Article and Artwork by Sharin Singh (she/her)
The legalisation of abortion has come a long way, but decriminalisation is another story. Abortion is legalised in many countries, meaning it is still in the law with some form of identifying conditions on which it is allowed. It has not yet been decriminalised, meaning the removal of criminal sanctions against it all together. This is an important difference.
Abortion has a lengthy history of being considered as a sin, a criminal offence. The reproductive rights of a woman are under the control of the law till this day. Yes, it has been legalised, but with conditions. Still making it a statutory crime. For years, women have been under the treat of prosecution to terminate their pregnancy, to liberate control over their own body.
The pro-choice movement, the human rights movement and medical health policy have brought us to the midway point – legalisation of abortion. Decriminalisation is our goal. The process of decriminalisation is not as simple as passing a policy. It is influenced by economy, religion, politics, societal taboo’s, education and many more.
So here is a brief history of abortion legalisation in the UK. The UK declared abortion to be legalised in the 1967, but it was bound to conditions. The 24 weeks gestation mark is well known to all, this is the ‘safe’ time to abort a pregnancy. But of course, it requires the formal decision of two doctors as well. The risk to life policy (including permanent damage to the foetus or the mother) is also considered for those that have passed the ‘deadline’. Many of us forgot why abortion was legalised – to decrease the death toll from backstreet abortion. It was never about human rights, but merely a hidden disguise to better the government.
The hand of law is still refraining women from their reproductive rights. Over the years there have been countless cases of women being prosecuted for aborting out with the conditions. Cases include those women who were forced to carry, who were abused, who have had severe mental health problems. These women were prosecuted for up to 5-8 years in prison. “why did they let it slide past the 24 weeks”. Well its complicated; abuse, force, sexual insult, gender abuse, the list can continue. The reason for their delay doesn’t matter to them, what mattered was that they broke the law. But the truth is they were not given any other option. This is the outcome of abortion being termed a legal act instead of it being fully decriminalised.
Abortion is not a crime. It’s a health procedure. It’s a medical matter, matter of human rights. It is time to reform the law once again. There’s a lot that can be done, petitions can be signed. Education about this topic can be delivered far and wide. The societal taboo’s can be broken and most importantly stories can be heard. The abortion act is out of date, its about time it gets reviewed.
REFERENCES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5473035/.
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