Post #1785753
2026-04-29 17:06 UTC
Hurrah. It's taken a long time (because it was a small part of a very large Bill) but the legislation to entirely decriminalise abortion in England and Wales has finally got through Parliament and is now law.
This also includes the recent amendment to pardon everyone, living or dead, who has been prosecuted in relation to their own abortion.
(For those unfamiliar: until the passing of this legislation, the situation here since 1967 has been that abortion is a criminal offence but is excused, providing that a series of rules are followed. In practice, this has meant that pregnant people have been able to seek legal abortion without fear of committing an offence; however, it has also meant that police can and frequently did pursue women who they suspected of not having followed the rules exactly. It has provided a free pass for officers to persecute women. The new legislation establishes, clearly and without exception, that there cannot be any criminal liability for any pregnant person in relation to their own pregnancy. There are no more grounds for police to persecute pregnant and recently pregnant people. Finally, all that is now over.)
Replies (5)
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@autoperipatetikos@neurodifferent.me 2026-04-29 17:17
@RolloTreadway Thank you for sharing, that's good to know.
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@Thebratdragon@mastodon.scot 2026-04-29 17:17
@RolloTreadway It has to get past the religious extremists in the HoL yet.....
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@apophis@yourwalls.today 2026-04-29 20:49
@RolloTreadway honestly shocked by this, thought with all the terfery they'd move on to the next logical step in the opposite direction
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@Ailbhe@mendeddrum.org 2026-04-29 22:02
@RolloTreadway It's even had Royal Assent, all the hoops are jumped the the dots are crossed, it's done! This is the best news I've heard in a long time. Thanks, I didn't see it anywhere else until you sparked me to look it up.
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@Guillotine_Jones@beige.party 2026-04-29 22:07
@RolloTreadway Over here on the other side of the pond, on the other hand, we're just getting restarted criminalizing abortions.