Tag: Procuring a Miscarriage

We need to talk about the history of ‘procuring a miscarriage’

~ Dr Emma Milne ~ 1 Comment

The offence of ‘procuring a miscarriage’ (section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861) criminalises the ending of a pregnancy at any point in gestation. The imprisonment of a woman for this crime in June 2023 has sparked a public debate about the role of the criminal law in the regulation of abortion. For us to have an informed discussion about the offences of procuring a miscarriage we need to understand the history of the law and why the crime was created by Parliament. In this video I discuss the background to the law, and the reasons Parliament wanted to criminalise abortion back in the 1860s.

To understand more about why abortion is illegal in England and Wales, take a look at this video.

Why do women have illegal abortions?

~ Dr Emma Milne ~ 1 Comment

On the 12 June 2023, a woman was imprisoned for 28 months for taking abortion pills at 32-34 weeks of pregnancy. Many people were shocked by the outcome of this case. In this video, I discuss the situations that lead a woman to take steps to end her pregnancy late in gestation.

Watch this video to find out why abortion is illegal in England and Wales.

This video explains how the Abortion Act 1967 allows abortion to be legal.