Abortion is healthcare: decriminalise it across the UK
Abortion is healthcare: decriminalise it across the UK
The Issue
Just this week it was reported that after delivering a stillborn baby, a woman was immediately arrested and held in a cell for 36 hours after being accused of "procuring an illegal abortion." The overturning of Roe vs Wade in the United States sent shockwaves across the globe, but did you know that abortion is still a criminal offence in England, Scotland and Wales?
Contrary to popular belief, abortion is still illegal, and not available on request. The 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, an old Victorian law that was passed 50 years before women won the right to vote, classes abortion as a crime – with criminal sanctions of up to 12 years in prison.
The 1967 Abortion Act gave us access to abortion – but only under specific grounds, with permission from two doctors.
This isn’t to scare anyone: women and pregnant people in the UK can still access abortions. But I am conscious of the current political climate where we are seeing fundamental rights stripped away, and how these shifts could change that.
85% of the public already believe women should have the right to abortion – but we’re a quiet majority. It’s time to speak up.
It is a key principle of feminist liberation that we are each able to determine what happens with our own bodies, and the course of our lives, without coercion or control. Just as pregnant people should be able to access healthcare and community to ensure safety of the parent and child, people who are pregnant and need to end their pregnancies should be able to do so without being criminalised.
As a mother, I will always advocate for people to be able to determine if, when and how they become parents, and that they are able to access the care that they need throughout the journey.
We are the experts on our bodies and our lives. We should all have our healthcare needs met safely, and this includes equitable access to abortions.
Abortion is healthcare. So it’s time the law treats it as such. If you agree, join the campaign to remove abortion from criminal law, and provide abortion on demand.
In solidarity,
Ikamara
40,200
The Issue
Just this week it was reported that after delivering a stillborn baby, a woman was immediately arrested and held in a cell for 36 hours after being accused of "procuring an illegal abortion." The overturning of Roe vs Wade in the United States sent shockwaves across the globe, but did you know that abortion is still a criminal offence in England, Scotland and Wales?
Contrary to popular belief, abortion is still illegal, and not available on request. The 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, an old Victorian law that was passed 50 years before women won the right to vote, classes abortion as a crime – with criminal sanctions of up to 12 years in prison.
The 1967 Abortion Act gave us access to abortion – but only under specific grounds, with permission from two doctors.
This isn’t to scare anyone: women and pregnant people in the UK can still access abortions. But I am conscious of the current political climate where we are seeing fundamental rights stripped away, and how these shifts could change that.
85% of the public already believe women should have the right to abortion – but we’re a quiet majority. It’s time to speak up.
It is a key principle of feminist liberation that we are each able to determine what happens with our own bodies, and the course of our lives, without coercion or control. Just as pregnant people should be able to access healthcare and community to ensure safety of the parent and child, people who are pregnant and need to end their pregnancies should be able to do so without being criminalised.
As a mother, I will always advocate for people to be able to determine if, when and how they become parents, and that they are able to access the care that they need throughout the journey.
We are the experts on our bodies and our lives. We should all have our healthcare needs met safely, and this includes equitable access to abortions.
Abortion is healthcare. So it’s time the law treats it as such. If you agree, join the campaign to remove abortion from criminal law, and provide abortion on demand.
In solidarity,
Ikamara
40,200
Supporter Voices
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Petition created on 22 July 2022