Latest news with #decriminalisation
The Independent
16 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
MPs debate decriminalising abortion as opponents warn it would be a radical step
Women must no longer be 'dragged from hospital bed to police cell' over abortion, MPs have heard as opponents of decriminalisation warned against such a 'radical step'. Parliament could debate amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill in the coming weeks around guaranteeing women will no longer face prosecution over ending a pregnancy. Monday's debate at Westminster Hall, on a petition calling for the decriminalisation of abortion, was described by one MP opposed to the change as 'a rehearsal' to the separate Commons debate and votes to come. The petition, which gathered some 103,653 signatures, has urged the Government at Westminster to 'remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion'. Abortion in England and Wales remains a criminal offence. 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 issue has come to the fore in recent times with prominent cases such as those of Nicola Packer and Carla Foster. Ms Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks for taking such medication at home. She told jurors during her trial, which came after more than four years of police investigation, that she did not realise she had been pregnant for more than 10 weeks. She has since indicated she will file a complaint with the police, prosecutors and the NHS over how she was treated. The case of Carla Foster, jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant, eventually saw her sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal and suspended, with senior judges saying that sending women to prison for abortion-related offences is 'unlikely' to be a 'just outcome'. Labour MP Tony Vaughan, opening the Westminster Hall debate, said it is time to 'abandon these outdated practices' of prosecuting women. He said: 'I believe that our laws cannot be fixed relics of the past, but must reflect social attitudes and societal norms.' He insisted 'decriminalisation does not mean deregulation' and that he has not seen evidence 'to suggest that removing the criminal law deterrent would then motivate swathes of women to have abortions after 24 weeks'. He added: 'I'm in favour of regulation of abortion, but I'm also in favour of decriminalising it, so that abortion can once and for all be treated… as a matter of healthcare, not criminality.' But DUP MP Jim Shannon disagreed, stating that abortion is not 'simply medical treatment'. He added: 'This is not a simple matter. It's certainly not for me. It's not for my constituents. It's not for us who represent this point of view.' He said it would be a 'radical step' and 'seismic change' and suggested a late-term abortion on the basis of a baby's sex could be accepted if the law was to change. He said: 'Depending on the model of decriminalisation, the effect would range from de facto access to abortion for women up to birth for any reason, there would be no enforceable prohibition on abortion on the basis of the sex of the unborn baby, for example.' Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who will table an amendment in the Commons to the Bill stating that 'no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy', told MPs on Monday: 'There must be no more Nicola Packers.' She said: 'I am staunchly pro choice, and as much as I believe future reforms are needed regarding abortion provision, we must not lose sight of the current moral imperative here and its urgency, namely, vulnerable women being dragged from hospital bed to police cell under suspicion of ending their own pregnancies. 'This can be stopped by disapplying the criminal law related to abortion from women.' Fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy spoke in favour of going further by enshrining a human right to abortion, and is expected to put forward a separate amendment to 'lock in' the right of a woman to have one and protect those who help them. DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who is opposed to decriminalisation, said she was speaking with 'deep conviction' on the issue. She said: 'For me, this is a debate on life and I believe that both lives matter in every pregnancy. The most basic human right is the right to life.' She said the number of abortions taking place in the UK is 'a national tragedy' and attributed a rise in prosecutions in recent years to women being able to take abortion medication at home. She said: 'It is surely not because the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) or police have suddenly decided to handle this issue in a more draconian way. 'The pills-by-post scheme has enabled women, either dishonestly or because they have miscalculated their own gestational age, to obtain abortion pills beyond the 10-week limit.' Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said the Government is neutral on decriminalisation and that it is an issue for Parliament to decide upon. She said: 'If the will of Parliament is that the law in England and Wales should change, then the Government would not stand in the way of such change but would seek to ensure that the law is workable and enforced in the way that Parliament intended.' The debate came as it was confirmed Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan had 'stepped in' after advertisements from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) in support of decriminalisation were rejected by Transport for London (TfL) last month. TfL said the proposed advertisements did not comply with its advertising policy 'because they made negative references about the police'. A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: 'The mayor has stepped in and we are now urgently looking into this issue so we can allow adverts from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service on London's transport network.' Bpas said: 'Ahead of the vote in Parliament, it is absolutely vital that the voices of the women who have been so deeply harmed by the current law are allowed to be heard. We urge the mayor to take swift action and allow our charity to share these stories as a matter of urgency.'
