The Domestic Abuse Bill and Abortion
The Domestic Abuse Bill has been working its way through UK Parliament in one form or another for over a year. Its aims are wide-ranging, from a legal requirement for local councils to find safe accommodation for the victims and children, to changing the way family court proceedings work.
You might ask what this has to do with abortion? Victims of domestic abuse are routinely pressured into getting pregnant or coerced into having an abortion (What Does Abortion Have To Do With Domestic Abuse, Anyway?).
The perpetrators will often have control over contraception, effectively removing the victim’s ability to control their own reproduction. For those wanting or needing abortion services, the ability to do so legally can be restricted by the abusive environment they live in.
What does the law currently say?
As abortion remains illegal in the UK, if a person attempts to ‘procure an abortion’ outside of the strict requirements laid out in the Abortion Act 1967, they can be jailed for life in England or Wales under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, a law created over 150 years ago. Its application punishes those most in need in society, such as domestic violence victims who are forced to buy abortion medication online to illegally end their pregnancy because they cannot get to a clinic. One provider of online pills estimates that 33% of requests from Great Britain cite domestic abuse as a reason they cannot access legal abortion care.
What has the coronavirus pandemic taught us?
The pandemic has led to a temporary relaxation of our laws, COVID-19 has highlighted the failures of our antiquated abortion laws; how are people supposed to be able to access abortion services if they can’t leave their home? Often victims of domestic abuse struggle to access abortion services in person, unable to escape from their abuser or being subjected to having their travel and communications monitored for example. As a direct result of being able to access these remote abortion services, people from Great Britain are no longer sourcing abortion pills online, international providers confirm.
Essentially Covid-19 has enabled those most vulnerable in society to receive the care and access to abortion services they need. However, the tele-medicine abortion provision will be removed once the threat of coronavirus has passed, and unless the Government acknowledges the systemic problems with our current abortion laws, victims of domestic violence will once again be forced in to continuing pregnancies against their will, or buying pills off the internet.
The Government cannot criminalise people whilst simultaneously prevent them from being able to access the services they need. This is why the Domestic Abuse Bill is so important, as it provides a vital opportunity to develop existing abortion laws to reflect the reality of the current situation.
Take Action
There are many compelling and valid reasons why somebody might choose to have an abortion without the consent of two medical doctors including partner and family control or violence.
Those in tough situations turn to online sources, but current legislation means they might be just one click away from criminality.
Ask your MP to support an amendment to protect women from prosecution: https://wetrustwomen.uk/take-action/
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