Decriminalising abortion in the UK : what would it mean? / Editors: Sally Sheldon and Kaye Wellings

Case study 1: Abortion in Canada

Front Cover -- Decriminalising Abortion in the UK -- Copyright information -- Table of contents -- List of figures and tables -- List of cases, statutes and statutory instruments -- Notes on contributors -- One Introduction -- Introduction -- What do we mean by 'decriminalisation' of abortion? -- Current law in the UK -- The Offences Against the Person Act (1861) -- The Infant Life (Preservation) Act (1929) and Criminal Justice Act NI (1945) -- The Abortion Act (1967) -- Reproductive and sexual health in the UK

How might decriminalisation of abortion come about in the UK and what would it look like? -- Content of the book -- Two Is public opinion in support of decriminalisation? -- Introduction -- Can we rely on the polling evidence on attitudes towards abortion? -- Reporting bias -- Participation bias -- The British Social Attitudes Survey -- Who is most accepting of decriminalisation of abortion? Evidence from the BSA -- Attitudes towards abortion in Northern Ireland -- Changing events, changing views? -- The Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey

Why have attitudes towards abortion become more liberal in the UK? -- Conclusion -- Three How would decriminalisation affect women's health? -- Introduction -- The safety of abortion -- Abortion and maternal mortality and morbidity -- Abortion and longer-term health outcomes -- The law versus best practice -- Decision-making under the Abortion Act -- Location of abortion -- Abortion at home -- Expanding the provider pool -- Self-managed abortion -- Conclusion -- Four Would decriminalisation mean deregulation? -- Introduction -- A general regulatory framework for safe care

Informed consent, counselling, confidentiality and safeguarding -- Informed consent and safeguarding -- Girls and women who lack capacity -- Under 18s -- Adults who lack capacity -- Counselling -- Confidentiality and data protection -- Regulation of abortion medicines -- Non-consensual termination of pregnancy -- Medically unqualified providers -- Conscientious objection -- Conclusion -- Five The effects of decriminalisation in Northern Ireland -- Introduction -- The legal position in Northern Ireland prior to October 2019 -- The impact of criminalisation

Human rights challenges to the criminalisation of abortion -- Law reform and the framework for regulating abortion -- The October 2019 reforms and the interim period -- Conclusion -- Six What would be the likely impact of decriminalisation on the incidence, timing, provision and safety of abortion? -- Introduction -- Abortion laws, incidence, timing, provision and safety in global perspective -- Abortion laws and criminalisation -- Incidence of abortion -- Gestational age at time of abortion -- Sex-selection and abortion -- Safety of abortion -- Decriminalising abortion

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Written by leading experts in the fields of medicine, law, reproductive health and social science, this book offers a concise and authoritative account of the evidence regarding the likely impact of decriminalisation of abortion in the UK