Her comments mark the beginning of what is expected to be a heated debate over the first major changes to abortion laws in more than 30 years.
There are two proposed amendments. The proposal, led by Labour's home secretary Diana Johnson, would mean women would no longer be prosecuted if they terminate a pregnancy beyond the legal 24-week deadline. So far, it has garnered bipartisan support from more than 20 members of Congress.
If a woman has an abortion outside of the prescribed circumstances, she could be jailed under the Offenses in Persons Act 1861. Last year, a mother of three was sent to prison for illegal abortion, and around 100 women have been investigated by police since 2019.
Under the proposed amendments, the 1861 law would no longer apply to women who terminate their own pregnancies, but women would still have to comply with the requirements of the 1967 Abortion Act and the 24-week limit would remain in place.
Reduced limit to 22 weeks
The bill would bring England and Wales into line with Northern Ireland, where abortion was decriminalized in 2019. The bill has the support of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the College of General Practitioners and Midwives and the British Medical Association. A YouGov poll showed that 55% of MPs also supported the change.
The second proposal, supported by Ms Cates, would increase the deadline from 24 weeks to 22 weeks, based on the doubling of survival rates for extremely premature babies born at 23 weeks from 2 in 10 to 4 in 10. It is shortened to It is currently 22 weeks. It is recognized by the British Society of Perinatal Medicine as the point at which survival outside the womb is possible.
Cates said the rise in second-term abortions and prosecutions is due to changes during the COVID-19 pandemic that have allowed clinicians to issue abortion pills over the phone, bypassing the usual in-person requirements. He claimed that it was because of These changes were then made permanent.
She said predictions that these changes would lead to an increase in “dangerous” late-term abortions had proven “well-founded” and called for a return to face-to-face consultations.
“Go after the abortion provider”
“Given that it remains illegal for clinicians to assist in abortions beyond the current legal limit of 24 weeks, removing the consequences for women who abort their babies beyond this period is a necessary step. “This will result in an increase in dangerous, late-stage, do-it-yourself, coercive behavior in “dismissals,'' Cates said.
But Ms. Johnson said, “This amendment will only exclude women from the criminal justice system. If you look at states like Texas, they have very strict laws that don't criminalize women. They goes after abortion providers. We are not even aligned with countries that have stricter abortion laws.”