Abortion
Should we decriminalise late-term abortion?
BACKGROUND:
An abortion is a medical procedure to terminate a pregnancy by removing the embryo/foetus.
Abortion in England, Scotland and Wales is regulated by the Abortion Act 1967. In simple terms this allows abortion up to the 24th week of gestation for socio-economic reasons, and for select health reasons after this deadline. This is later than a lot of other European countries; for example, in Germany and Italy the limit is 12 weeks, 14 weeks in France and Spain.
Parliament voted to decriminalize abortion for women in June 2025, so that women will no longer be prosecuted for ending pregnancies regardless of the number of weeks.
ANSWER STRUCTURE
When it comes to opinion questions, give a balanced answer acknowledging both sides but make sure to give your views at the end.
| YES, because… | NO, because… |
|---|---|
| This gives women greater autonomy over their own bodies, giving them the chance to make decisions later during pregnancy. | Moral concerns – abortion after 24 weeks raises ethical concerns about ending a potential independent life. Furthermore, this could lead to an increase in ‘sex-selective’ abortions. |
| Late-term abortions being a criminal offence could affect vulnerable people more, as they may not have access to the healthcare support needed until after the arbitrary 24 week cutoff. Decriminalising them falls under justice. | We should instead focus on education about contraception and to support people in deprived areas to access services quicker; just decriminalising late-term abortion doesn’t tackle the systemic issues at play. |
| Current law already dictates that late-term abortions can be terminated in specific circumstances, such as the child potentially having disability for life. This isn’t easily quantifiable and can lead to inconsistencies to the way care is delivered between practicioners. | Current law already allows abortions after 24 weeks in specific circumstances, such as a risk to the pregnant person or severe disability. As two medical practitioners are needed to make this decision, this puts enough guidelines in place to safeguard health while recognising foetus viability. |
KEY TERMS
These terms from the points above might spark possible follow-up questions:
- INDEPENDENT LIFE
- Many of the laws around abortion are done with foetus viability in mind; around 24 weeks is when a newborn has a chance of surviving outside with womb with adequate care.
- Do you think advances in neonatal care pushing viability earlier should affect abortion law?
- If a fetus can survive independently earlier than this, for example at 12 weeks, should that change how we view abortion?
- CURRENT LAW
- Laws are not always consistent across countries, as shown by the fact that several European countries place the limit at around 12-14 weeks. Even in the UK, the votes to decriminalise late-term abortion could reflect a shift away from older traditional values. Some may argue that laws do not accurately reflect what is morally the best possible outcome, instead being a product of what a particular population thinks in that period of time; for complex issues like abortion, politicians may not accurately reflect what people in a country want.
- Do you think controversial issues like abortion should be decided by doctors, politicians, or be put up for a referendum?