Left image – Wikimedia Commons: Official portrait of Tonia Antoniazzi
Labour MPs have indicated that they may use a government bill to push for abortion to be removed from criminal law.
During a debate yesterday (10 March) on the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi claimed that hundreds of women are being investigated by police under the “cruel and outdated law” around abortion.
She went on to say: “Westminster voted to repeal the laws criminalising women in Northern Ireland in 2019, but they remain in place in England and Wales. There should be parity in the law across the UK so that my constituents have the same rights as my colleagues’ constituents in Northern Ireland.
“Abortion remains a free vote issue, and I recognise that any changes in the law in this area must be led by Back Benchers. My right hon. Friend the Minister was committed to this change before the election last year, and Members on both sides of the House supported her amendment to remove these women from the criminal law.
“I hope that the Bill will give us an opportunity to revisit this issue in the same collegiate way.”
Emily Darlington MP also said that she would like the Bill to repeal “the Abortion Act 1861”, presumably referring to the sections concerning abortion in the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act.
Dame Diana Johnson, who, as Ms Antoniazzi said, previously led the charge to decriminalise abortion, stopped short of promising a vote on the issue, saying:
“My hon. Friend the Member for Gower (Tonia Antoniazzi) asked me to confirm that any amendments to the Bill on the subject of abortion will be subject to a free vote. All women have access to safe legal abortions on the NHS up to 24 weeks, including taking early medical abortion pills at home where eligible.
“We recognise that this is an extremely sensitive issue, and there are strongly held views on all sides of the discussion. My hon. Friend will understand that whipping on the Government Benches is a matter for the Government Chief Whip.”
Decriminalisation of abortion only serves abusive men
Alithea Williams, SPUC’s Public Policy Manager, said: “Advocates for decriminalisation have never been able to back up their claims of hundreds of women being investigated or prosecuted for abortion. In fact, we know that many investigations under the 1861 law are against abusive men.
“Just last week, Stuart Worby, who was imprisoned for causing the death of an unborn baby by administering abortion drugs to his pregnant partner without consent, had his sentence increased by five years. He was prosecuted under the very statute that these MPs seek to repeal. If more women are being investigated, it is because of the appalling pills by post policy, which the abortion lobby pushed for.
“Decriminalising abortion will only give men like Worby licence to abuse women and babies, as well as remove any final legal protections for unborn children. It is welcome that the Government have not committed to a vote on this issue, and we urge them to tackle the real issue here – abortion providers sending pills in the post without proper checks.”
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