Jewish leaders have welcomed a landmark vote to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, calling it a move grounded in Jewish values of compassion and dignity.
MPs backed the amendment by 379 votes to 137, ending the threat of prosecution for women who end a pregnancy outside existing legal limits – including after 24 weeks. The change, proposed by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, does not alter the 24-week time limit or require changes to how abortions are provided in healthcare settings.
Progressive Judaism’s Rabbi Shulamit Ambalu, Chair of the Assembly of Reform Rabbis and Cantors, said: ‘All Jewish perspectives on abortion agree that life begins at birth, not during pregnancy. The foetus is part of the mother’s body.
Rabbi Shulamit Ambalu
“Our approach should be based on rachamim – compassion – which literally shares its root with the Hebrew word for womb. Women deserve care, not criminalisation.”
She added that prosecutions of women under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act – a Victorian-era law – disproportionately target vulnerable individuals. “Women who have been caught up in police investigations and even criminal prosecutions are, on the whole, highly vulnerable, they may even have pre-existing children to care for. All the more so if they have not been able to access appropriate medical care at an earlier stage.”
The change follows a series of high-profile cases, including that of Nicola Packer, who faced a criminal trial after taking abortion pills at 26 weeks. She was arrested in hospital and investigated for over four years.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists called the result “a victory for women and their reproductive rights”, while the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) hailed it as the biggest reform since the 1967 Abortion Act.
A rival amendment by Conservative MP Caroline Johnson to restrict telemedicine and require in-person consultations was rejected by 379 votes to 117.
Opposition came from anti-abortion campaigners, including the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, who said they were “horrified” by the vote.
The legislation must still pass the House of Lords before becoming law.
