UK MP introduces amendment to allow abortion up to birth

A member of the UK parliament has introduced an amendment to the Report Stage of the Crime and Policing Bill that would decriminalize abortion by removing legal penalties for women who procure an abortion at any stage of pregnancy. If approved, it would allow women to carry out “self-managed” abortions through all 40 weeks of pregnancy with no penalties.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• An MP in the UK introduced an amendment that would remove penalties for women who procure an abortion at any point in pregnancy up to 40 weeks.

• Currently, abortion is legal in the UK for any reason up to 24 weeks, and after 24 weeks for exceptions such as medical emergency or fetal diagnosis.

• A new study found that women who undergo abortions with the drug mifepristone (the first drug of the abortion pill regimen) are 22x more likely to suffer adverse effects than the Food and Drug Administration states.

• If approved, the amendment would increase the number of late-term abortions in the UK and potentially lead to more complications for women.

THE DETAILS:

Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi has introduced an amendment to a criminal justice bill that the Right to Life UK is describing as “the biggest threat to unborn children since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967.” The pro-life organization said the amendment would change the law to completely decriminalize abortion and allow women to commit their own abortions for any reason at any point during pregnancy.

According to Right to Life UK, it would also allow women to lie to abortionists about how far along they are in pregnancy.

“This would permit abortion up to birth, even for reasons such as the sex of the baby…It removes all legal safeguards and protections for the unborn child,” said Right to Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson.

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Antoniazzi claims she created the amendment in an attempt to prevent women from being prosecuted for miscarriage, medical emergency during pregnancy, and pregnancy loss. However, if passed, the amendment could cause a rise in the number of babies killed in late-term DIY abortions, the number of babies born alive and left to die, and abortion-related complications for women.

The pro-abortion Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) supports the amendment.

“Abortion law in England and Wales is the oldest healthcare law in existence and means that a woman can be prosecuted for ending her own pregnancy,” said RCOG president Dr. Ranee Thakar. “Abortion that happens outside of the current law [illegal abortions] generally involves very vulnerable women — including those facing domestic abuse, mental health challenges or barriers to accessing NHS care. Yet alarmingly, prosecutions of women have been increasing in recent years.”

Vulnerable women do not need abortion, and claiming that they do puts pressure on them to have an abortion if they do become pregnant, wrongly believing that they are incapable of being good mothers. Rather than expanding the abortion law to allow these vulnerable women to commit dangerous DIY abortions at home at any point in pregnancy, UK lawmakers should be working to provide them with life-affirming resources and support.

A recent study, “The Abortion Pill Harms Women,” published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), found that nearly 11% of women (10.93%) experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other serious or life-threatening adverse events following a mifepristone abortion [the abortion pill]. The risks increase with the child’s gestational age.

Right to Life UK has launched an emergency campaign, No Abortion Up to Birth, to urge lawmakers not to vote in favor of the amendment.

THE BOTTOM LINE: 

Abortion is currently legal in the UK for any reason up to 24 weeks under the Abortion Act of 1967 and remains legal after 24 weeks for exceptions such as prenatal diagnosis. This amendment would remove penalties associated with self-administered abortions to allow women to commit their own abortions at any time during pregnancy for any reason, potentially increasing the number of babies killed and women injured.