Center Statement on UK Vote to End Criminalisation of Women for Abortion in England and Wales
GENEVA, 18.06.2025—In an important step forward, the UK House of Commons has voted to adopt an amendment that will end the criminalisation of women who obtain abortions outside of legal pathways in England and Wales. The vote marks an important step towards advancing long-overdue reform of the outdated abortion laws that are in place in much of the UK. The amendment was adopted as part of the wider Crime and Policing Bill currently under consideration in Parliament.
Under current laws, abortion in England, Scotland and Wales remains a criminal offence unless women meet the strict legal requirements set out in the Abortion Act of 1967. Laws impose sanctions of up to life imprisonment for women who breach the terms of the Act. Unlike most other European countries, in these three UK jurisdictions abortion is not available on request, and women require the approval of two doctors to access care.
The continued criminalisation of women exposed them to legal risk, deterred some from seeking medical care, and created uncertainty for healthcare providers, particularly in cases of pregnancy loss or self-managed abortion. In recent years, there have been an unprecedented number of investigations and prosecutions of women for ending their own pregnancies, including a number of criminal convictions. The amendment does not affect those who assist women with access to abortion care, and medical workers will remain subject to criminal sanctions if they provide abortion care outside of current legislation.
“Today’s vote marks an important milestone. In the near future, women living in England and Wales will no longer face the threat of criminal prosecution for having an abortion,” said Kei Yoshida, Senior Legal Advisor at the Center for Reproductive Rights Europe. “This moves England and Wales closer to compliance with international public health and human rights standards and is a very positive development. However, even with this change, British law still lags behind public health guidelines and laws in other European countries as well Australia, Canada and New Zealand, where abortion is available on request.
In 2019, abortion was almost fully decriminalised in Northern Ireland and abortion on request was legalised, meaning that laws in England, Scotland and Wales remain out of step with regulations in that part of the UK.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mihela Kralj, Senior Communications Manager for Europe, Center for Reproductive Rights: [email protected]
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