Abortion providers throw weight behind Antoniazzi decrim amendment

BPAS is backing New Clause 1 (NC1), an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill tabled by Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi. NC1 would remove women from criminal liability under abortion laws but maintain the existing access framework, including the 24-week limit.

Antoniazzi said, “The police cannot be trusted with abortion law – nor can the CPS or the wider criminal justice system. My amendment NC1 will give us the urgent change we need to protect women.”

Under NC1 women are completely removed from the criminal framework but medical professionals are not exempt. This leaves the prospect that women won't be able to get medical assistance for an abortion after 24 weeks, meaning they will potentially self-administer abortion pills after the 10 week recommended limit—thereby endangering their health—or resort to unsafe, backstreet procedures.

It could also be the start of a slippery slope as it will be unworkable in practice, meaning eventually the law will be changed to also exempt medical professionals from criminal liability.

A further attempt to liberalise the law, led by Labour MP Stella Creasy, has not received support.

Creasy’s proposal, known as New Clause 20 (NC20), would decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks. It aims to remove criminal penalties for women and healthcare professionals involved in abortions, and ensure that those who undergo late-term abortions outside the framework of the current Abortion Act are not subject to prison sentences. NC20 also does not provide for coercive abortion offences and it would mean there is no ability to amend abortion law in Parliament in future.

However, Rachael Clarke, Head of Advocacy at BPAS, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the amendment does not have the support of “any of the abortion providers in the country”. “It is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered,” she said. “That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators – and proper debate time in Parliament.”

CARE is greatly concerned about both amendments. They both ignore the life of the unborn baby, and would also leave huge gaps in the law if passed.

The amendments are expected to be voted on during the report stage of the bill on 17 and 18 June. The debate time has been limited to three hours, which is shockingly inadequate to debate one of the biggest changes to abortion law in 50 years.