New Clause 1 - Crime and Policing Bill

Yesterday, I voted in favour of "New Clause 1" (NC1) in the Crime and Policing Bill, which passed with a majority - NC1 will end the practice of prosecuting women who end their own pregnancies.

Prosecutions of women who ended their own pregnancies used to be relatively rare, but it has been increasing – and there is clear evidence that vulnerable women have been prosecuted whilst experiencing trauma, coercion, miscarriage or extremely challenging personal circumstances.

The clause that I voted in favour of, and went through, does not change the clinical or regulatory framework for abortion services – there has been misleading information circulating about this - it’s not about changing the Abortion Act, nor is it about selective sex, it’s about ensuring that women are not treated as criminals.

I know that this is a highly emotive topic, and I know that people have strong views on both sides of the debate. In the debate we heard the story of Nicola Packer, who was arrested in hospital at the height of the Covid pandemic, a day after delivering a stillborn baby at home. The day after her arrest she was taken into custody in the back of a police van, still bleeding, having had major surgery.

This is wrong, and I'm glad that the law will change, and protect women who need support - rather than prosecute them when they are vulnerable.

Access to abortions – including the need for two doctors’ signatures, and the time limits at which terminations can be carried out – will remain the same and doctors who act outside the law will still face the threat of prosecution.