An 1861 Victorian-era law, enacted decades before women gained the right to vote, continues to classify abortion as a criminal offence in England and Wales.

The laws used to conduct investigations are invasive and traumatic for all women under investigation. Charges and prosecutions, including life sentences, are imposed on women who have an abortion after the stated guidelines of 24 weeks and 6 days. Additionally, other cases of pregnancy loss or stillbirth that are deemed suspicious are also legally investigated, further adding stress to already difficult and personal situations.

Cases where women end pregnancies outside the legal framework are almost always linked to experiences of abuse, violence, or other severe and traumatic circumstances, situations that call for understanding and support, not punishment. It’s also important to note that the overwhelming majority of abortions in the UK occur within the first 10 weeks.

A Voice for Choice: Why We Must Decriminalise Abortion in the UK

While you might think your reproductive rights are protected here in England and Wales, abortion remains criminalised.

We don’t suggest the deregulation of abortion; no time limits or alterations are to be made to current healthcare guidelines and processes. We are speaking up about abortion law reform, to insist that it is treated as healthcare and bodies should not be regulated by the government.

How You Can Support the Campaign and Use Your Voice to Make Change

If you believe, as NUPAS do, that abortion should be removed from criminal law, then you should join us and write to your local MP before their votes are cast in parliament next week.

This June, MPs will vote on a proposed amendment to remove abortion from the criminal law in England and Wales. The amendment is supported by more than 30 leading healthcare and women’s rights organisations. But your voice should be heard too!

Please use the below script to email your local MP. You can find your local MP here.

Dear [MP’s Name],

I’m writing to urge you to support the removal of abortion from criminal law in England and Wales. While many assume the UK fully supports reproductive rights, the truth is that women here can still face prosecution for ending a pregnancy under laws written more than 160 years ago.

Just this year, a woman in England was taken to court for ending her own pregnancy, charged under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. This law predates modern medicine and continues to punish women for seeking control over their own bodies. Though Parliament voted to remove this law in Northern Ireland in 2019, it remains in force in England and Wales.

That’s why I’m asking you to support New Clause 1, the cross-party amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill tabled by Tonia Antoniazzi MP. This amendment would remove the threat of prosecution from women who end their own pregnancies and stop police from treating reproductive health as a criminal issue. Importantly, it would not alter the current legal framework around time limits or how abortions are provided.

This is a matter of justice, dignity, and public health. In the past three years alone, six women in England and Wales have been taken to court under abortion-related charges. Healthcare providers report nearly 100 instances where police have requested access to patients’ confidential medical records, including cases involving domestic abuse survivors, teenage girls, trafficking victims, and women who experienced traumatic pregnancy loss.

One such case involved a young woman named Sophie, who was arrested at home in the middle of the night and held in custody for nearly a full day. She was just a teenager at the time, and her parents only found out she had been pregnant when the police showed up. She faced two trials over the course of six years. Though charges were eventually dropped, she still carries a criminal record. Stories like Sophie’s highlight how deeply harmful and unjust the current law is.

Over 30 major organisations, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives, Rape Crisis, Refuge, and the End Violence Against Women Coalition, have spoken out in support of this amendment.

This is not about changing access to abortion, it’s about ensuring that no woman is criminalised for a private, deeply personal decision. It’s about treating abortion as healthcare, not a crime.

I hope you will stand on the right side of history and back this amendment. Please add your name to support NC1 and show that you believe in protecting bodily autonomy and the rights of your constituents.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]