Latest news with #AbortionAct1967
Spectator
04-07-2025
- General
- Spectator
We should be outraged by Lily Allen's ‘four or five' abortions
If we want to understand why thousands of women a year in England and Wales have an abortion – 251,377 in 2022, so probably way more now – we could do worse than consider the musings of the singer Lily Allen on the subject. In a podcast chat with her friend Miquita, this took a musical turn. She began singing to the tune of Frank Sinatra's 'My Way': 'Abortions I've had a few… but then again… I can't remember exactly how many'. Giggling, she continued: 'I can't remember. I think maybe like, I want to say four or five.' Miqiuta – a woman of whom I'd never heard – observed that, whaddya know, she'd had about five too: 'I'm so happy I can say that and you can say it and no one came to shoot us down, no judgement. We've had about the same amount of abortions.' As far as Lily is concerned, she used to 'get pregnant all the time'. Belatedly she had an IUD coil fitted, which sorted out the problem, but you have to wonder, might she have thought of that earlier? Whatever; she's fine about her abortions and rather impatient with the sort of people who feel they have to justify them. For her it's 'Just: 'I don't want a f***ing baby right now.' Literally: ''Don't want a baby' is enough reason.' And there you have it, folks. I don't think I've ever heard the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 so thoroughly trashed. Sir David Steel, if you're reading, how does it make you feel? Because under the actual legislation, according to the government, 'a pregnancy may be lawfully terminated by a registered medical practitioner, in approved premises, if two medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that the abortion is justified under one or more grounds.' Of the grounds it mentions, all but 2 per cent are justified under the following criterion: 'That the pregnancy has not exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.' So, two practitioners, likely justified each of Lily's five abortions on the basis that continuing with the pregnancy would have risked injury to her physical or mental health. And in all but a very few cases we're talking about mental health. And now here's proof, if anyone needed it, that absolutely anything, but anything, qualifies. If Lily says she doesn't want to be pregnant, end of. Literally. Sometimes, you have to wonder if the sex education to which young people are subjected in British schools is a bit deficient. Actually scrap that – I think the problem may be with the biology classes. Because the bit of the textbook that describes the foetal journey from zygote to looking like a kidney bean – but with discernibly human characteristics – right up to the curled-up baby that is about to make its way into the world may not have made sufficiently clear that it's a process without any obvious breaks. There isn't a point where the foetus all of a sudden has an existential moment and finds it is human. That, as Peter Jones pointed out in this magazine, was an Aristotle thing; he thought that the foetus sprang into full humanity at 40 days (90 for girls). Perhaps Lily has a similar approach, whereby she feels that the foetus is only human if she says it is. That is, if the pregnancy is wanted. Otherwise, it's an inconvenience. It's this caprice that drives me nuts. A foetus is simply a human being in the process of development and growth. It doesn't become human if it's a wanted pregnancy; it just is. And if you kill it – because, I am afraid, that is what abortion entails – then you're committing a kind of pre-natal homicide. Many people think that it's justifiable in 'crisis' pregnancies, but there's no getting away from it; abortion is a morally weighty act. Obviously abortion is more distressing and more unpleasant to all concerned, including the foetus, if the later pregnancy is advanced, and most abortions happen by ten-weeks' gestation – though over 500 happen after 22 weeks in case of disability. But terminating the life of a prenatal human being is serious; it's not something to do lightly. And it's not something for a bloody girly podcast where neither party seems to understand what's entailed. Miquita described her abortion as her 'contraceptive journey' which makes you wonder whether all that sex education was wasted. After the Antoniazzi amendment was passed the other week, whereby MPs gave women a free pass to do absolutely anything in terms of her own pregnancy right up to birth ('these women should be treated with care and compassion'), I was on a radio programme with a woman journalist who'd had an abortion at over five weeks and declared that she was really troubled by the fact that abortion wasn't decriminalised under the Abortion Act; rather it was allowed in only exceptional circumstances. This, she felt, was a stigma which bothered her. But what this podcast makes clear is that the stigma is illusory, as illusory as the terms of the Abortion Act. Lily doesn't care; she minds that there are weird people out there who think she should. And so this female Moloch went on to see off her 'four or five' pregnancies before finally having two delightful girls, Ethel and Marnie, with her ex-husband. She doesn't see that it's a problem. And that, folks, is why there are up to a quarter of a million abortions a year, and counting, even at a time when contraception is practically forced on teenagers. Lots and lots and lots of people don't think it matters. But it does. PS. The really interesting feature of the report on this on Mail online is that it involves no censure of anyone involved. The Antoniazzi amendment is written up in the article as a liberating development. Readers affected by the issues are invited to get in touch with BPAS, the abortion provider. Once, the Mail would have been outraged. That it apparently isn't, tells us everything.
