Abortion Til Birth Threat Returns

The threat to introduce abortion until birth all over the UK has returned. On Tuesday 28 November 2023, Labour MPs Dame Diana Johnson and Stella Creasy tabled amendments NC1 and NC2 respectively to the Government’s Criminal Justice Bill. Both amendments would decriminalise abortion.

On 25 January 2024, these amendments were debated at Committee stage and withdrawn. Now, Diana Johnson (pictured) has tabled a very similar amendment, in the hope that it will be debated by MPs at Report stage. The earliest this can now happen is 22nd April.

The text of Diana Johnson’s amendment, New Clause 1, is:

To move the following Clause—

“Removal of women from the criminal law related to abortion.

For the purposes of sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929, no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy.”

This would mean a woman could carry out her own abortion at any time, for any reason. While the explanatory note claims that the amendment “would not change any law regarding the provision of abortion services within a healthcare setting, including but not limited to the time limit”, more than half of abortions are now carried out by a woman in her own home, under the pills by post policy. A woman who took abortion pills at home at any stage of pregnancy, even just before natural birth, and so ended the life of a full term baby, would not commit any offence.

Pro-Life campaigners must redouble efforts to show that, behind the propaganda about 'choice' is a renewed threat to legalise the murder of babies at every stage of pregnancy. No unborn baby will be safe if this amendment is passed