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Mayor calls on Transport for London to cancel abortion advert ban
The mayor of London is calling on Transport for London (TfL) to lift its ban on adverts that campaign for the decriminalisation of Sadiq Khan is "urgently" looking into the banned British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) adverts, which share stories of police investigations into women - some of who were prosecuted for having an Stewart, chief executive of BPAS, said the adverts supported Tonia Antoniazzi MP's amendment to the Crime and Policing a letter sent to BPAS, TfL said the campaign made "serious allegations about the police" and could bring TfL or the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) into disrepute". TfL was contacted for comment. One of MOPAC's functions is to hold the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commissioner to account, TfL said in its said that MOPAC's functions in respect of the force were "to some extent regulatory", adding that "the nature of the copy could bring MOPAC into disrepute given its responsibilities in relation to the MPS". A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq said the mayor had "stepped in"."We are now urgently looking into this issue so we can allow adverts from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service on London's transport network," they said. A spokesperson for BPAS said they had not been contacted by the mayor's office directly and said the campaign had a "very narrow window."Ms Heidi Stewart said: "This is a pivotal moment for MPs to reform our abortion law and prevent more women from suffering the trauma and injustice of police investigations and the risk of criminalisation. "Ahead of the vote in parliament, it is absolutely vital that the voices of the women who have been so deeply harmed by the current law are allowed to be heard. "We urge the mayor to take swift action and allow our charity to share these stories as a matter of urgency."
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
London mayor reverses TfL ban on ads calling for abortion decriminalisation
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has stepped in to reverse a ban on adverts on the London transport network calling for abortion to be decriminalised. It is understood that the mayor is seeking an 'urgent review' of a Transport for London (TfL) decision to ban the adverts from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) charity on the grounds they may bring the Metropolitan police into disrepute. Bpas had placed the adverts in locations across England and Wales urging people to lobby MPs ahead of an anticipated parliamentary vote on whether to decriminalise abortion. The campaign posters, which have been approved by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), feature the anonymised stories of real women who have been investigated by police and in some cases prosecuted after a termination or pregnancy loss. Bpas was told in correspondence with TfL that it would not run the adverts because 'the proposed advertisement makes serious allegations about the police'. The transport body later said in a statement that the material 'did not comply with TfL advertising policy because it made negative references about the police'. The decision to ban the ads came despite TfL previously allowing pro-choice campaign material on buses across London, sponsored by Doctors for Choice and Abortion Talk and featuring the slogan 'abortion is healthcare, not a crime'. Last year, campaign material on assisted dying from Dignity in Dying was also approved to run on the network, including in Westminster tube station. Bpas had said it planned to appeal against the TfL decision 'at the highest levels' and asked for 'an immediate in-depth explanation' of the reasoning behind the rejection. A source close to the London mayor said: 'As chair of TfL, Sadiq is going to seek an urgent review of this decision. Women's voices must be heard.' It is understood that the mayor is expecting the transport body to act quickly and there to be acknowledgement of the fact that Bpas's campaign is aimed at changing the law, not criticising the police. Heidi Stewart, the chief executive of Bpas, said: 'This campaign was launched in support of Tonia Antoniazzi MP's amendment to the crime and policing bill, and we expect a vote in parliament in a matter of weeks. This is a pivotal moment for MPs to reform our abortion law and prevent more women from suffering the trauma and injustice of police investigations and the risk of criminalisation.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The amendment to the government's crime and policing bill would remove women from the criminal law related to abortion in England and Wales. It is backed by charities, trade unions and medical colleges, including Bpas and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. A separate amendment, put forward by the fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy, seeks to decriminalise abortion as well as write into law a human right to access abortion. Earlier, Antoniazzi said she was 'stunned' by TfL's decision to refuse to run the adverts on its network. 