Abortion decriminalisation plans pushed by Labour MP

May 14, 2025
Sam Francis, BBC News

A Labour MP has launched a bid to decriminalise abortions, after campaigners revealed estimates that police have prosecuted more than 100 women under abortion laws in recent years.

Abortion remains a criminal offence in England and Wales unless under strict circumstances - including taking place before 24 weeks into the pregnancy with the approval of two doctors - under a 164-year-old law.

Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower, tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to decriminalise the process without "changing anything about provision of abortion care".

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dqp3dep48o

14.05.2025

News

abortion law reform

conscientious objection

decriminalisation of abortion

Nicola Packer

Offences Against the Person Act 1861

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Lithuanian parliament debates free abortion bill

May 13, 2025
Domantė Platūkytė

A proposed Reproductive Health Law returned to Lithuania’s parliament on Tuesday, reigniting debate over abortion access, public health spending, and reproductive rights. The bill passed the first reading on Tuesday.

The bill, introduced by Social Democrat MP Birutė Vėsaitė, seeks to enshrine reproductive health as a legal right and ensure free access to abortion services, shifting current regulations from a ministerial decree into formal legislation.

Continued: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2560816/lithuanian-parliament-debates-free-abortion-bill

13.05.2025

Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen

The right to abortion is under threat in Britain. Secure it now – or risk losing it

Decriminalisation is finally possible – but unless we future-proof the law against anti-abortion extremists, the right to choose hangs in the balance

Stella Creasy
Mon 12 May 2025

Opening the Pandora’s box of abortion reform is something no one should do without the confidence that they are able to manage the resulting chaos. Moves to decriminalise abortion, in response to the continued prosecution of women for having one, could unintentionally enable the restriction of access under a future regressive government. To prevent this and protect services, it is time to write into our statute that safe and legal access to abortion is a human right across our nation.

It still shocks many people to realise that in 2025 abortion is not actually legal for most of the UK. Only in Northern Ireland do women have a right to an abortion. Everywhere else they are exempted from prosecution if it is determined they have met certain access conditions. This is not a quaint jurisprudence debate – it is driving the explosion in recent years of investigations and prosecutions of women and girls for having abortions in England.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/12/britain-abortion-right-decriminalisation-law

12.05.2025

Commentary

abortion law reform

buffer zones

decriminalisation of abortion

Australia – NSW politicians will vote on abortion this week. Here’s what could be changing

By Nick Dole
May 12, 2025

A bill to expand abortion services in New South Wales will face a crucial vote in the lower house this week.

While the most controversial aspects of the bill were stripped out in the upper house last week, Labor and Coalition MPs will still be granted a conscience vote on what Premier Chris Minns says is a "vexed issue".

What's being proposed？ The bill, introduced by upper house Greens MP Amanda Cohn, aims to expand women's access to abortion by allowing nurse practitioners to supply medication to terminate pregnancies, up to nine weeks' gestation.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-13/nsw-politicians-to-vote-changes-abortion-bill-what-are-they/105282854

12.05.2025

midwives and abortion

nurse practitioners and abortion

MPs set to vote on decriminalizing abortion in England

Two U.K. Labour MPs are drawing up amendments on the issue that will likely be considered by the House of Commons this summer.

May 1, 2025
By Dan Bloom

LONDON — The U.K. parliament is set to consider decriminalizing abortion in England and Wales this summer, two people with knowledge of the plans have told POLITICO.

Two backbench Labour MPs are drawing up separate proposals to change the law which would be brought before MPs in the coming months, after previous plans ran out of time before the 2024 general election.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/mp-vote-decriminalize-abortion-england/

Denmark raises abortion limit from 12 to 18 weeks

Ritzau/The Local - news@thelocal.dk
24 Apr, 2025

Denmark’s parliament on Thursday adopted a proposal to raise the abortion limit from 12 to 18 weeks in a vote which caused at least one lawmaker to break with his own party.

The bill was tabled by Minister for the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde of the Liberal (Venstre) party, who described it ahead of Thursday’s vote as a “huge victory” for women in Denmark.

Continued: https://www.thelocal.dk/20250424/denmark-raises-abortion-limit-from-12-to-18-weeks

25.04.2025

News

abortion law reform

Helena Artmann Andresen

Lars Christian Lilleholt

Yucatan Legalizes Abortion up to 12 Weeks: Landmark Decision!

Apr 10, 2025

Yucatan has become the 23rd out of 32 states in Mexico to decriminalize abortion up to 12 weeks of gestation. This move is seen as a significant step towards ensuring reproductive rights for women and those who can become pregnant.

On Wednesday, the Yucatan Congress voted in favor of the decriminalization, with 22 votes for and 13 against. The Women's Secretariat of the Government of Mexico hailed the decision as a "historic breakthrough in the fight for reproductive rights" in a social media post.

Continued: https://www.rivieramayanews.mx/yucatan-23rd-mexican-state-to-decriminalize-abortion-up-to-12-weeks/

10.04.2025

News

abortion law reform

GIRE

Information Group on Reproductive Choice

Yucatan decriminalization

Jersey – Abortion limit could be increased to 21 weeks

by Christie Bailey
24 March 2025

THE legal abortion limit in Jersey could rise to 21 weeks. However, terminations after 12 weeks will still not be widely available in the Island because there are “not currently” the facilities and skills required to “safely deliver later-stage terminations”, according to a recently launched consultation.

Proposed changes to Jersey’s Termination of Pregnancy Law were recently set out in the consultation inviting Islanders to give feedback.

Continued: https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2025/03/24/abortion-limit-could-be-increased-to-21-weeks/

24.03.2025

Jersey’s Termination of Pregnancy Law

Sierra Leone debates decriminalizing abortion as women and girls endanger their lives

By CAITLIN KELLY
March 24, 2025

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — When she got pregnant at 16, Fatou Esther Jusu was terrified that it would derail her future.

Abortion is illegal in Sierra Leone. Fearing judgment from her family, she took friends’ advice and bought misoprostol, a drug whose uses include abortion, from a local pharmacy. It didn’t work. Desperate, she tried again and miscarried.

“I went to the toilet… and the baby came out,” she said. She fainted and was taken to a hospital, where she pleaded with doctors not to tell her parents.

Continued: https://apnews.com/article/sierra-leone-abortion-legalize-health-77dd89c92bfea5ed84db2d42acbebc5d

Ogun assembly supports move to amend abortion law to protect rape victims

March 7, 2025
By Gift Oba

The Ogun State House of Assembly has said it will assist in providing the necessary legislative backing to protect genuine victims of rape and other vulnerable people.

The Speaker, Oludaisi Elemide, gave the assurance on Friday while receiving a gender-based group, Gender Development Initiative, GEDIN, at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Continued: https://dailypost.ng/2025/03/07/ogun-assembly-supports-move-to-amend-abortion-law-to-protect-rape-victims/

07.03.2025