Getty imagesA change of law aimed at decriminalizing abortion will be debated Tuesday in the House of Commons.
Two labor deputies, Tonia Antoniazzi and Stella Creasy, have tabled rival amendments to the crime bill and the police.
President Sir Lindsay Hoyle could choose one or the two changes to be discussed by deputies, but he is likely to choose one to go to a vote.
MPs generally receive a free vote on abortion, which means that they have no party line on the subject.
What does the current law say?
The current law in England and Wales declares that abortion is illegal but granted to the first 24 weeks of pregnancy and beyond in certain circumstances as if the life of women is in danger.
The abortions must be approved by two doctors, who check if a list of criteria has been fulfilled – for example, if the pregnancy presents a risk to the physical or mental health of the woman.
Recent changes in the law allowed women to access pills to take home to terminate their pregnancies in less than 10 weeks.
In 2022, the most recent data available, 252,122 abortions were reported in England and Wales – the greatest number since the start of the recordings.
The abortion providers said they had received 100 requests for medical records for police in relation to allegedly abortion offenses in the past five years.
Last year, the MSI abortion supplier told the BBC, he was aware of 60 criminal investigations in England and Wales since 2018, against almost zero before.
Six women appeared before the court in England accused of having finished or tried to end their own pregnancy outside the right of abortion in the last three years.
Dr. Jonathan Lord, MSI medical director, said that the organization believes that the “unprecedented” number of women surveyed could be linked to the increased awareness of the police from the availability of “program pills”.
What would Tonia Antoniazzi’s amendment do?
The amendment of Tonia Antonazzi aims to prevent women from being the subject of an investigation, to stop, to continue or to imprison for having ended their own pregnancies.
She argued that the surveys are “dehumanizing and prolonged and that women forced to support them are often extraordinarily vulnerable”.
She said people surveyed may be victims of domestic violence and violence, human trafficking and sexual exploitation or women who have given birth prematurely.
“The reality is that no woman wakes up 24 weeks pregnant or more pregnant and suddenly decides to end their own pregnancy outside a hospital or a clinic.
“But some women, in desperate circumstances, make choices that many of us would find it difficult to understand. What they need is compassion and care, not the threat of criminal proceedings.”
His amendment would maintain sanctions for health professionals and violent partners who end pregnancy outside the existing law.
He received the support of 176 MPS and the main abortion suppliers.
The company for the protection of children to be born has said that the amendment is an “extreme and dangerous proposal” which “would effectively decper abortions”.
How is Stella Creasy’s amendment different?
Stella Creasy proposed a rival amendment which would devote access to abortion as human right and also aims to prevent women who have interrupted their own pregnancy.
Creasy said that his amendment went further than the proposal of his work colleague, offering “protection to all those involved in the guarantee that women can access safe and legal abortions”.
Creasy argued that Antoniazzi’s amendment would not prevent the authorities investigating “partners from people who had an abortion or doctors who provided abortions and not prevent requests for women to testify within the framework of this process”.
It is supported by 108 MPS but not the suppliers of abortion. Rachael Clarke of British Pregnancy Advisory Service said that Creasy’s amendment was not the right way to reach “generational change”.
Addressing the Radio 4 Today program last week, Ms. Clarke said that the law on abortion is “incredibly complex”, adding: “It is essential that any change in enormous changes in the law on abortion is properly taken into account.”
The Society for the Protection of Certain Children has described Creasy’s amendment as “even more extreme” than that of Antoniazzi adding: “There is no way to bring to justice an abusive partner who causes the death of a baby to be born in justice.”
