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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent

Calls for abortion law change grew louder as number of prosecutions rose

flyers saying abortion is not a crime
The high-profile cases of Carla Foster and Nicola Packer fuelled the calls for change. Photograph: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

Calls for decriminalisation of abortions have been growing louder in recent years – in line with a growing number of women being prosecuted for terminating their pregnancies.

Until 2022, it is believed that only three women had ever been convicted of having an illegal abortion in the 150 years since 1861, when the procedure was made illegal under the Offences Against the Person Act.

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