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Motion on abortion rights passed by Sheffield Heeley CLP, June 2023

Text as passed as Heeley CLP is below, and a shortened version (short enough to be within the 250-word limit for Labour conference and women’s conference motions) is below

The text as passed as Heeley CLP is below, and a shortened version (short enough to be within the 250-word limit for Labour conference and women’s conference motions) is below

This CLP notes: 

  1. On 12th June a 44-year-old woman was sentenced to over two years in prison for procuring pills to induce an abortion outside the legal time limit. 
  2. According to Abortion Rights UK there has been an increase in women in England being prosecuted in relation to pregnancy terminations. 
  3. These prosecutions are possible because the 1967 Abortion Act did not decriminalise abortion, but rather made it permissible on certain conditions.  The Offences against the Person Act 1861 which made abortion a criminal offence is still on the statute book.
  4. Since this case there have been calls for legislative change, meaning that abortion rights may be an issue in parliament in the coming period.

This CLP believes:

  1. Dealing with abortion within criminal law restricts and stigmatises both those who request an abortion and the healthcare professionals who provide that care.
  2. In addition, policy barriers to safe abortion include underfunded services, the requirement in legislation that approval must be given by other people or institutions, limits on when during pregnancy an abortion can take place.  
  3. Social reasons for women delaying seeking services include lack of recognition of pregnancy, family or relationship breakdown, domestic violence, sexual assault or rape, or denial of pregnancy due to social fears.  Later abortion disproportionately involves teenage or vulnerable women.
  4. Such barriers can lead to critical delays in accessing treatment and increase risk of unsafe abortion, stigmatisation, and health complications.

This CLP further believes.

  1. Nobody should face prison for a decision about their own body and health care.
  2. Abortion should be considered as a healthcare procedure.
  3. Medical and legal frameworks should trust women to make responsible decisions.
  4. Abortion should be available on demand as early as possible and as late as necessary.

It is vital that Labour collectively support progressive legislative change, including decriminalisation as pledged in our 2019 manifesto, and reform to allow women and pregnant people to control their own bodies. 

This CLP agrees to:

  • Campaign for decriminalisation of abortion provision;
  • Publicise the protest on Saturday 24/06 at 12noon in Barkers Pool, Sheffield to members;
  • Invite a speaker from Abortion Rights UK to a future CLP meeting;
  • Send this motion to the NEC;
  • Urge our MP to take up these issues in Parliament.

(The passage in italics above about the 2019 manifesto is an addition to the Heeley draft)

248-words version

We note:

On 12 June a woman was sentenced to over two years in prison for procuring pills to induce an abortion outside the legal time limit.

Such prosecutions are possible because the 1967 Abortion Act did not decriminalise abortion, but rather made it permissible on certain conditions.  The Offences against the Person Act 1861 which made abortion a criminal offence is still on the statute book.

We believe:

Dealing with abortion within criminal law restricts and stigmatises both those who request an abortion and the healthcare professionals who provide that care.

• In addition, policy barriers to safe abortion include underfunded services, the requirement in legislation that approval must be given by other people or institutions, limits on when during pregnancy an abortion can take place.

• Social reasons for women delaying seeking services include lack of recognition of pregnancy, family or relationship breakdown, domestic violence, sexual assault or rape, or denial of pregnancy due to social fears. Later abortion disproportionately involves teenage or vulnerable women.

• Such barriers can lead to critical delays in accessing treatment and increase risk of unsafe abortion, stigmatisation, and health complications.

We further believe:

• Nobody should face prison for a decision about their own body and health care.

• Abortion should be considered as a healthcare procedure.

• Abortion should be available on demand as early as possible and as late as necessary.

We call on Labour to commit to:

Decriminalisation of abortion provision, as pledged in our 2019 manifesto.

Note: The Guardian reported https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/17/case-uk-woman-jailed-late-abortion-difficult-both-sides that “sources said that Starmer told Labour MPs during a closed-doors meeting this week that he had never backed decriminalisation of abortion”. He certainly voted for it in Northern Ireland on 9 July 2019 (and the amendment won), but… Many Labour right-wingers like Stella Creasy are still vocal for decriminalisation, so it should be possible to win wide support on this.

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