(ZENIT News / London, 06.18.2025).- In a move described by critics as one of the most radical legal shifts in recent British history, the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday, June 17, to decriminalize abortion through all nine months of pregnancy — including during labor. The controversial amendment was passed by 379 votes to 137, dramatically altering the legal landscape of reproductive law in England and Wales.
What began as a government-backed crime and policing bill — aimed at tackling violent crime and protecting women from knife-related attacks — was overtaken by an unexpected amendment introduced by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi. Her provision effectively strips all criminal penalties from abortion, removing time limits and medical oversight for terminations carried out by the pregnant woman herself, regardless of gestational age.
Pro-life groups, religious leaders, and medical professionals quickly denounced the legislation, warning of unprecedented legal, ethical, and health implications. The amendment was pushed through with only two hours of debate, a pace that left even veteran parliamentarians stunned.
Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, speaking on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, condemned the measure as “deeply alarming.” He warned it would leave vulnerable women exposed to coercion and medical risk, and strip unborn children of any meaningful legal protection. “This is not progress,” he said. “This is a retreat from compassion, consultation, and care.”
Though the 1967 Abortion Act already allows for legal abortion up to 24 weeks under broad circumstances, the new clause eliminates criminal consequences entirely, even for abortions performed at home during the final days or hours of pregnancy. Women would also no longer be prosecuted for using abortion-inducing pills without medical oversight, even in cases of misuse or harm.
Critics argue the amendment is a legislative sleight of hand — leveraging a crime bill designed to protect women to push through a measure that, paradoxically, increases their vulnerability. Since the pandemic-era introduction of «pills by post» in 2020, abortion rates have soared to record highs, with over 253,000 abortions in England and Wales last year. The lack of in-person assessments has fueled concern that women are being left to manage late-stage abortions without medical guidance or psychological support.
Dr. Caroline Johnson, a Conservative MP and pediatrician, attempted to reverse the trend by proposing a return to mandatory face-to-face consultations — a safeguard she argued was essential for protecting women from coerced or medically dangerous abortions. Her amendment was rejected.
Lord Alton of Liverpool, an independent peer and lifelong Catholic, called the passage of the bill a «hasty, ill-considered transformation» of long-standing abortion law. He warned that self-managed abortions beyond 24 weeks — now effectively legal — could have serious health consequences, especially as gestational limits are eliminated without public consultation or medical consensus.
Tonia Antoniazzi defended her amendment by citing the trauma suffered by women who had previously faced criminal investigations for at-home late-term abortions. “No woman should be criminalized in a moment of desperation,” she said.
But polling tells a different story about public opinion. A recent survey found that only 1% of women support abortion up to birth. The vast majority — over 90% — favor restrictions on practices like sex-selective abortion and want safeguards in place for late-term terminations.
Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right to Life UK, accused pro-abortion lawmakers of hijacking the bill to rush through «a profound and irreversible shift in abortion law.” Her group, along with others, has vowed to challenge the legislation in the House of Lords.
“The most vulnerable — unborn children in their final weeks and mothers abandoned to face these decisions alone — are the ones who will pay the highest price,” Robinson said.
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