The Parliament of Britain (Britain) voted in England and Wales to free abortion from crime in England and Wales on Tuesday. This decision has come at a time when the police investigation of women who abort under the old 19th century laws is increasing.
For nearly 60 years, abortion in England and Wales is valid but it is limited to 24 -week pregnancies and for this the approval of two doctors is required. However, a law in the Victorian era provided a possible life imprisonment for women who conceived for more than 24 weeks for more than 24 weeks.
Increase in cases after Corona
In the UK, the conviction under this law is rare, but the Kovid-19 epidemic has led to an increase in prosecution after a legal change, which has been allowed to take abortion pills at home for the pregnancy of up to 10 weeks of conception.
Roots According to the report, an amendment to prevent all the prosecutors for abortion women in an independent parliamentary voting received an initial approval by a margin of 137 votes against 379 votes.
Medical professionals who help women in getting abortion outside the 24 -week limit can still be prosecuted. This amendment is part of a large bill under consideration in Parliament and can be revised or rejected in the House of Commons and House of Lords.
‘Investigation against 100 women …’
Labor MP Tonia Antoniazi said that due to the current law, investigation has been done against 100 women in the last five years. He said that in these cases there are women who gave birth to a child prematurely or who were forced to abortion by the misbehaving partners. Antoniazi told Parliament, “Each of these cases is a ridicule capable of our old abortion law. It is not justice, it is cruelty and it should be eliminated,”
However, some politicians warned against passing the proposed amendment through Parliament in a hurry, warning of potential unexpected results. Rebecca Paul, the conservative member of Parliament, said that if the amendment becomes a law, then ‘fully developed infants can be aborted by a woman without any consequences. “
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This amendment would cancel some parts of the law passed by the Parliament of all the men in 1861, which intentionally made a crime to eliminate pregnancy and determined that those who do so could be kept in punitive service throughout the life. The change in law in the year 1967 allowed abortion under some circumstances, but retained the criminal prohibition of the 19th century.
According to the Royal College of Obstetrician and Gynecologist, a dedicated organization to improve the healthcare of women, only three women in the UK were convicted for illegal abortion, between 1861 and 2022. However, since then, the police have accused 6 women and one has been sentenced to jail.