Stop criminalising women for having an abortion
In the UK, one in three women will have an abortion by the age of 45 and 90% of the population is pro-choice.
Abortion is recognised as a safe and common form of healthcare – but in Britain, access is still determined by a law passed in 1861, before women even had the right to vote.
If women access abortion outside of specific legal limits, they can be sent to prison. It’s time to bring abortion law into the 21st century. Ask your MP to support abortion law reform.
In the coming weeks, Members of the UK Parliament will have the opportunity to vote for Diana Johnson’s amendment (NC1) to the Criminal Justice Bill, which would mean that no one in England and Wales would be criminalised for ending their own pregnancy.
Abortion is one of the very few forms of healthcare still written into criminal law. The 1967 Abortion Act made abortion legal under specific circumstances, but if someone accesses an abortion outside of these parameters, they could face a police investigation or even jail time.
There have been recent cases where women in the UK have suffered pregnancy loss and were then accused of having an abortion outside the legal limits. They deserved to be treated with compassion and care, but instead faced invasive police investigations, with some even separated from their children, until the charges were dropped.
We believe it is never in the public interest to prosecute someone for ending their own pregnancy. Please ask your MP to support NC1 and stop sending women to prison for having an abortion.
Across 37 countries, we’re working to provide reproductive healthcare and advocate for reproductive rights, supporting over 90,000 people with their reproductive choices every single day. With your help, we can go further.