MPs to get free vote on decriminalising abortion in England and Wales

Source: The Guardian

MPs to get free vote on decriminalising abortion in England and Wales

Amendment by Labour MP Diana Johnson would end prosecutions for terminations after 24 weeks

Rowena Mason Whitehall editor
Fri 23 Feb 2024 22.31 GMT
First published on Fri 23 Feb 2024 18.37 GMT

MPs are expected to get a free vote on decriminalising abortion when a Labour backbencher lays an amendment that would end the prosecution of women who terminate pregnancies after the 24-week limit.

Diana Johnson is expected to lay an amendment to the Criminal Justice Act next month that would stop the possibility of women being jailed for going ahead with abortions after the time limit.

MPs generally get free votes on abortion because it is considered a matter of conscience, meaning the parties will allow parliamentarians to make a personal choice about how they vote.

Johnson said she was “hopeful” the amendment would pass because “in 2019-20 we did this for Northern Ireland and got it decriminalised”.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/23/mps-to-get-free-vote-on-decriminalising-abortion-in-england-and-wales