In a response to the Home Office and Ministry of Justice consultation on the terms of the Domestic Abuse Bill, Humanists UK has called for the Government to remove consensual abortion from criminal law and instead have it governed through medical regulation like all other healthcare procedures. This would mean that women who procure an abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation without the consent of two doctors will not face prosecution.
In the UK, abortion is governed by the 1861 Offenses Against the Person Act (OAPA), which specifies abortion is a crime punishable by life imprisonment. The 1967 Abortion Act creates exceptional circumstances in which safe and legal abortions can be obtained in England, Scotland, and Wales. However, it remains the case that if a woman has an abortion outside of these circumstances, or she lives in Northern Ireland where the 1967 Act does not apply, she will be committing a crime and could face prison.
OAPA is a remnant of a Victorian justice system and is no longer fit for the purpose of regulating a medical procedure that one in three women in the UK will undergo at some point in their lives. Humanists UK recommends that the sections relating to abortion are amended so that no criminal offense is committed when the pregnancy is terminated by the woman or she consents to an abortion performed by a registered doctor, nurse or midwife.
Humanists UK’s Campaigns Officer Rachel Taggart-Ryan commented, ‘Fifty years on from the Abortion Act 1967, there has been a growing call to take abortion procedures out of the criminal justice system. Polling of MPs views on this matter from 2017 suggests that most agree that women should not face criminal sanctions for seeking an abortion without the consent of two doctors. Only 16% believe that criminal law should be retained over medical regulation, and last year a private member’s bill to amend OAPA passed its first reading in Parliament. The Domestic Abuse Bill is an ideal opportunity to bring about this much needed legislative change.’
Notes
For further comment or information, please contact Humanists UK Campaigns Officer Rachel Taggart-Ryan on rachel@humanists.uk or 07951 176 245.
Read Humanists UK’s response (beginning at question 49): https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018-04-23-RTR-Domestic-abuse-bill-consultation.pdf
Read polling data on MP’s views on the decriminalisation of abortion: https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/elhvsdm1iw/YG-Archive-150917-BPAS.pdf
Read more about Humanists Uk’s campaign work on abortion: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/public-ethical-issues/sexual-and-reproductive-rights/
At Humanists UK, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. Our work brings non-religious people together to develop their own views, helping people be happier and more fulfilled in the one life we have. Through our ceremonies, education services, and community and campaigning work, we strive to create a fair and equal society for all.
Humanists UK recently changed its name from the British Humanist Association: https://humanists.uk/2017/05/22/bha-becomes-humanists-uk/