UK Lawmakers Vote to Decriminalize Abortion Up to Birth, Sparking Outcry Over Removal of Protections for Unborn Children
by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – British lawmakers on Tuesday approved one of the most radical changes to abortion law in the nation’s history, voting to decriminalize abortion at any stage of pregnancy.
In a 379–137 vote, the House of Commons backed an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that scraps key parts of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which for over 160 years protected unborn children by making abortion a crime punishable by life imprisonment.
Pro-life advocates warn that the vote effectively removes the last remaining legal safeguards for healthy, viable unborn babies—even those at full-term. “Under changes ushered in by the UK Parliament yesterday, it will no longer be a crime to kill healthy, viable, unborn babies at 34 weeks, 37 weeks, or even at full term,” said Lois McLatchie Miller, a British pro-life campaigner, in a statement on X.
Critics described the vote as rushed and dangerous, noting that it followed just 46 minutes of backbench debate, with only 13 MPs speaking. “I am pro-choice,” said Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, “but can scarcely believe that Parliament voted to decriminalise abortions of healthy babies up to full term. Labour MPs cheered when the vote passed.”
The amendment, introduced by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, was promoted as a response to cases like that of Carla Foster, who was convicted last year after self-administering abortion pills late in pregnancy. Foster, who was around eight months pregnant when she took the pills during lockdown, was originally sentenced to prison before her sentence was reduced on appeal. Yet pro-life advocates argue that such prosecutions are rare—only three in the last 164 years—while the law provides vital protections against dangerous and unethical practices.
Right to Life UK and other pro-life organizations condemned the measure. “This amendment changes the law so it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason, including sex-selective purposes, and at any point up to and during birth,” the group said. They warned the change is likely to lead to a rise in unsafe late-term abortions at home, putting both mothers and babies at risk.
Rebecca Paul, a Conservative MP, highlighted the dangers of the change: “If this becomes law, fully developed babies up to term could be aborted by a woman with no consequences.”
Despite the amendment, procedural requirements under the 1967 Abortion Act—including the 24-week limit for most abortions and the need for approval by two doctors—remain in place for medical professionals. Doctors who perform abortions outside that framework could still face prosecution. However, pro-life groups fear that the removal of criminal penalties for women opens the door to more late-term abortions with little or no oversight.
The bill now moves to the House of Lords, where pro-life advocates hope peers will block or amend the measure. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said the vote represented a “betrayal of the most vulnerable members of society—the unborn.”
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss echoed these concerns, posting on social media: “This is horrifying. It needs to be reversed. This is not what our country believes or stands for.”
If approved by the Lords and granted royal assent, the bill would bring England and Wales in line with some of the most extreme abortion regimes in Europe, critics say, far beyond the limits supported by most Britons. According to polling, while the majority of the public supports legal abortion, they oppose extending the limit beyond the current 24-week threshold.
Pro-life organizations are urging citizens to contact members of the House of Lords to oppose the bill and stand up for the rights of both mothers and their unborn children.
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