The Herald Scotland
29-06-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Why Scotland must press on with abortion law reform
Yet that risk had existed for more than 160 years. Underpinned by the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 – a law passed by an all-male parliament before women had the right to vote – having an 'illegal' abortion outside of tightly controlled circumstances was a crime that carried with it a maximum life sentence. Despite decades of progress in both abortion provision and public opinion, the threat of prosecution remained. Last week's vote in Westminster is welcome progress, but as abortion law is devolved in Scotland, the change will only apply to women in England and Wales. This means that Scotland now stands as the only nation in the UK that has not moved to remove abortion from the criminal law. That must change. Read more: No qualified surgeons on panel to advise Scottish Government Minister criticised for backtracking on abortion care comments 'Only one Scottish doctor is trained in surgical care to legal limit' When I co-founded Back Off Scotland in 2020 to end protests outside abortion facilities, I was struck to learn how out-of-step our laws were with how abortion care is actually provided. Despite important innovations in abortion provision – such as the introduction of telemedical abortion – Scotland's legal framework remains stuck in the 20th Century. Our abortion law – the Abortion Act 1967 – is now almost 60 years old. Whilst this was revolutionary piece of legislation in the sixties, it is now no longer fit for purpose. Under this law, all abortions still require two doctors' signatures, and women must meet specific legal criteria to qualify for an abortion. In practice, this means that simply not wanting to be pregnant is not a valid reason to have an abortion. Despite this, Scotland has taken bold steps to improve abortion access in the past: for example, through the introduction of telemedicine during the pandemic. Introduced at pace by the Scottish Government to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus and ensure that those who needed an abortion were still able to access one during the pandemic, the temporary introduction of Early Medical Abortion at Home (EMAH) in March 2020 meant that women under 12 weeks' gestation were able to take both abortion medications – mifepristone and misoprostol – at home if strict criteria were met following a remote teleconsultation. Off the back of calls from various medical bodies and women's rights groups, as well as evidence from the largest study on telemedical abortion in the world which found this method of care to be 'safe, effective, and improves care', provisions were made permanent in Scotland in 2022. Whilst Scotland led the way in some areas, in others we've fallen far behind. Perhaps most notably in sending women to England for abortion beyond 20 weeks' gestation. One woman every four days has to travel from Scotland to a BPAS clinic in England to access abortion care because no health board provides care up to the legal limit of 24 weeks' gestation – a shameful stain on our pro-choice country. The reasons that women seek abortion after 20 weeks are complex and varied, but often involve devastating life changes, medical diagnoses, and delayed recognition of pregnancy. Yet the NHS in Scotland abandons these women, and over the years, thousands have had to make this journey despite being legally entitled to receive this care in Scotland. In 2014, government-commissioned research into Scottish womens' experiences of travelling to England for care was published. The findings were bleak and improving solutions to access these abortions were described by researchers as a 'necessity'. Despite warm words and countless commitments from the Scottish Government, this status-quo has gone unchanged for decades and caused untold levels of harm to the women who have had to make this journey. In 2023 when Humza Yousaf was standing to become leader of the SNP, Back Off Scotland wrote to him asking him to make three key pledges: to implement buffer zones, to stop the practice of sending women to England for abortion care by ensuring services can be accessed within Scotland, and to decriminalise abortion. He pledged to deliver all three, but only the first has been achieved. When Humza committed to decriminalising abortion, we seized the moment. Together with 18 pro-choice partners, such as Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, Engender, and the Humanist Society Scotland, we wrote to him calling for a full review of abortion law in Scotland, with a view to modernising it in the coming years. The government responded, and established an Expert Group in 2024. That group is now at work and is expected to deliver its findings and recommendations in the coming months. This review will bring much needed clarity to the status of abortion law in Scotland. As abortion in Scotland is governed by common law, there is widespread confusion and uncertainty over whether a woman could be prosecuted as they have been in England. This uncertainty was further exacerbated following the recent publication of guidance from the UK National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), which suggested that women experiencing pregnancy loss should have their homes and digital devices checked, as well as their medical records and reproductive tracking devices investigated to see if any laws had been broken. Whilst there was rightly national outcry about this, it remains unclear whether the guidance applies to Scotland and whether Police Scotland would be prepared to use similar tactics to those used by English police forces who have criminalised women under abortion offences. A review into abortion law has never been more pressing or urgent. With public backing, political will, and expert consensus behind abortion law reform, the momentum is undeniable. After last week's historic vote in Westminster, the time for Scotland to reform our outdated abortion law is now. Lucy Grieve is Co-Founder of Back Off Scotland, and Policy and Engagement Manager at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.
