Abortion Still Isn't Fully Decriminalised In England & Wales — This Campaign Wants To Change That

By Lauren Sharkey
Oct 23, 2019

In a week where one part of the UK is celebrating the introduction of long-awaited-for reproductive rights, the rest are slowly realising they now live in the least progressive parts of the nation. Thanks to a Victorian-era law, abortion is still technically a criminal offence in England and Wales. But a campaign, led by Refinery29 and an 88-year-old campaigner, is aiming to decriminalise it once and for all.

Currently, England and Wales adhere to the 1967 Abortion Act. (Scotland did too until 2016 when powers were handed over to the Scottish Parliament, per the BBC.) This legislation allows abortions up to 24 weeks, but only if two doctors state that continuing with a pregnancy would involve a greater risk to a person's physical or mental health than terminating it.

Continued: https://www.bustle.com/p/abortion-still-isnt-fully-decriminalised-in-england-wales-this-campaign-wants-to-change-that-19261224