Now is the time for abortion law reform

In the UK, most people are pro-choice. Yet abortion has been thrust into public consciousness in recent years. There has been a sharp rise in criminal investigations, with multiple women accused of ending their own pregnancies outside the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 (which makes abortion legal only if certain criteria are met). These investigations and prosecutions have taken place against a global backdrop in which the anti-choice movement is ramping up activity, while the United States and parts of Europe, most notably Hungary, have been rolling back reproductive rights. Conversely, there has been a corresponding ‘green wave’, with abortion decriminalised in Australia and Mexico, France legally recognising abortion as a human right, and Poland taking steps towards undoing the restrictions imposed under previous governments.

Our lawmakers have a choice to make. Do they want to be part of the ‘green wave’, moving gender equality forward? Or do they want to see prosecutions of vulnerable women on their watch? There is a clear consensus among medical bodies, royal colleges, human rights organisations, abortion providers, gender equality campaigners, and gender-based violence charities, many of whom signed the joint letter from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) calling for a change in the law. It cannot be right that in 2025, people are prosecuted and even jailed for ending their own pregnancies.

Why we support Amendment NC1

Indeed, MPs in Westminster already voted to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland in 2019, and they now have an opportunity to do the same for England and Wales. Amendment NC1 should be a simple reform for MPs to support. It wouldn’t change any aspect of abortion law, except that the person ending their own pregnancy would no longer face prosecution. It wouldn’t change time limits, service provision, regulation, safety, or licensing.

Right now, the urgent priority for abortion law reform is to support the women who are being investigated by the police on suspicion of having an unlawful abortion. Among those who have been investigated so far are domestic abuse survivors, possible trafficking survivors, and women who have experienced miscarriages and stillbirths. Even when all charges are dropped, they’ve been subjected to distressing investigations into the most intimate details of their lives, been separated from their children, and often had their names made public in the press or on social media. Some women have received death threats after being investigated by the police.

As one of the world’s largest abortion providers, we know that criminalising abortion doesn’t end the need for it. All criminalisation does is make abortion less safe – and put lives in danger. Even in places with incredibly restrictive abortion laws, like Texas in the US, it is highly unusual to prosecute the person who ended their own pregnancy (rather than those who assisted or provided an abortion).

If you support reproductive rights, gender equality, and the human right to healthcare, join us in our call for MPs to back Amendment NC1 to the Crime and Policing Bill.

How can you support abortion law reform?

• Write to your MP and tell them you support NC1. You can find our template letter and ‘write to your MP’ tool here: Ask your MP to support abortion law reform
• Talk to your friends and family about abortion law reform and ask them to write to their MPs too.
• Follow us and share our posts on social media to shout your support loud and proud! You can find us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blue Sky and X.