UK MPs eye decriminalising abortion for women in all cases

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00:00MPs in the UK are voting on an overhaul of abortion laws in England and Wales this Tuesday,

00:06something that could end contentious prosecutions of women for terminating a pregnancy.

00:11Currently, a woman can face criminal charges for ending pregnancy after 24 weeks or without

00:17the approval of two doctors.

00:19The laws technically still carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

00:24Calls for reform have increased in recent years, alongside an increased number of prosecutions

00:29of women suspected of illegal abortion.

00:32For more, we can cross live to our correspondent in London, Benedict Paviot.

00:37Benedict, tell us more about the law as it stands now, because it's quite complicated, isn't it?

00:42And also add, what's at stake here with these amendments in the House of Commons?

00:49Well, a great deal is at stake.

00:52As you said, I mean, this looks like it could be the biggest change to UK abortion laws in

00:58nearly 60 years, so considerably.

01:01Currently, abortion is illegal in England and Wales, with prosecutions relying on legislation

01:07from 1861, in fact.

01:10So under most circumstances, a termination is, the word is, allowed up to 24 weeks, and beyond

01:17that, if a woman's life is at risk.

01:19In any case, two doctors need to sign off an abortion.

01:23So we have two potential amendments that will be debated, possibly voted on this afternoon.

01:29Two Labour MPs, Tonya Antoniazzi and Stella Creasy, have tabled rival amendments.

01:35Now, it's important to say that MPs are usually given a free vote on abortion, meaning they do not

01:40have to follow a party line on the subject.

01:43And among the organisations supporting a change in the law are the Royal College of Surgeons,

01:48the Royal College of Nursing, and the BMA, the British Medical Association.

01:52And so there is a lot of attention that is suddenly being paid to this.

01:58As I said, it really takes two doctors in order to get, to be able to have an abortion.

02:05And what has happened is that recent law changes have allowed women to access pills to be taken

02:11at home to terminate their pregnancies under 10 weeks.

02:15As far as data is concerned, in 2022, the most recent data available says that 252,122 abortions

02:24were reported in England and Wales.

02:26That's the highest number since records began.

02:29And what we know is that six women have appeared in court in England charged with ending or attempting

02:35to end their own pregnancy outside abortion law in the past three years.

02:39It was zero previously.

02:41And tell us more then about these two amendments that are being looked at today.

02:45What does each of them state and what kind of support do they have?

02:49Well, Tonya Antoniazzi's amendment aims to prevent women from being investigated, arrested,

02:56prosecuted or imprisoned for terminating their own pregnancies.

02:59She's argued that the investigations are, quote, dehumanizing, prolonged, and that the

03:05women forced to endure them are often extraordinarily vulnerable.

03:09She says and points out and underlines that those investigated can, in fact, be victims of

03:15domestic abuse and violence, also human trafficking and sexual exploitation, or women who have given

03:22birth prematurely.

03:23Her amendment would keep punishments for medical professionals and violent partners who end

03:28a pregnancy outside of the existing law.

03:31And as far as Stella Creasy's amendment, she's put forward a rival amendment, which it has

03:37to be said currently has less support than the other one.

03:41And that would enshrine abortion access, in fact, as a human right.

03:45It also aims to prevent women who have terminated their own pregnancies from being investigated.

03:50And Ms Creasy says that her amendment goes further than her Labour colleagues' proposal by offering

03:57what she calls protection to all those involved in ensuring that women can access safe and

04:02legal abortions.

04:04We've just learned that the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, will make

04:07a statement late afternoon, about 4pm London time, and he will pick one or both amendments

04:13to be debated by MPs and also which one to vote on.

04:18So we will see and stand by to see what is decided by the Speaker of the House.

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