House of Lords Retains Abortion Decriminalization Clause

The House of Lords has voted to retain a controversial provision in the Crime and Policing Bill that would decriminalize women in England and Wales from performing their own abortions at any stage of pregnancy, up to and including birth. The decision came late Tuesday evening, as peers rejected two amendments aimed at removing or altering the clause by margins of 185 to 148 and 191 to 119, respectively, paving the way for the bill to advance toward royal assent.

The provision, known as Clause 208, originated as a backbench amendment introduced by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi in the House of Commons last June. It passed with a majority of 242 votes during a brief 46-minute debate on a bill primarily focused on issues like radicalization, antisocial behavior, and sexual offenses. If enacted, the clause would repeal parts of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, under which women have faced prosecution for self-inducing abortions outside legal frameworks. Currently, abortions in England and Wales are permitted up to 24 weeks with approval from two doctors, or later in cases of severe fetal abnormality or risk to the mother's life. The new measure would exempt women from criminal...