'The police cannot be trusted with abortion law – nor can the CPS or the wider criminal justice system,' she said. 'My amendment NC1 to the crime and policing bill will give us the urgent change we need to protect women.' She later said on X that she planned to write to Khan about the 'unacceptable' decision and on Sunday said she was 'really pleased' that the London mayor had stepped in. Stewart said: 'Ahead of the vote in parliament, it is absolutely vital that the voices of the women who have been so deeply harmed by the current law are allowed to be heard. We urge the mayor to take swift action and allow our charity to share these stories as a matter of urgency.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
The needless deaths caused by cannabis: The suicide of a talented violinist, a father brutally murdered on a train in front of his young son, an addict mother who drowned her two small children and an entire family wiped out by a knife maniac
What better way for the Mayor of London to launch a drugs debate than to pose for pictures framed by a forest of cannabis plants? So thought Sadiq Khan 's aides when he announced a 'commission' to look at decriminalising the drug in Britain. It was decided that a taxpayer-funded 'fact-finding' mission to the United States was needed to discover how Los Angeles had fared since recreational marijuana became legal in California four years earlier. Thus Sir Sadiq found himself facing the cameras in May 2022 in the laid-back surrounds of a cannabis factory in LA's downtown district. He declared that 'hearing from those who cultivate and grow this plant has been fascinating'. Naturally, his bouncy enthusiasm for a change in the law back home found favour in liberal quarters. Gary Lineker, for one, felt compelled to offer the world his opinion. Others warned the mayor, who oversees Britain's biggest police force, that his time would be better spent tackling drug and knife crime in the capital. Indeed, it is perhaps worth noting that just a month before Sir Sadiq flew to the US, marijuana-addicted Joshua Jacques slaughtered three generations of a family in a psychotic frenzy not three miles from the mayor's office. It was a case, observed a judge, that offered a salutary lesson about the dangers of cannabis. Three years on, the London Drugs Commission's work is now done. Unsurprisingly, last week the mayor backed its recommendation to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis. Although Sir Sadiq has no powers to lift the marijuana ban in London, he urged ministers to consider the proposals, saying they were 'compelling' and 'evidence based'. Try telling that, though, to the family of gifted violinist Laura Bower-McKnight, 22, who, on the cusp of a promising career, killed herself at her family home in Lincolnshire. Or the wife of IT consultant Lee Pomeroy, stabbed 18 times in front of his 14-year-old son on a day trip to London. Or the husband of Kara Alexander, 47, who drowned her sons aged two and five in the bath then tucked them up in bed for him to find them. Or the family – what's left of it – of Samantha Drummonds, 27, who, along with her mother, grandmother and grandmother's partner, was stabbed to death by Jacques, her boyfriend, in Bermondsey, south-east London. Beyond violence and tragedy, the one common factor binding these and countless other seemingly disparate acts is cannabis. Not that any of this is a surprise to police, lawyers and judges. In courts across the land the part played by cannabis in violent deeds is spelled out all too clearly – and frequently. Time and again those working in the criminal justice system hear the same warning: That heavy use can lead to serious psychosis – especially as nearly all cannabis on Britain's streets is now said to be super-strength skunk. The drug's increasing potency has significantly increased the risk of psychosis and other harms. Outside the house on the well-kept estate where Jacques, 29, began his knife attack, a fresh spray of flowers in memory of his victims hangs from a lamppost. 'Nobody round here will forget what happened,' said a family friend yesterday. 'Legalising weed might prove popular with a lot of people in London, and we all get why the mayor thinks it makes him look cool, but it was skunk that killed Sam and her family.' Jacques, it transpired at this trial, had smoked cannabis since the age of 12 and had doubled his consumption of the stronger skunk variety in the week before the killings. Police found the bodies of Ms Drummonds, her mother, Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Hill's partner, Denton Burke, 58, after they were alerted to a disturbance by a neighbour. Officers discovered Mr Burke's body at the foot of the stairs and the three women 'heaped together' in the kitchen. Mr Justice Bryan, the judge at Jacques's trial, said: 'It is a salutary lesson to all those who peddle the myth that cannabis is not a dangerous drug. It is, and its deleterious effect on mental health and its potential to cause psychosis is well established.' Jacques received four life sentences and must serve a minimum of 46 years. Sir Robin Murray, a professor of psychiatric research at King's College London, warned: 'People need to know that cannabis, particularly modern cannabis, is a risky drug to take every day. 