Editing Abortion in the United Kingdom (section)

===Proposals since 1967: Great Britain===
During each Parliament, several [[private member's bill]]s are generally introduced to seek to amend the law in relation to abortion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Find a Bill (bill titles including 'abortion') |url=https://bills.parliament.uk/?SearchTerm=abortion&Session=0&BillSortOrder=0&BillType=all&BillStage=&CurrentHouse=&OriginatingHouse=&Expanded=False |website=www.parliament.uk |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=24 December 2021}}</ref> In the years following a supportive report in favour of the 1967 Act by the [[Lane Committee]] in 1974, Members of Parliament introduced four bills which have resulted in substantive debate in the House of Commons (votes are indicated in brackets with ayes followed by noes):

* ''Abortion (Amendment) Bill 1975'' – referred to a select committee (260–125);<ref>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |house=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] | title = Abortion (Amendment) Bill (Select Committee) | url = https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1975/feb/26/abortion-amendment-bill-select-committee-1#S5CV0887P0_19750226_HOC_257 |date= 26 February 1975 |column_start= 503 |column_end= 542 }}</ref>
* ''Abortion (Amendment) Bill 1976'' – referred to select committee (313–172);<ref>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |house=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] | title = Abortion (Amendment) Bill (Select Committee) | url = https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1976/feb/09/abortion-amendment-bill-select-committee#S5CV0905P0_19760209_HOC_358 |date= 9 February 1976 |column_start= 100 |column_end= 170 }}</ref>
* ''Abortion (Amendment) Bill 1979'' – approved at second stage (242–98) but not enacted;<ref>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |house=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] | title = Abortion (Amendment) Bill| url = https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1979/jul/13/abortion-amendment-bill |date= 13 July 1979 |column_start= 891 |column_end= 983 }}</ref>
* ''Abortion (Amendment) Bill 1988'' – approved at second stage (296–251) but not enacted;<ref>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |house=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] | title = Abortion (Amendment) Bill | url = https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1988/jan/22/abortion-amendment-bill-1#S6CV0125P0_19880122_HOC_66 |date= 22 January 1988 |column_start= 1228 |column_end= 1296 }}</ref>

[[File:Percentage of birth to unmarried women, selected countries, 1980 and 2007.png|upright=1.6|thumb|Percentage of births to unmarried women, selected countries, 1980 and 2007<ref name="non_mar1">{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db18.htm#:~:text=Most%20births%20to%20teenagers%20(86,steeply%20from%2050%25%20in%201970.|title=Changing Patterns of Nonmarital Childbearing in the United States |website=CDC/National Center for Health Statistics|date=May 13, 2009|access-date=January 11, 2021}}</ref>]]

In addition, in 1990, members voted on several proposed amendments to clause 34 of the ''Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill'' relating to the termination of pregnancy.<ref>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |house=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] | title = Clause 34: Amendment of law relating to termination of pregnancy | url = https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm198990/cmhansrd/1990-06-21/Debate-15.html |date= 21 June 1990 |column_start= 1178 |column_end= 1209 }}</ref>

The [[Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990]], as enacted, lowered the term limit from 28 to 24 weeks for abortion in cases of 'mental or physical injury' on the ground that medical technology had advanced sufficiently (since 1967) to justify the change but removed restrictions for late abortions in cases of risk to life, grave physical and mental injury to the woman, and the disability in the unborn child (by separating the legal effect of the [[Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929]] from the Abortion Act 1967).

