British Parliament Votes to Decriminalize Late-Term Abortions in Landmark Move

In a historic and deeply divisive move, the British Parliament has taken its first stride toward decriminalizing late-term abortions in England and Wales. On Tuesday, the House of Commons voted 379-137 in favor of an amendment to a broader crime bill, which would shield women from prosecution for abortions performed after the current legal limit of 24 weeks, potentially even up to the moment of birth. This is a seismic shift in a landscape where exceptions beyond 24 weeks are currently limited to extreme cases, such as protecting the mother’s life.

The amendment, spearheaded by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, is framed as a compassionate response to the plight of over 100 women investigated in the past five years for suspected illegal abortions. Antoniazzi passionately argued that dragging vulnerable women through the criminal justice system serves no public good—calling it not justice, but cruelty. Her words strike at the heart of a debate that pits personal autonomy against societal ethics.

Yet, this decision is far from universally celebrated. Critics, including Alithea Williams of the UK Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, have decried the vote as extreme and barbaric. They warn that the amendment could effectively erase legal protections for a child even during delivery, raising profound moral questions about where the line should be drawn. Williams also pointed a finger at the abortion lobby, accusing them of exploiting a crisis they helped create by pushing for mail-order abortion pills—a policy that has led to prosecutions for late-term terminations.

The backdrop to this debate is a policy shift during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed women to access abortion pills by mail for pregnancies up to 10 weeks. However, this has opened a Pandora’s box, with cases emerging of women using these pills far beyond the legal limit. One harrowing case involved a mother of three sentenced to two years in prison for inducing an abortion at around eight months in 2023. An appeals court later reduced her sentence, releasing her with a call for compassion over punishment—a sentiment that echoes the complexity of this issue.

As the crime bill moves to the House of Lords, where it can be delayed but not stopped, the nation watches. This isn’t just about law; it’s about the soul of society, the balance between protection and freedom, and the weight of choices made in the most intimate of circumstances.