UK votes to decriminalise abortion after prosecutions of some women

The amendment comes aft constabulary investigated much than 100 women, including immoderate who had earthy miscarriages.

British parliamentarians person voted to decriminalise termination successful England and Wales aft concerns sparked by the prosecution of women who extremity a pregnancy.

The House of Commons approved an amendment to a broader measure connected Tuesday that would forestall women from being criminally punished nether an antiquated law.

Currently, a pistillate tin look transgression charges for choosing to extremity a gestation aft 24 weeks oregon without the support of 2 doctors, nether laws that technically inactive transportation a maximum condemnation of beingness imprisonment.

The amendment passed 379-137. The House of Commons volition present request to walk the transgression bill, which is expected, earlier it goes to the House of Lords, wherever it tin beryllium delayed but not blocked.

Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, the Labour subordinate of Parliament who introduced 1 of the amendments, said the alteration was needed due to the fact that constabulary person investigated much than 100 women for suspected amerciable abortions implicit the past 5 years, including immoderate who suffered earthy miscarriages and stillbirths.

“This portion of authorities volition lone instrumentality women retired of the transgression justness strategy due to the fact that they are susceptible and they request our help,” she said. “Just what nationalist involvement is this serving? This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.”

Changes successful the instrumentality implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic let women to person termination pills done the message and terminate their ain pregnancies astatine location wrong the archetypal 10 weeks.

That has led to a fistful of wide publicised cases successful which women were prosecuted for illegally obtaining termination pills and utilizing them to extremity their ain pregnancies aft 24 weeks.

In May, Nicola Packer was acquitted aft taking termination medicine erstwhile she was astir 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the ineligible bounds of 10 weeks for taking specified medicine astatine home.

The 45-year-old told jurors during her trial, which came aft a four-year constabulary investigation, that she did not realise she had been large for truthful long.

Carla Foster was jailed successful 2023 for illegally obtaining termination tablets to extremity her gestation erstwhile she was betwixt 32 and 34 weeks pregnant. The Court of Appeal yet suspended her sentence.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies