UK MPs and Australia's Northern Territory on Abortion Law, Clinics and Buffer Zones

Things have been moving in the right direction for pro-choice advocates in certain parts of the world. The British Humanist Association reports on UK MPs:

Members of the House of Commons yesterday voted by 172 to 142 in favour of a Ten Minute Rule bill brought by Diana Johnson MP, to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales. Currently women across the UK can be sent to jail for having an abortion without the permission of two doctors, even if she does so within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. The bill sought to repeal the 1861 Act which makes this the case, leaving in place the wider rules and regulations that only permit abortions during that 24-week time-frame and in certain other circumstances.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) is a member of the We Trust Women Coalition, the campaign to decriminalise abortion across the UK, organised by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas). Thousands of BHA members and supporters emailed their MPs about the bill, and the BHA also briefed the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group in favour. 21 APPHG MPs were amongst those who voted for the change, with none voting against.

The BHA is also supporting campaigns to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland, where it is currently illegal in almost all circumstances. In 2015 the Northern Ireland High Court ruled that the fact that abortions are illegal even in the cases of rape, incest, and fatal foetal abnormality meant that women’s human rights are being breached. However, the Northern Ireland Assembly has since refused to amend the law to put that ruling into statute.

BHA Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented, ‘That a Victorian law, passed before women were even allowed to vote, means that women having abortions, even early on in a pregnancy, can and do face a jail term for doing so, is an unbelievable aspect of our modern society. Just one in five people believe this should be the case, and so we are glad that parliament has voted in favour of reform.

‘Having passed this first hurdle, a private member’s bill on decriminalising abortion will now be heard in the Commons and proceed to further stages of parliamentary debate. Although private members’ bills do not frequently become law, we will continue to campaign for the passage of the bill in the hope that this anachronism can be brought to an end.’

And then it reports about the decriminalisation of clinics in Northern Territory (about time) and buffer zones created around them:

Australia’s Northern Territory Parliament has passed a law which decriminalises abortion and introduces buffer zones around abortion clinics. Following a full day of passionate debate, the bill passed by a vote of 20 to 4, to the delight of its supporters in the public gallery. The law will come into force in July. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed this legislation and hopes that its successful passage can inspire campaigners for decriminalisation across the UK.

The reforms decriminalise termination by removing legislation making it illegal to provide an abortion or supply a woman with abortion drugs. This leaves Queensland and New South Wales as the only Australian jurisdictions where certain forms of abortion remain a criminal offence. Abortion is also already decriminalised in several other countries, such as Canada. Safe access zones around abortion clinics have also been mandated, meaning that it will now be an offence to harass anyone entering or leaving.

The law also introduces a number of other measures. It allows, for example, for the provision of abortions in non-hospital clinical facilities, when pregnancy has only endured nine weeks. As the law applies to ‘a woman of any age’, it is thought that adolescents no longer need the support of both parents. However, the law has drawn criticism for not going far enough. The Human Rights Law Centre has, for instance, complained that the legislation falls short of endowing women with full autonomy. It does still require the approval of one doctor for abortions up to 14 weeks and has not touched the original mandate that the sanction of two is necessary if termination falls between 14 and 23 weeks.

These Australian reforms come hot on the heels of significant parliamentary developments in the UK. Members of the House of Commons recently voted in favour of a private member’s bill to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales. This bill will now be subjected to further rounds of parliamentary debate.

BHA Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented, ‘There is no doubt that this is a historic day for the Northern Territory of Australia. The new legislation represents a huge step in the right direction. Above all, this international progress should represent a source of encouragement for campaigners driving for a full decriminalisation of UK-based terminations. We should all note, after all, that these Australian successes are the outcome of a years-long, hard-fought public campaign in the Northern Territory.

‘We at the BHA will continue to work with our partners to see abortion taken out of the criminal law in the UK. The legal framework surrounding abortion is, especially in Northern Ireland, completely incompatible with the humanist belief that each individual should have dominion over his or her own self. Studies show that it also runs completely against the grain of wider public opinion. Recent events in the Northern Territory reveal that continued perseverance on this matter will surely bear fruit.’

Notes

For further comment or information please contact BHA Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson on richy@humanism.org.uk or 020 7324 3072.

Read more about the BHA’s campaigns around abortion: https://humanism.org.uk/campaigns/public-ethical-issues/sexual-and-reproductive-rights/

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

The BHA is a member of the steering group of Voice for Choice, the national pro-choice coalition, and a supporter of the We Trust Women and Back Off campaigns. Northern Ireland Humanists, which is a part of the BHA, is also on the steering group of Trust Women NI, the campaign coalition seeking abortion law reform in Northern Ireland.