The UK parliament has taken its first major step towards reproductive rights for women in 60 years and voted to decriminalise abortion.
The amendment, which called for the decriminalisation of abortion beyond the 24-week mark, was put forward by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi.
In a landslide vote, British MPs voted 379 in favour of decriminalising abortion, while 137 voted against the bill.
Based on this historic passing, women who terminate their pregnancy outside the rules (24 week mark), will no longer be at risk of being investigated by the police or be subject to a life sentence.
However, medical professionals who assist women in obtaining an abortion outside the 24-week limit could still face prosecution.
While presenting the amendment, Antoniazzi highlighted the recent cases of Nicola Packet, Carla Foster, Bethany Cox and other women who had been penalised and sentenced to prison for terminating their pregnancies.
UK repeals 19th-century law
In the amendment passed by British MPs, parts of the 1861 law will be revoked. The bill was originally passed by an all-male parliament that deemed that ending a pregnancy was a crime.
In 1967, this law was amended and permitted abortion in certain circumstances. However, the potential life sentence for women who terminated their pregnancy beyond the 24-week limit remained vulnerable.
The Labour MP added that the 19th century law had resulted in investigations being launched against 100 women in the past five years. The MP added that the majority of the cases were against women who had given birth prematurely or were forced into abortions by abusive partners.
“Each one of these cases is a travesty enabled by our outdated abortion law. This is not justice, it is cruelty, and it has got to end,” she was quoted as saying.
The bill will now move to the House of Commons and then the House of Lords to be implemented into a law.
(With agency inputs)
