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UK abortion law reform and decriminalisation

Sign with the text: keep your laws of my body.

Home      Advocacy and Opinions      UK abortion law reform

At MSI UK we believe that, across the whole of the UK, abortion should sit outside criminal law.

Abortion is still written into criminal law in England, Scotland, and Wales*. Abortion is healthcare; it should not be a crime. No one should face prosecution for ending their own pregnancy.

In recent years, there has been a worrying rise in the number of investigations for unexplained pregnancy loss. In one instance, a woman was sent to jail for 28 months before being released on appeal after only 14. There are many circumstances which can lead to people finding themselves facing an investigation in relation to an unexplained pregnancy loss. But regardless of the circumstances, it is never in the public interest for anyone to face criminal prosecution for ending their own pregnancy.

Now is the time to decriminalise abortion.

Graphic with the text: Abortion is healthcare, it should not be a crime.

What does UK abortion law say?

In England, Scotland, and Wales, the Abortion Act 1967 makes abortion legal as long as specific criteria are met. It is possible to have an abortion up to 23 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy (this is known as gestation). Abortion is available after the usual time limit if there’s evidence of severe foetal anomaly or a significant risk to the person’s life if they continue with the pregnancy.

*In Northern Ireland, abortion was decriminalised in 2019, and the legal framework came into effect in 2020. Abortion is now unconditionally legal up to 12 weeks in Northern Ireland. After 12 weeks, the law is similar to the rest of the UK.

Whilst the Abortion Act 1967 makes abortion legal if certain criteria are met (for example, getting two doctors to sign off every abortion – this is arranged by providers like MSI UK), abortion outside these parameters remains a criminal offence under the Offences Against the Persons Act 1861 and the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929. The maximum sentence is life in prison.

Abortion is a safe and common form of healthcare. We believe that it should be regulated in the same way that any other comparable form of healthcare would be, and that it is never in the public interest to prosecute people for ending their own pregnancies. 

It is indefensible that our reproductive rights in 2024 are still governed by a Victorian law, passed before women even had the vote.

Abortion is healthcare, and healthcare is a human right. Now is the time to decriminalise abortion, across the whole of the UK.

Our asks for MPs in the UK Parliament:

  1. Support decriminalising abortion care, which in practice means the repeal of sections 58, 59, and 60 of the Offences Against the Persons Act, and the repeal of the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929, while preserving the hard-won progress which sits upon the Abortion Act 1967 such as telemedicine and conscientious objection.
  2. Engage with abortion providers and leading experts in UK abortion law on any reforms.
  3. Remove the requirement for two doctors to sign off every abortion procedure. Abortion should be available on request without conditionality or clinical justification. Medical regulations would still apply but no conditions should apply in criminal law. Decisions about whether, why, how, when, and where to have an abortion should be a matter for the person ending their own pregnancy and their doctor, not criminal law.

What can you do to help our campaign to decriminalise abortion?

  1. Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Bluesky to stay up to date with our campaign for decriminalisation
  2. Sign up to MSI Reproductive Choices’ newsletter to learn more about abortion rights around the world

Read more about our campaign for decriminalising abortion in Great Britain

MSI UK nurse walking abortion client up stairs.

Abortion law and criminal justice

Read our blog on how we recommend reforming UK abortion law.

MSI UK reproductive choice poster.

What’s next for abortion law reform

Read our blog on why our current abortion law is increasingly outdated.

Client-looking-at-MSI-clinic

Decriminalise abortion now

Read our blog on why this is the right time to decriminalise abortion in Great Britain.

Read our position paper on decriminalising abortion

This document sets out our position on decriminalisation, with six key recommendations. 

Find our latest blogs on abortion law reform

Click here to browse our advocacy blogs on abortion law reform, including our fight for the decriminalisation of abortion across the UK.

Wins and milestones for abortion law reform

Success in abortion law reform: the introduction of at-home abortion care

In a huge win for reproductive rights, on 30th March 2022, the House of Commons voted to keep the option of at-home early medical abortion care (telemedicine) in England.

MSI Reproductive Choices UK advocated, together with partners, to keep this service for our clients. The service allows people to take both pills for early medical abortion at home and was initially introduced as part of the COVID-19 response in March 2020. Before this, only the second pill could be taken at home.

Following a vote of 215 – 188 and moving speeches in support of telemedicine from various MPs, telemedicine was officially made a permanent option for those accessing early medical abortion care in England.

Since its introduction, telemedicine revolutionised abortion care, allowing people to access care in the way that has been proven to be safe, effective and often preferred.

“This was a vote for evidence over ideology, a vote for reproductive rights, and a vote for gender equality.

Everyone chooses abortion for different reasons and under different circumstances. It is important that we can offer options that take into account personal circumstances – and that includes taking both pills at home.

Trusting people to make these choices for themselves is a vital part of how MSI delivers high quality, responsive care for anyone who needs us.”

Louise McCudden, Head of External Affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices UK

Position papers, policy briefings, consultation responses and thought-leadership

As part of our campaign to make telemedicine a permanent option (beyond the COVID-10 pandemic), we developed a range of publications sharing our position, briefings for parliamentarians and guides on submitting responses to a public consultation on at-home abortion care. Read them here:

Read our blogs on at-home abortion care

Click here to browse our advocacy blogs on at-home abortion care (telemedicine).

Read more about our advocacy work

MSI UK blue door.

Advocacy and opinions

Learn about our advocacy work.

MSI UK abortion clinic buffer zone.

Anti-choice opposition

Find our campaign against anti-choice opposition.

MSI 2024 Manifesto

MSI UK’s Manifesto

Read our policy vision for the new Parliament.