Fifty years on, the Abortion Act should be celebrated – and updated | Wendy Savage

It was – and still is – landmark legislation for women. But some aspects are not fit for purpose in the 21st century

Today is the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that allowed doctors in Great Britain to perform abortions lawfully so long as certain conditions were met. Doctors were given the responsibility of deciding if a woman met the conditions laid down by the act. The act has achieved its objective of eliminating deaths from illegal abortion and this fact – and the relief of millions of women who faced an unwanted pregnancy – should be celebrated.

The devolved government of Northern Ireland, however, did not pass the legislation, despite a high court judge ruling that its refusal to countenance termination was an abuse of women’s human rights. The Northern Irish appeal court ruled this year that it was up to Stormont (currently suspended) to legislate to remedy this abuse of women – despite the fact that the only thing that unites the parties is their opposition to abortion.

The bill came under attack almost immediately and this has continued to the present day, with 50 attempts to restrict it

Related: Why, 50 years after the Abortion Act, it's time to abolish the law altogether

Continue reading... October 27, 2017 at 07:47PM