MPs have voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, ending the legal risk women face for ending their pregnancies outside official guidelines. This move marks the most significant shift in abortion law since 1967. Women will no longer face police investigations if they terminate pregnancies after 24 weeks or outside medical settings. However, people who assist them illegally, including medical staff, can still face penalties.
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi proposed the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. It passed with a 242-vote majority, giving women protection from outdated criminal laws. Antoniazzi urged MPs to support her proposal, explaining that women in desperate situations deserve support—not criminal charges. She cited the case of Nicola Packer, who was arrested after giving birth to a stillborn baby at home. Packer had taken prescribed abortion pills, unaware she was beyond the 10-week limit.
Nearly 99% of abortions happen before 20 weeks, Antoniazzi told Parliament. That leaves just 1% of women vulnerable under the current law. Her amendment will prevent further prosecutions, while keeping the framework of legal abortion intact. The law still limits terminations to 24 weeks, except in exceptional circumstances. Two doctors must still approve the procedure, and current healthcare rules remain in place.
Antoniazzi called the original 1861 law outdated and harmful. She noted that an all-male Parliament passed it long before women had voting rights. Her amendment received cross-party support from 379 MPs, including members of every major political party. Over 50 organisations backed it, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).
Labour MP Stella Creasy introduced a second amendment aiming to remove all abortion-related language from the 1861 law and recognise abortion access as a human right. Although 108 MPs supported her plan, major providers like BPAS felt it wasn’t the right approach. Her proposal didn’t reach a vote.
Meanwhile, Conservative shadow health minister Dr Caroline Johnson tried to reverse the pills-by-post system. She suggested women should attend in-person consultations before receiving abortion pills. Her amendment failed, with 379 MPs voting against it and just 117 in favour.
RCOG President Professor Ranee Thakar praised the results. She called it a victory for women’s rights and autonomy. Thakar said the vote sends a clear message that outdated punishments no longer belong in reproductive healthcare. She added that the decision reflected years of medical and legal advocacy, and strong public support for safe, confidential abortion access.
BPAS chief executive Heidi Stewart welcomed the change. She said this ends the nightmare many women have faced—being arrested after miscarriages or dragged from hospital beds into police custody. She called the vote the most important progress since the 1967 Abortion Act.
However, not everyone supported the amendment. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) expressed strong opposition. Policy manager Alithea Williams argued the change removes the last legal protections for unborn children. She warned it could allow terminations at any stage without consequence. Yet the law remains unchanged for those who assist abortions outside legal limits.
The amendment still needs to complete its journey through Parliament. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords must approve it before it becomes law. If passed, it will modernise the legal framework, protect women from criminalisation, and reflect public and professional consensus.
READ: Abortion: Will the US Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade in 2022?