'We are now in the middle of an epidemic of psychosis caused by heavy use of high-potency cannabis – as a consequence, our rates of schizophrenia are now three times higher than they were 50 years ago.' In normal cannabis resin, the average concentration of the main psychoactive component – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – has risen dramatically in recent years. By contrast, the proportion of antipsychotic cannabidiol (CBD), which helps to mitigate the drug's psychoactive effects, has decreased dramatically. The commission set up by Sir Sadiq and chaired by former justice secretary Lord Falconer of Thoroton, who is an ally of Sir Keir Starmer, recommended that possession of cannabis be dealt with under the Psychoactive Substances Act rather than the Misuse of Drugs Act, as it is at the moment. It would remain a criminal act to import, manufacture and distribute cannabis, but it would not be a criminal act to possess small quantities for personal use. Carol McKnight, the mother of Laura Bower-McKnight, told The Mail on Sunday that the recommendation was 'irresponsible', adding that a change in the law would lead to even more cannabis-induced deaths. Talented and vivacious, Laura had studied at the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Music and seemed destined for a glittering career. But she killed herself after a single joint of strong cannabis triggered a psychotic episode and left her a depressed recluse. She was found hanged at her family's home in North Hykeham, Lincolnshire, in 2012. Mrs McKnight said: 'People think nothing of cannabis nowadays. A lot of people try it. 'I think young people assume it is completely harmless. But it can destroy your mind.' She recalled what happened when Laura, who had previously smoked normal cannabis, tried a joint of skunk. Mrs McKnight said: 'It tipped her into psychosis. It was no longer the real Laura, the always-on-the-go, lovely young woman, the musician, the passionate writer, the artist,' She added: 'Mr Khan has a lack of knowledge about the drug and the impact it can have on people, especially young ones. It killed my daughter.' Referring to Sir Sadiq's endorsement of decriminalisation last week, she said: 'When I read online what he said it made me angry, and I feel he is being irresponsible. 'He is an influential man and people listen to him. Mr Khan should think very carefully before he makes public comments like this. 'He has upset and angered many families who have lost loved ones to the drug. 'My life has life fallen apart since Laura's death.' Sir Sadiq's words have indeed, as she says, caused widespread dismay among families who have lost loved ones in cases in which cannabis has played a key role. Examples abound. Lee Pomeroy was killed on a train in January 2019 on the eve of his 52nd birthday while making his way to London for a day out with his 14-year-old son. An argument broke out after cannabis-addicted gang member Darren Pencille, 36, jostled past them in the aisle. Pencille called his girlfriend and said: 'I'm going to kill this man.' He then pulled a blade from his pocket and stabbed Mr Pomeroy 18 times, including a fatal wound in his neck. An associate of Pencille said: 'He smoked weed constantly and was a complete psycho.' He had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2003 but refused to take any medication, treating himself instead by smoking super-strong cannabis every day. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, the judge at his trial, said: 'You were someone who did not take your medication and you did take cannabis, which sometimes made you more paranoid than usual.' Earlier this year a court heard that like Pencille, Kara Alexander, 47, was high on super-strength cannabis in December 2022 when she drowned her two young sons in the bath at their home in Dagenham, east London. She then tucked the boys up in their bunk beds for their father to find them. Sentencing her to life imprisonment, Mr Justice Bennathan said the case should serve as a warning that super-strength cannabis can 'plunge people into a mental-health crisis in which they may harm themselves or others'. He told Alexander that on the day 'you had been smoking skunk, you had been doing so for weeks before, probably longer. The judge added: 'You drowned them both. I cannot reach any conclusion other than by your state at that time you intended to kill them.' What then of the Californian experiment so warmly embraced by Sir Sadiq when he set up his drugs commission? The advocacy group Smart Approaches to Marijuana released data showing how California, Alaska, Colorado and Oregon saw violent crime rates jump by as much as 29 per cent after cannabis was legalised.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Worried about weed: should London follow New York and decriminalise cannabis?