When a further [[Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008|Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill]] (now enacted) was considered by Parliament in 2008, several votes were held on the term limit in Britain, as follows:

* Reduction from 24 weeks to 12 weeks (71 ayes, 393 noes);<ref>{{cite web |title=Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2008 — Change abortion limit from 24 weeks to 12 weeks |url=https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2008-05-20&house=commons&number=199 |website=www.publicwhip.org.uk |publisher=Bairwell Ltd |access-date=11 August 2022}}</ref>
* Reduction from 24 weeks to 16 weeks (84 ayes, 386 noes);<ref>{{cite web |title=Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2008 — Change abortion limit from 24 weeks to 16 weeks |url=https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2008-05-20&house=commons&number=200 |website=www.thepublicwhip.org.uk |publisher=Bairwell Ltd}}</ref>
* Reduction from 24 weeks to 20 weeks (190 ayes, 331 noes);<ref>{{cite web |title=Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2008 — Change abortion limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks |url=https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2008-05-20&house=commons&number=201 |website=www.publicwhip.org.uk |publisher=Bairwell Ltd}}</ref> and
* Reduction from 24 weeks to 22 weeks (233 ayes, 304 noes).<ref>{{cite web |title=Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2008 — Change abortion limit from 24 weeks to 22 weeks |url=https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2008-05-20&house=commons&number=203 |website=www.publicwhip.org.uk |publisher=Bairwell Ltd}}</ref>

[[Abortion rights]] groups strongly opposed any attempts to restrict abortion in the 2008 parliamentary debates and votes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefword.org.uk/2008/10/last_chance_-_a/|title=Last chance – Abortion Rights protest tonight|website=The F-Word|date=21 October 2008 |language=en-GB|access-date=2018-03-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abortionrights.org.uk/|title=Abortion Rights|website=Abortion Rights|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-03-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pennyred.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/stand-up-for-pro-choice-majority.html|title=Stand up for the Pro-Choice Majority!|last=Penny|first=Laurie|date=15 January 2008 |language=en-GB|access-date=2018-03-16|author-link=Laurie Penny}}</ref> A number of abortion rights amendments were proposed by the Labour MPs [[Diane Abbott]], [[Katy Clark]] and [[John McDonnell]], including ''NC30 Amendment of the Abortion Act 1967: Application to Northern Ireland''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jul/23/northernireland.law|title=Diane Abbott: A right to choose? Not in Northern Ireland|last=Abbott|first=Diane|date=2008-07-23|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-03-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7520856.stm|title=MPs pushing abortion rights in NI|date=2008-07-23|access-date=2018-03-16|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmbills/120/amend/pbc1202210m.3272-3278.html|title=House of Commons Amendments|last=Commons|first=Table Office, House of|website=publications.parliament.uk|access-date=2018-03-16}}</ref> However, it was reported that the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government at the time asked MPs not to table these amendments (at least until [[third reading]]) and then used parliamentary mechanisms in order to prevent a vote; the government was, at the time, seeking to devolve policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly (which had previously voted to oppose the extension of the 1967 Act).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://labourlist.org/2009/03/harriet-harman-shouldnt-be-blogging-on-international-womens-day-shes-suppressed-womens-rights-for-12-years/|title=Harriet Harman shouldn't be blogging on International Women's Day – she's suppressed women's rights for 12 years|date=2009-03-09|work=LabourList|access-date=2018-03-16|language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2017, the ''Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Bill'' was introduced by Labour [[Diana Johnson]] MP with the aim of repealing criminal law on abortion in England and Wales.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Bill 2016-17 — UK Parliament |url=https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2016-17/reproductivehealthaccesstoterminations.html |access-date=2021-02-03 |website=services.parliament.uk}}</ref> However, with the call for a general election, the bill fell and no further action was taken.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Arnull|first=Liam|date=2018|title=How Brexit Stopped Abortion Being Decriminalised In England And Wales|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/abortion-rights_uk_5b29355fe4b061fc68707f87|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625013600/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/abortion-rights_uk_5b29355fe4b061fc68707f87 |archive-date=25 June 2018 |access-date=2021-02-03|website=Huffington Post}}</ref>

Minor amendments to the Abortion Act 1967 have been introduced through government legislation, the most recent being the allowance of abortion consultations through [[telemedicine]] in the [[Health and Care Act 2022]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2022-03-30 |title=MPs vote to continue abortion 'pills by post' scheme in England |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/30/mps-vote-to-continue-abortion-pills-by-post-scheme-in-england |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>