How Was Abortion Legalised In The United Kingdom?

Strictly speaking, abortion is still illegal in Britain under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. However, the 1967 Abortion Act legalised terminations in certain circumstances. Therefore, by law, there is no right to abortion in Britain as such. However, the reality is that Britain does have abortion on demand, with around 180,000 abortions per year.

The Abortion Act was passed on 27 October 1967 and came into effect on 28 April 1968. It allowed abortions up to 24 weeks (as amended by a later Act of Parliament in 1990) "if the continuation of pregnancy involved risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health [of the mother] or any existing children in her family". It is under this clause that most abortions take place in Britain. Terminations were also permitted to prevent "grave or permanent injury" to the physical or mental health of the mother, if the mother's life was at risk, and if there was substantial risk that the child would be born with abnormalities. A woman must get consent of two doctors before an abortion is approved. The Abortion Act did not apply to Northern Ireland, and, therefore, abortion is still illegal in the province.

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