Refinery29
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Refinery29
Abortion Has Now Been Decriminalised — But Our Fight Is Not Over Yet
'I'm just going to leave you for a moment to process your thoughts and feelings,' my partner said to me after he'd gleefully waved at the news on his phone. 'Let's pop some fizz!' The breaking news: On Tuesday evening, MPs had voted — 379 votes to 137 — to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales. MP Tonia Antoniazzi proposed amendment NC1 to the Criminal Justice Bill. In short: women can no longer be prosecuted at any stage for having an abortion. I needed a moment, just like many other women and people with uteruses across the country. A moment to feel the exhaustion of fighting for our reproductive rights lift slightly. A moment to feel in charge of our own bodies, finally. Until this week, abortion was still technically a criminal offence under a Victorian law called the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Although, in practice, termination is allowed under the Abortion Act 1967. Access to abortion involves the requirement of two doctors' signatures and carried out within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. This will remain the same and doctors who act outside of the law will still face the threat of prosecution but now, thanks to this law change, women will not. It marks the biggest step forward in reproductive rights in nearly 60 years. But it's not over yet. Labour MP Stella Creasy had proposed a different change which if passed instead would've meant abortion in England and Wales, just like in Northern Ireland, would be a human right. It would've meant protection to all of those involved. It would've protected access for all and in every form. It would've meant full decriminalisation under amendment NC20. Back in 2019, Refinery29 journalists — Vicky Spratt, Natalie Gil and Gillian Orr, to name but a few — started an I'm A Criminal campaign, pushing for decriminalisation. Since then, we've seen prosecutions increase tenfold. Up until 2022, only three women had ever been convicted of having an illegal abortion. In the last four years, six women had been called up to court accused of ending their pregnancy. According to data obtained by The Guardian from the Crown Prosecution Service, 13 people were called to court charged with abortion-related offences in 2022, compared with four people in 2019 and three in both 2020 and 2021. Some known cases haven't been included in this data. But the most recent high profile case that had women up in arms was cleared by a jury only a few weeks ago: Nicola Parker was found not guilty after nearly five years of facing the threat of prison. Like Nicola Parker, these women faced scrutiny that should never have happened. Some faced intrusive personal questions on the stand like a criminal. Some faced the paparazzi snapping them outside of court like a criminal. Their lives were completely upended by a choice they made about their own bodies. We can only imagine how unbelievably difficult and traumatic it must've been for them then and now. So here's to all the women across England and Wales who, this week, no longer feel like criminals. Since 2019, we've seen reproductive rights being rolled back across Europe — in Poland abortion has been banned since 2020 and in Hungary women who seek an abortion must listen to the foetal heartbeat first. And we've watched from afar the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the States, and subsequently state by state remove access to abortions or make it increasingly difficult to get one. These removals have only happened in the space of a couple of years, what will the next couple bring? Complacency is not an option for us. Action can mean success. Remember when women and men across Ireland pushed to Repeal the 8th in 2018? The referendum successfully resulted in the majority of Irish citizens voting to repeal the Eighth Amendment, so abortion is now legal. So Scotland, here's looking at you now. My beloved home country needs to pass a similar amendment through Holyrood in Edinburgh. Currently, we still follow the same requirements under the Abortion Act 1967. Women can still be called a criminal for having an abortion. Let's change that. The time is now. I've now processed my thoughts and feelings on it, and the fight for our reproductive rights isn't over yet. In truth, it never will be because we know that a person's right to bodily autonomy can never be taken for granted. We also know that you can never be complacent about the right not to be pregnant.
