In a historic shift to abortion law in England and Wales, women will no longer face criminal prosecution for undergoing late-term abortions. The House of Commons passed the amendment on Tuesday by 379 votes to 137, a majority of 242, marking the most significant reform to abortion legislation in over 50 years.
The change, brought forward by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi as part of the Crime and Policing Bill, removes the threat of criminal charges for women who terminate pregnancies after 24 weeks or without approval from two doctors. However, those who facilitate unlawful abortions, including medical professionals, remain subject to prosecution.
The vote was held as a free vote, with MPs allowed to vote according to personal conscience. While 11 cabinet ministers backed the change, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has consistently supported access to safe and legal abortion, was absent due to the G7 summit in Canada.
During the Commons debate, Antoniazzi described the current legal system as cruel and outdated, pointing to cases where women were criminalised after suffering abuse or trauma. “This is not justice. It is cruelty. It has got to end,” she said.
Despite widespread Labour support, the amendment drew opposition from 92 Conservative MPs, including party leader Kemi Badenoch, and several members of Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats. Critics warned the change could erode safeguards and increase late-term procedures.
Supporters argued that abortions after 20 weeks account for just 1% of all terminations and usually involve serious medical complications. They said the law was long overdue for reform, particularly as women were increasingly being investigated for breaching complex rules.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service hailed the vote as a “landmark moment for women’s rights.” In contrast, anti-abortion groups condemned it, warning that even the limited protections for unborn children were being dismantled.
Under the 1967 Abortion Act, abortion was permitted up to 24 weeks with the approval of two doctors. But recent high-profile prosecutions exposed how the law could be used to punish vulnerable women, including cases where women were force-fed abortion pills by abusive partners or prosecuted after miscarriages.
While the amendment shields women from prosecution, full decriminalisation, including the removal of abortion-related clauses from the Victorian-era Offences Against the Person Act 1861, remains a key demand from reproductive rights campaigners.
Advocates argue that abortion should be treated like any other medical procedure: regulated by healthcare bodies, not governed by criminal law.
Professor Sally Sheldon, Co-Director, Centre for Health, Law and Society told Asian Voice, “Abortion in England remains governed by punitive and anachronistic laws that are grounded in the moral values and clinical realities of mid-Victorian Britain. Parliament has taken an important step into the twenty-first century with the vote to remove the criminalisation of women who act to end their own pregnancies.
“However, health professionals continue to operate within a criminal law framework that restricts their ability to offer the high quality, safe and accessible services that women and pregnant people need and deserve. The vote must be the first step on the path towards more wide-ranging reforms.”
Professor Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in a statement, said, “This is a victory for women and for their essential reproductive rights…The College has been campaigning to see this achieved for many years, and the decision reflects the voices of over 50 medical, legal and public health organisations. It also reflects the views of the public, who overwhelmingly support the right of women to access abortion care safely, confidentially, and without fear of investigation and prosecution.
“…Now, we must maintain this momentum as the Crime and Policing Bill moves to the House of Lords. The College will continue to work with our partners to ensure that women’s essential reproductive rights are protected and abortion is treated as an essential form of healthcare, subject to regulatory and professional standards like other medical procedures, not criminal sanctions.”
For now, however, Scotland remains the only part of the UK where women can still be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy. Though this reform marks a major step forward, campaigners say the fight for full reproductive freedom is far from over.
