Urgent Call for Abortion Law Reform in England and Wales

I thought this was a story about America and it's not, it's about England.

"Medical leaders are calling for reform of abortion laws in England and Wales after an “unprecedented” rise in women and girls being prosecuted for ending their own pregnancies.

"More than 30 groups – including the British Medical Association, the Faculty of Public Health, the British Society of Abortion Care Providers and the royal colleges of GPs, nurses, psychiatrists, midwives and anaesthetists – issued a joint statement warning that the current legislation is causing “trauma and cruelty” and demanding “immediate action” to safeguard reproductive rights."

"The call will put pressure on MPs amid rollbacks of abortion access in other countries, such as the US, and ramped up activity from anti-abortion activists in Britain. In the last parliament there were several attempts to restrict access, including an amendment to cut the legal limit from 24 weeks to 22. The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, has signalled his desire for MPs to look at cutting the limit."

No, no, no. We do not even slightly want to go the way of America. As the article says, this is a healthcare issue, not a criminal issue. Dr Andrew Green, chair of the British Medical Association’s ethics committee, said: “Criminalisation of abortion care belongs in a different era. It can discourage women from seeking safe healthcare when they need it, leading to unnecessary illness and suffering.”