UK MPs have voted to end the prosecution of women in England and Wales for ending their own pregnancies, marking a significant shift in how the country enforces its abortion laws.
Currently, women can face criminal charges for terminating a pregnancy without meeting legal requirements—such as exceeding the 24-week limit or lacking approval from two doctors—with penalties reaching up to life imprisonment. The issue has gained renewed attention after recent cases where women faced prosecution but were later acquitted or had their convictions overturned.
On Tuesday, June 17, MPs passed an amendment put forward by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, with a majority of 242 votes. The amendment states that no woman will be criminally charged for ending her own pregnancy at any stage. However, it does not change the existing abortion laws or time limits for medical providers.
The amendment still requires final approval in Parliament and must pass the House of Lords before it becomes law.
“Women are currently being arrested from hospital bed to police cell and facing criminal investigations on suspicion of ending their own pregnancy,” Antoniazzi said. “My amendment would put a stop to this. It’s the right amendment at the right time.”
Abortion remains a criminal offence under the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861, with the potential for life sentences. The Abortion Act of 1967 legalised the procedure under specific conditions, including approval from two doctors and a gestational limit of 23 weeks and six days.
Abortions beyond that limit are only allowed in exceptional cases, such as serious risk to the mother’s life or severe fetal abnormalities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, rules were temporarily changed to allow women to take abortion pills at home up to 10 weeks.
Recent cases—such as Nicola Packer’s, who was acquitted after taking prescribed abortion medication at 26 weeks—have highlighted the emotional and legal toll these prosecutions take. Packer said she did not realise how far along she was and described testifying in court as “horrendous.”
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children criticised the amendment, calling it “the greatest threat to unborn babies in decades.”
Antoniazzi clarified that the amendment will not alter the law for healthcare providers or change gestational limits, and that those who assist in unlawful abortions—such as unqualified practitioners—will still face legal consequences.
More than 50 organisations, including women’s rights groups and abortion service providers, back the amendment. They point out that six women have been prosecuted in the past three years for ending or attempting to end their pregnancies outside the legal framework.
One such case involved Carla Foster, who was imprisoned in 2023 after taking abortion pills between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant. Her sentence was later suspended on appeal.
Antoniazzi also noted that over 100 women have been investigated for suspected illegal abortions over the past five years, including some who experienced miscarriages or stillbirths. “This is just wrong,” she told the BBC. “It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money, a waste of the judiciary’s time, and not in the public interest.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced support for a woman’s right to access a “safe and legal abortion.” Northern Ireland decriminalised abortion in 2019, and Scotland is currently reviewing its own laws.
