access at-home abortion care and the measure was made permanent in August 2020. How many women have been charged for an illegal abortion? Under the law, there have only been three convictions achieved, but criminal investigations into women who have suffered from miscarriages or had a premature or a stillbirth have recently increased. According to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, 'record numbers' of women are being investigated for suspected abortions in the UK. Campaigners have claimed that over 100 women have been investigated by police in recent years due to current abortion laws, as recently reported by Sky News. In the 10 years leading up to April 2022, England and Wales recorded at least 67 cases of procuring an illegal abortion, according to data obtained by The Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act. Why do campaigners want to change the law? Campaigners want to decriminalise abortion as this will make it a healthcare matter rather than a legal one. A petition was launched in 2024 calling for the decriminalisation of abortion, which received more than 103,000 signatures, according to the UK parliament. It stated: "I am calling on the UK government to remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion."
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Police could check period tracking app after pregnancy loss under new guidance
New guidance from the National Police Chiefs Council allows police to search your home, seize your phone and check your period tracking apps after a pregnancy loss Guidance quietly released by the National Police Chiefs' Council in January states that women who experience a sudden unexpected pregnancy loss, if they suspect a miscarriage, stillbirth or early labour is the result of an illegal abortion could be investigated by the police. According to the guidance, women could have their homes searched for evidence of abortion drugs and their phones seized for their search history, period tracking apps or fertility apps checked for evidence of whether they were aware of their pregnancy. A spokesperson for the NPCC told The Standard that an investigation would only be initiated where there is credible information to suggest criminal activity. They said: "This would often be because of concerns raised from medical professionals.' They also told The Observer that unexpected pregnancy loss was not 'routinely investigated' and 'any investigation of this nature will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion'. The Mirror has reached out to the NPCC for comment. The guidance comes in light of the Abortion Act, introduced in 1967, which allows women to legally terminate a pregnancy up to 28 weeks and with the certification of two doctors. The limit was reduced to 24 weeks in 1990. However, abortion is still classed as a criminal offence in Britain and women could be prosecuted under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. Under the law, there have only been three conviction achieved, but criminal investigations into women who have suffered from miscarriages or had a premature or a stillbirth have recently increased. Six women have been taken to court over the past two years and over 100 women have been investigated, according to a report by the Independent. Later this year, an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, brought by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi and signed by over 50 cross-party MPs seeks to decriminalising abortion and ending the prosecution of women who terminate pregnancies after the 24-week limit is due to be voted on in Parliament. But the recent guidance from the NPCC has raised concerns among pro-choice campaigners, abortion charities and period tracking apps alike, who have pushed back on the frightening development. Katie Saxon, Chief Strategic Communications Officer at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, told the Mirror that this is a "clearest sign yet that women cannot rely on the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, or the courts to protect them." She said: "As an abortion provider, we know how the police treat women suspected of breaking abortion law. But to see it in black and white after years of criticisms of the way this outdated law is enforced is harrowing. 'This guidance was written at the same time as unprecedented threats to global abortion rights and while Parliament was set to consider decriminalising women," Saxon added. 'The only way to stop this is to remove women from the criminal law on abortion.' Saxon also condemned the NPCC's guidance for the police to use period trackers against women and said that it proves just how "detached from reality" the organisation is. Rhiannon White, CEO of period tracking app Clue revealed that they were "shocked and outraged" at the development and assured the Mirror in a statement that they "have never, and will never, disclose private health data to any authority. It's our firm and relentless commitment since our founding over a decade ago." Similarly, Flo 's Vice President of Privacy, Sue Khan told us: 'Women deserve to be able to use technology to learn more about their bodies and their personal health, without fearing their data will be unjustly used or taken in a way they have not agreed upon." If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Sands (stillbirth and neonatal death charity). You can call them on 0808 164 3332 or email helpline@ You can also find help and support at the Miscarriage Association. You can call them on 01924 200799 or email If you are pregnant or a new mother and you are in crisis, the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish. Call or text the hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Women deserve better': Fresh attempts to decriminalise abortion as campaigners say 100 investigated
More than 100 women are believed to have been investigated by the police in recent years under abortion laws, campaigners say, as they renew efforts to decriminalise the medical procedure. Health professionals, charities and MPs are saying "women deserve better" and should not face investigation under an "archaic" 164-year-old law, which sees abortion in England and Wales remain a criminal offence. The issue most recently came to the fore after a during the COVID lockdown in 2020. Nicola Packer, 45, had taken abortion medicine when 26 weeks pregnant - beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks. She told jurors she did not realise she had been pregnant for more than 10 weeks. Following the trial, her friend said she had been "persecuted" for a "tragic accident". It 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. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) is backing a new amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, brought by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, stating that "no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy". The amendment would do away with the threat of investigation - or even imprisonment - some women face. Read more:'I felt like a criminal': One woman's storyThe women selling abortions on social media Previous attempts to change the law had been set to go before parliament, but could not take place after parliament was dissolved last summer for the general election. Ms Antoniazzi supported Ms Packer during her recent trial, and said the current law is "unacceptable". "There is simply no world in which prosecuting a vulnerable woman who may have experienced a medical complication, miscarriage or stillbirth is the right course of action." Law won't change time limit The latest attempt follows 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. Bpas said the latest amendment would not change the law regarding provision of abortion services within a healthcare setting - including the time limit, grounds for abortion or approval of two doctors. Bpas said: "For every woman who ends up in court, at least 10 others are subjected to prolonged police investigations which can prevent them from getting the mental health support they desperately need and which have resulted in existing children being separated from women whose cases never make it to court. Women deserve better." A separate amendment, proposed by Stella Creasy, would not only decriminalise abortion but "lock in" the right to have one, and protect those who help. Read more: What are the abortion laws in UK and the punishments for breaking them? It follows the case of Carla Foster, who was jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy. She later had her sentence reduced on appeal. Ms Creasy last week said the law must be changed so that "the right to choose is a human right", ensuring no repeat of "such awful cases and victimisation of vulnerable women again". Last month, Scotland's women's health minister, Jenni Minto, said she was "disappointed" that some still have to travel to England for late-term abortions, amid concerns that women in Scotland can only have a termination after 20 weeks in cases where there is either a foetal abnormality or the woman's life is at risk.
