On June 17th, a landslide vote in the UK Parliament decriminalized abortions over 24 weeks. The amendment to existing abortion law, propped up by Labour Party politician Tonia Antoniazzi, passed with 379 votes in favor, and only 137 votes against it. While medical professionals must still adhere to rules and regulations surrounding abortion procedures, pregnant women will no longer be personally investigated, arrested, or punished if they kill their own babies, even if they are at the point of dilation.
Labour and progressives around the world are cheering this as a monumental step forward for “women’s rights,” but this radical new measure not only harms the unborn, but could also disrupt how Americans tackle the “Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life” debate in the years to come.
UK’s Obsession with ‘Reproductive Rights’ Literally Kills
Progressive British lawmakers pushed for this no-limits abortion amendment the best way they knew how: by blaming the patriarchy. A coalition of leftist organizations and lobbyist groups—including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists—justified the decriminalization of all abortions by arguing that current UK abortion law is invalid, as it was established before women had the right to vote. During the amendment debate, Antoniazzi exclaimed: “Originally passed by an all-male parliament elected by men alone, this Victorian law is increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls.” Proponents cited the widespread discrimination faced by women who self-induce abortions, noting how, just last year, a whopping total of six women were arrested and charged with ending, or attempting to end, their own pregnancy outside current abortion law. Progressives condemned these investigations as “intrusive” and “brutal.” Decriminalizing abortion isn’t just medically necessary, it’s equitable.
For everyone except the defenseless unborn.
The emotional slogans and hyperbole worked. Abortion is no longer illegal in England, and the amendment makes sure that women won’t even be investigated if they kill her own children, regardless of how far along they are in the pregnancy. President of the Royal College of Professor Ranee Thakar called the vote a, “victory for women and for their essential reproductive rights.”
Despite incredible medical advancements which have improved the viability of unborn babies to the point where preemies born around 24 weeks can experience upwards of a 70 percent survivability rate, British politicians are hell bent on legalizing all abortions, and eventually have British citizens pay for it. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as England’s healthcare system is notorious for its indifference to human life, with one report finding over 15,000 aborted or miscarried babies burned as so-called clinical waste, with some even being used to heat hospitals.
England Has Chosen Death. What Does This Mean For America?
England’s recent amendment reflects a turning point in the global debate on abortion. For years, arguments over the right to abort vs. the right to life have been marred in hypotheticals, ad hominems, and hyperbole. Abortionists have long defended their position for “common-sense” abortion rights by arguing that full-term abortions just simply don’t exist. “No one is getting an abortion at eight or nine months,” and “no state allows for full-term abortions, that’s absurd,” are common responses when confronted with the abortion question. Do the American “pro-choice” advocates have a leg to stand on, or are they making a bad faith argument? Unfortunately, England has shown us that full-term abortion legislation is not only possible, but probable.
While Roe v. Wade was overturned three years ago, researchers are finding the gender gap growing wider within the pro-life and pro-abortion camps. Today, 61 percent of women and 41 percent of men consider themselves “pro-choice,” a 20-point gap compared to the 13-point difference three years ago. Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling in 2022, abortion has been losing support among men, from 48 percent to 41 percent, while women have remained steady in their adamant defense of terminating a baby’s life, with around 56 percent saying abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances, per Gallup.
This gender gap has only gotten wider with time in America. Since Dobbs, we have seen a number of states adopt radical legislation cementing unlimited abortion as a “human right” within their state constitutions, effectively permitting abortion at any stage of a pregnancy—even at the point of dilation. There are already 9 states with no gestational limits on abortion: Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, and Vermont—as well as the District of Columbia.
Pro-abortion activists have made themselves clear: they want on-demand abortion available to the public, no-holds-barred. To them, the recent amendment to English abortion law is a step in the right direction for “women’s reproductive rights,” and could inspire American abortionists to replicate radical change here as well.
England, one of the birthplaces of modern western civilization and democracy, has now completely disregarded the sanctity and value of human life. Americans must realize that this change didn’t happen unexpectedly overnight, but over decades of gradual deference to the progressive elite who, when offered an inch, will demand a mile.
Do we want more laws enshrining the right to full-term abortion in America? Hopefully conservative leaders will recognize this as a possible reality, and will work to actually conserve the foundation of all our constitutional rights: our inalienable right to life.
Image: Freepik.