Lords vote to back clause pardoning women convicted over illegal abortions

"Even where no charges have been brought, because abortion offences are classed as violent crimes, an arrest may show up in an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, with long-lasting consequences. Earlier this week, the Guardian reported the story of a young women who had been arrested despite obtaining pills from a doctor."

"The change, by way of an amendment to the crime and policing bill put forward by the Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi, came after a reported increase in prosecutions and a number of high-profile court cases that saw women in the dock. Peers instead voted to extend the scope of the legislation to pardon women who had already been convicted and to expunge the police records of those arrested."

"Last June, the House of Commons voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate their pregnancies outside of the legal framework, while keeping the existing framework in place. Doctors and others who act outside of the law could still face the threat of prosecution."

The House of Lords voted to pardon women convicted of illegal abortions and expunge their police records, following earlier Commons approval of decriminalization. The amendment, proposed by Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi, removes criminal liability for women terminating pregnancies outside legal frameworks while maintaining existing regulations and keeping prosecution threats for doctors and others acting illegally. The change responds to increased prosecutions and high-profile cases. Attempts to strike the clause and ban telemedicine failed. The legislation addresses consequences of abortion offences being classified as violent crimes, which can appear on enhanced background checks with lasting employment and personal impacts.

Read at www.theguardian.com