Abortion laws in England, Scotland, and Wales are not fit for purpose, they must be reformed to prevent further criminalisation of women who seek abortions, writes Diana Johnson
This June, a woman was sentenced to 28 months in jail for ending her own pregnancy using medication during the UK’s first lockdown in 2020.1
In the UK, where 90% of the population are pro-choice,2 the use of an archaic Victorian era law the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 to prosecute a vulnerable woman in 2023 left many asking how this happened and calling for urgent reform to our abortion laws.
The Offences Against the Person Act3 was passed in a time that afforded women little to no legal rights or autonomy and is the oldest part of our healthcare legislation. In my view, and in those of many of my colleagues across the House of Commons, it is totally unfit for purpose.
I’ve raised …