Decriminalise abortion; expand provision; as early as possible, as late as necessary
The trial and jailing of Carla Foster for an abortion past legal term limits should be a catalyst for a new movement for abortion rights. Mobilisations and campaigning so far have been led by liberal groups like the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) and the Fawcett Society. They argue that the rest of the UK is now out of step with Northern Ireland, where a 2019 law legalising abortion put a moratorium on abortion-related criminal prosecutions. It is true dealing with abortion within criminal law stigmatises all abortions and leads to unjust sentencing like that of Carla Foster. But we...