Abortion has been decriminalised in England and Wales following a historic Commons vote.

MPs voted by 379 to 137 to amend the government’s Crime and Policing Bill so that it will no longer be a criminal offence for a woman to end her pregnancy at any time.

The amendment was tabled by Tonia Antoniazzi, the Labour MP for Gower and passed following a free vote, meaning MPs did not vote along party lines.

What is the current legislation around abortion?

Abortions are currently legal in England and Wales as long as they are carried out within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

That’s different to the legislation already in place in Northern Ireland, where abortion has been enshrined as a human right since October 2019.

For the rest of the UK, a foetus is considered “viable” once it reaches 24 weeks – meaning it could survive outside of the womb if it had enough support.

That means an individual is only allowed an abortion after that point if their own life is in danger or the foetus is showing signs of abnormalities.

Two doctors must give their approval for the abortion to go ahead, agreeing it would be riskier for the physical or mental health of the individual in question rather than having an abortion.

Doctors may allow an abortion if birth would create a substantial risk to the child.

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