The Law On Abortion

Before the 1967 Abortion Act, abortion was illegal, except to save the life of the pregnant woman.

The 1967 Abortion Act
Under the 1967 Act, which covers England, Wales and Scotland, abortion is legal in certain circumstances. Women do not have the right to abortion on request. Two doctors (normally your own GP and a hospital gynaecologist) have to agree that you are entitled to an abortion under the grounds of the Act. This applies to both the NHS and the private sector. The law states that you can get an abortion if continuing with the pregnancy would involve:

• risk to your life
• risk of injury to your mental and physical health
• risk of injury to the mental and physical health of your existing children
• substantial risk that the child would be born severely mentally or physically handicapped

These grounds can be interpreted quite widely, depending on your doctor's views on abortion. Some may be very unhelpful, others very helpful.