Daily Record
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
What are Scotland's abortion laws as MPs vote to decriminalise procedure in England
MPs voted for an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday Abortion remains a contentious issue in Scotland and around the world. The majority of people have an opinion on the matter, whether it's buffer zones or a women's right to choose. After MPs voted in favour of decriminalising abortion in England and Wales at Westminster yesterday, June 17, Labour MPs called for Scotland to follow suit. Tuesday's vote on an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill put forward by Labour's Tonia Antoniazz passed by a majority of 242 votes. Now, women who terminate their pregnancy outside the current legal framework - after 24 weeks, for example - will no longer be at risk of police investigation. But anyone assisting a woman doing so outwith the rules can still be penalised. Following the vote, Lillian Jones and Joani Reid have urged the Scottish Government to make sure no woman is prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy. The Crime and Policing Bill amendment only affects England and Wales, as abortion was devolved to Holyrood in 2016. We are taking a look at the current legislation in Scotland on a topic that is fiercely debated. Abortion is permitted up to the 24th week of a pregnancy in the UK. However, there are concerns that women in Scotland can only have a termination here after 20 weeks in cases where there is either a foetal abnormality or the woman's life is at risk. The law says you can have an abortion if two doctors approve the procedure. Often, the medics will both have to agree that having a termination would cause less damage to your physical or mental health (or that of existing children) than continuing with the pregnancy. "Most doctors will view the distress of continuing with an unwanted pregnancy as likely to be harmful," states the Sandyford Clinic in Glasgow. "However, some doctors may choose not to be involved in abortion services and referrals, in which case they must refer you to another doctor or service, who will be able to help you." Abortions after 24 weeks are available in exceptional circumstances, such as to save the life of the pregnant person, or if there has been a diagnosis of a serious or fatal foetal anomaly. You will not have to pay for either the abortion assessment clinic or the abortion procedure, provided you are entitled to receive NHS care in Scotland. But in Scotland, abortion isn't actually legal and it is not technically in the hands of the women involved, as the two doctors have to approve the procedure. The healthcare procedure is still criminalised under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, and only allowed in certain circumstances under the Abortion Act 1967. On the House of Commons amendment, East Kilbride and Strathaven MP Reid said: "[Abortion] is an offence created by the courts alone north of the border, but it's one that the Scottish parliament can legislate to abolish... "There is a balance of risks, and I think that the greater injustice is the thought of our police, our prosecution services, and our courts relentlessly pursuing women who have had an abortion and women who, through error, misunderstanding, or sheer desperation, find themselves accused of a crime they scarcely knew existed." The Scottish Government has set up an expert group to review the law on abortion and advise on whether it should be changed. The group will report next year. The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill came into effect in September, creating 'buffer zones' around medical facilities where terminations are performed, to stop anti-abortion protesters gathering. The legislation was introduced by Green MSP Gillian Mackay and is aimed at protecting women from harassment when they attend these facilities. US Vice President JD Vance claimed that the Scottish Governemnt were sending letters to residents in the buffer zones 'warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law'. His comments were branded 'ludicrous' and 'wrong' by Health Secretary Neil Gray. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
New Straits Times
18-06-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
UK MPs vote to decriminalise abortion for women in all cases
LONDON: UK MPs have voted to end contentious prosecutions of women in England and Wales for terminating a pregnancy, paving the way for a huge overhaul of how the country's abortion laws are enforced. Currently, a woman can face criminal charges for choosing to end a pregnancy after 24 weeks or without the approval of two doctors, under laws which technically still carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The issue has gained attention in the UK due to recent court cases. In one, a woman was cleared by a jury at trial, while another was released from prison on appeal. MPs voted by a majority of 242 on Tuesday in favour of an amendment put forward by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, which would ensure that no woman would be criminally pursued for terminating her own pregnancy at any time – even though the amendment leaves the underlying abortion laws unchanged. The full crime and policing bill must now be voted on by parliament and then pass the upper House of Lords before becoming law. "Women are currently being arrested from hospital bed to police cell and facing criminal investigations on suspicion of ending their own pregnancy," Antoniazzi told AFP. "My amendment would put a stop to this," she said, adding it was "the right amendment at the right time." Abortion in England and Wales is a criminal offence under the Offences Against the Person Act, passed in 1861 during the Victorian age and which theoretically carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The Abortion Act 1967 made terminations legal in certain circumstances, including by permitting it up to 23 weeks and six days of gestation if done by an authorised provider. Abortions are allowed in limited circumstances after this time, such as if the mother's life is in danger or there is a "substantial risk" the child could be born with a serious disability. An update to the law introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic allows women to take abortion pills at home up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy. In May, Nicola Packer was acquitted after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the 10-week legal limit. The 45-year-old told jurors during her trial, which came after a four-year police investigation, that she did not realise she had been pregnant for so long. "It was horrendous giving evidence, absolutely awful," she told The Guardian newspaper last month. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has however called the proposed amendment "the greatest threat to unborn babies in decades." Antoniazzi's amendment will not change any of the laws regarding the provision of abortion services, including the time limits. And anyone assisting a woman in getting an abortion outside the remits of the law, such as medical practitioners, will still be liable for prosecution. Some 50 organisations, including abortion providers, medical colleges, and women's rights groups, have backed the amendment. They say six women have appeared in court in England charged with ending or attempting to end their own pregnancy outside abortion law in the last three years. Carla Foster was jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant. The Court of Appeal eventually suspended her sentence. Antoniazzi said police have investigated "more than 100 women for suspected illegal abortion in the last five years including women who've suffered natural miscarriages and stillbirths." "This is just wrong. It's a waste of taxpayers money, it's a waste of the judiciary's time, and it's not in the public interest," she told the BBC Tuesday. When asked about the vote, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday that women have the right to a "safe and legal abortion." Northern Ireland decriminalised abortion for women in 2019. Scotland is currently reviewing its abortion laws.