The last time London dabbled in decriminalising cannabis, it brought one part of the capital to a brief but giddy high. In 2001, an enterprising Scotland Yard borough commander empowered his officers in Lambeth to caution rather than arrest those carrying small amounts of the drug for personal use – freeing them, according to the scheme's proponents, to concentrate on more serious crimes. The softly-softly approach was controversial in some political and policing quarters, but wildly popular in the borough – and some of its results were dramatic. Over six months, more than 2,500 hours of police officers' time were saved on processing cannabis arrests, while arrests for dealing class A drugs rose by almost a fifth. Non-drug crime fell by 9% overall, with sharp declines in burglaries and street robberies. Almost two-thirds thought it had improved relations between the police and the community. The Lambeth experiment would end after a year, however, after the man behind it, Brian Paddick, was transferred following newspaper allegations about his private life – later acknowledged to be false. Lambeth's residents may have been dismayed, organising public meetings and petitions to call for Paddick's reinstatement ('He's not a very naughty boy, he's the Messiah,' read one poster) but Metropolitan police plans to introduce the measures across the capital were quietly shelved. Almost a quarter of a century on, could decriminalisation be back on the cards for London? Sadiq Khan this week indicated his support, after an independent commission into cannabis regulation, promised by the mayor in his 2021 election manifesto, published its findings. Classifying cannabis as a class B drug was disproportionate to its harms, it said, and the sanctions users were subject to for personal possession 'cannot be justified'. Instead, the panel recommended, 'natural' (but not synthetic) forms of the drug should be re-classified, allowing Londoners to use small quantities without penalty. They did not, however, call for full legalisation: those producing or supplying the drug would still be breaking the law. The move, the report said, would have the important added benefit of addressing racial inequalities in the way the Met polices cannabis possession by stop and search. Black people are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police, according to 2021 figures – but are no more likely to be carrying cannabis. 'It is clear a fundamental reset is required,' said the commission's chair, Lord Falconer, and Khan agreed: 'I've long been clear that we need fresh thinking on how to reduce the substantial harms associated with drug-related crime in our communities.' As both men know, however, the mayor has no power to change drugs laws in the capital, and the government was quick to slap down any such suggestion. 'We have no intention of reclassifying cannabis from a class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act,' the Home Office said in a statement. The fact that, 24 years after the Lambeth experiment, the debate over cannabis feels so familiar may be a feature of the drug's ambivalent place in British consciousness. Legislators may be immovable on the issue today, but cannabis was briefly reclassified as a less harmful class C drug in 2004, only to be moved back to class B five years later – arguably, the report suggests, for political reasons. The British public are broadly in favour of loosening restrictions – but not overwhelmingly so. A YouGov poll this week found 54% supported decriminalising cannabis possession for personal use, with 34% opposed and 13% unsure. Asked if decriminalisation would lead to more drug use, almost exactly the same proportion (42%) said yes as those who said it would make no difference (43%). While almost a third of people have tried it at some point, cannabis use is actually falling across England and Wales – particularly sharply in London, where the proportion of those aged 16-59 who had used the drug in the past year was 6.2% in 2022-3, compared with 14.3% in 2001-2. From a health point of view, discussion of the harms of cannabis is nuanced. 