Overview
- MPs backed Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi’s amendment by 379 to 137 votes to remove the threat of investigation, arrest or imprisonment for women terminating their own pregnancies.
- High-profile prosecutions of women such as Nicola Packer and Carla Foster drove cross-party support for the reform.
- The amendment retains the 24-week gestational limit and requirement for two doctors’ approval while preserving penalties for medical practitioners and abusive partners acting outside the legal framework.
- The British Pregnancy Advisory Service hailed the vote as a landmark moment for women’s rights while the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children warned it would strip remaining protections for unborn children.
- Having cleared the Commons, the measure now moves to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before it can receive Royal Assent.