In a seismic shift for reproductive rights in the UK, MPs have voted overwhelmingly to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, marking the most significant legal reform in the area since the 1967 Abortion Act.
Following an emotional and deeply charged debate in the House of Commons, the amendment — tabled by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi — passed by 379 votes to 137.
Contrary to claims from opponents, the move does not change the current access to abortion services. The framework of the 1967 Act remains in place: abortion is still only legal up to 24 weeks with sign-off from two doctors, and permitted in limited cases beyond that threshold.
What Antoniazzi’s amendment does is end the criminalisation of women who attempt to terminate their own pregnancies outside of that legal framework.
“This piece of legislation will only take women out of the criminal justice system because they are vulnerable and they need our help,” Antoniazzi told MPs. “As I have said before, and I will say it again, just what public interest is this serving? This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.”
The vote follows years of mounting pressure over the continued use of sections of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, a law passed by an all-male Parliament, which has been increasingly used to investigate, arrest, and prosecute women — often after miscarriages, stillbirths, or delayed terminations.
“Each one of these cases is a travesty, enabled by our outdated abortion law,” Antoniazzi said, per The Independent. “Originally passed by an all-male parliament elected by men alone, this Victorian law is increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls.”
Antoniazzi referenced numerous recent cases, including Nicola Packer, who was cleared just last month after a five-year legal battle that began when she took prescribed abortion pills at around 26 weeks pregnant.
“To waste five years of my life that I’m never going to get back, I don’t know how anybody could justify that,” Packer said after her acquittal, per The Guardian. “I would not wish this on anyone. It has been the worst four and a half years of my life.”
Another woman, Carla Foster, was jailed in 2023 for ending her pregnancy between 32 and 34 weeks. Her sentence was later suspended after senior judges ruled her case “calls for compassion, not punishment.”
“We know multiple women are still in the system, awaiting a decision, accused of breaking this law,” Antoniazzi told the Commons. “They cannot afford to wait.”
Pro-choice campaigners call the vote a “landmark moment”
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which has been campaigning since 2016 to decriminalise abortion, celebrated the vote as a victory for compassion and common sense.
“There will be no more women investigated after enduring a miscarriage, no more women dragged from their hospital beds to the back of a police van, no more women separated from their children because of our archaic abortion law,” said Heidi Stewart, BPAS CEO.
“This is a hard-won victory,” she added, “and we thank all those who have campaigned alongside us, and in particular those women, like Nicola Packer, who have spoken out about their traumatic experiences in the hope of achieving the change parliament has delivered today.”
Medical leaders praise a turning point in women’s healthcare
“This sends a powerful signal that women’s rights and autonomy matter,” said Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
“At a time when we’re seeing rollbacks on reproductive rights, most notably in the United States, this crucial milestone sends a powerful message that our lawmakers are standing up for women,” added Louise McCudden, UK head of external affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices.
Not everyone’s on board: Conservative backlash and rejected amendments
Despite the cross-party support, the measure faced stiff opposition from Conservative and DUP MPs.
Sir Edward Leigh called it “not pro-woman” and raised fears of sex-selective abortions. DUP MP Carla Lockhart stated, “Both lives matter,” insisting the move harms women and unborn children alike.
A separate amendment from Labour MP Stella Creasy, which aimed to enshrine a broader legal right to abortion, was not voted on.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Caroline Johnson’s attempt to restrict telemedicine access for abortion was rejected after being widely condemned by medical professionals as harmful.
As Sky News reports, all Reform UK MPs opposed the amendment, with the exception of the party's leader, Nigel Farage, who abstained.
Labour leader and PM Keir Starmer - currently in Canada for the G7 summit - voiced his support for the amendment despite not being present for the vote.
“My longstanding in principle position is that women have the right to a safe and legal abortion,” he said. “It is a conscience issue, therefore it is a free vote… but I would have voted in favour.”