'If you're looking at harm at a population level, the vast majority of the millions of people who've ever smoked cannabis in this country since the Beatles have not come to any real harm,' noted Harry Shapiro, director of the drug information service DrugWise. But while most health professionals agree that a low or moderate use of the drug is likely to be minimally harmful for most people, others are anxious to emphasise the risk to a minority, especially from the much stronger forms of the drug that increasingly dominate the market. Dr Emily Finch, chair of the addictions faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), said: 'It's obvious to say that many people with cannabis have no problems at all, but there are several circumstances where it can be incredibly dangerous.' Most seriously, for a small proportion, she continued, cannabis greatly increases the risks of developing psychosis, but even among other users, there can be other risks. 'People say – would tell you – that cannabis isn't addictive. There's really good evidence that that isn't true, and that there is a significant group, maybe 5% of cannabis users, who do become dependent on cannabis use.' In addition, she said: 'We need to understand that it's not helpful for 11- to 15-year-olds to use large amounts of cannabis.' About a third of people who use cannabis develop a problem with the drug at some point in their lives, according to the RCPsych. The drug's increasing potency in the market has significantly increased the risk of it causing psychosis and other harms, agrees Sir Robin Murray, professor of psychiatric research at King's College London. 'People need to know that cannabis, particularly modern cannabis, is a risky drug to take every day … Probably a couple of joints at the weekend is not going to do you much harm, but certainly daily cannabis carries an increased risk. If you take skunk-like cannabis every day, you're about nine or 10 times more likely to go psychotic.' Finch broadly rejects the suggestion that cannabis is a gateway drug to stronger substances, however: 'For some people, it might be part of a pattern of overall illicit drug use but I don't think that's necessarily the case. For many people, it isn't.' Perhaps the most striking thing about Britain's agonised discussions of its drug laws is the degree to which the country is increasingly an international outlier. In recent years, Portugal, South Africa, and Luxembourg, the Australian Capital Territory and many states in the US are among places to have partially decriminalised or fully legalised recreational cannabis use and, in some cases, permitted the development of a new, entirely legal market. 'Cannabis is a commodity, it is circulated in markets and has a supply chain,' said Toby Seddon, professor of social science at University College London, who has researched international models of regulation and advised Khan's commission. 'The question we have as societies is: how do you want to regulate this? For the last 100 years, we've regulated it through using the criminal law. And we've observed how that's worked and not worked. 'If you prohibit something, you're trying to reduce it to as close to zero as possible. And that manifestly hasn't worked because it's still really easy under prohibition to get hold of cannabis.' Which has led many other countries to try another way. Non-medical cannabis is legal in Canada, where the federal government controls production licences but each territory can decide how it manages its sale. In Uruguay, the first country to legalise cannabis sales in 2013 to counter drug-related crime, there is a state-run, not-for-profit model, in which the government issues licences, sets prices and oversees the potency of products. Germany legislated last year to permit individual consumption and cultivation, though critics say its implementation has been hampered by red tape. A similar critique has also been levelled in New York, where recreational marijuana use was legalised in 2021. For a measure of how far apart the UK and US are on this issue, it is striking to recall that Kamala Harris, three weeks before last year's presidential election, pledged to fully legalise recreational marijuana at the federal level if elected; Donald Trump too has said he would support the measure in Florida. Any move towards that position in Britain, let alone Seddon's suggestion that the UK should nationalise cannabis production and control its sale as a state-run enterprise, seems inconceivable at present, as he acknowledged. As a result of that, he said, 'you might think, this [report] is just a waste of time. 'But you could also make a case that these things, in the long run, contribute to turning the dial a little bit,' he added. A similar critique, Seddon pointed out, was made of a major study in Canada in the 1970s that recommended legalising personal use and was largely ignored by the then prime minister, Pierre Trudeau. Decades later, his son Justin steered a similar measure into law.
