Today, the Crime and Policing Bill returned to the House of Commons for its Report Stage. This Bill included two amendments related to the decriminalisation of abortion up to full term (around 40 weeks), and one concerning the reinstatement of in-person medical consultations before accessing abortion pills at home.
After careful consideration, I decided that I could not support the amendments seeking to decriminalise abortion up to full term. Abortion is a deeply complex and sensitive issue that deserves its own thorough and focused legislative process. Attempting to pass such sweeping changes via last-minute amendments to a broader crime bill risks bypassing proper scrutiny, consultation, and public engagement. Issues of this magnitude cannot and should not be decided without due process.
However, I did support the amendment that would have reinstated the requirement for an in-person consultation with a medical professional before a woman can take abortion pills at home. The temporary removal of this safeguard was introduced under exceptional circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe reintroducing it would protect the health and wellbeing of both women and unborn children by ensuring proper medical oversight, safeguarding, and the opportunity to detect signs of abuse or coercion. Unfortunately, this amendment did not pass.
These are not decisions I take lightly. They deal with matters of life, death, autonomy, and dignity. In my view, legislation that touches the very core of human existence must be given the time and seriousness it deserves. We must always strive to act with both compassion and caution.
