Women in England and Wales who abort their babies after 24 weeks of pregnancy will no longer face criminal charges, after MPs voted to support the biggest change to abortion laws in 60 years.
However, the law will still criminalise anyone, including medical professionals, assisting a woman in getting an abortion beyond the current legal limit of 24 weeks – but the woman herself will not face prosecution.
The amendment was tabled by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi and passed by a majority of 242 votes. An even more extreme amendment, tabled by Labour MP Stella Creasy, would have enshrined abortion access as a human right, but that amendment fell.