MPs have just voted to decriminalise abortion. NC1, proposed by Tonia Antoniazzi MP, was approved by 379 votes to 137. You can see the vote breakdown here.
If this amendment makes it to the statute book, criminal law will be changed so that “no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy” at any gestation. This means that a woman who induced her abortion at home using pills (or any other method) at any stage of pregnancy, including just before natural birth, would not commit a crime.
Stella Creasy’s NC20, which would have repealed abortion law entirely, was criticised by the Government Minister, and was not voted on. Dr Caroline Johnson’s amendment on repealing the pills by post scheme was defeated by 379 to 117.
During the course of the debate, there were strong contributions by MPs speaking against the decriminalisation amendments. Julia Lopez, the MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, slammed the “procedural ambush” that “reduces the unborn child to a non-entity”. Many MPs spoke about the dangerous pills by post scheme, the true reason behind the rise in prosecutions of women for abortion. Rebecca Paul MP pointed out that it was the irresponsible decision of MPs in the last Parliament to introduce pills by post during the pandemic that failed women like Carla Foster, and the decision to make it permanent that allowed Stuart Worby to poison his pregnant partner with abortion pills, killing her 15 week old baby.
After the vote had concluded, Jerome Mayhew MP raised a point of order, questioning how such a major change could be made after such a short debate.
Alithea Williams, SPUC’s Public Policy Manager said: “It is horrifying and heartbreaking that MPs have voted for this extreme and barbaric proposal. Our already liberal abortion law allows an estimated 300,000 babies a year to be killed. Now, even the very limited protection afforded by the law is being stripped away by MPs who seem to have no compassion for babies in the womb, even those ready to be born alive. They have shown just how out of touch they are with a public who certainly do NOT agree with abortion up to birth.”
Recent polling found that 62% of the public agree that ‘Having an illegal abortion should continue to be a criminal offence to protect both the unborn and vulnerable women who could be coerced into losing a baby they may have wanted, for example by an abusive partner’. Only 5% support extending the abortion limit up to birth.
Ms Williams continued: “Earlier in the day, we held a demonstration outside Parliament, coming together to say NO to abortion up to birth. I was so encouraged to see people coming out at short notice to stand up for life. I was also encouraged to see many MPs, including newly elected ones, speaking up for the unborn during the debate today.
“This is a dark day, perhaps the darkest since 1967, but I know that you will not give up now. This change has been made after only a two hour debate, with little notice. It was not in the Government’s manifesto, and it certainly doesn’t reflect public opinion. This means it is subject to challenge in the House of Lords, and we will continue to fight it there. And we will continue to campaign for the ending of the pills by policy, the true cause of the horrific late term abortions that the abortion lobby have been cynically exploiting.
“More than that, we continue to stand for ALL unborn babies, from the moment of conception. That the abortion lobby are prepared to go this far, to be this extreme, will be a wakeup call to society. We will use this to tell the truth that all human life is precious and should be protected by law.”
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