Law to pardon women convicted of illegal abortions passes final UK parliament hurdle

Legislation will expunge convictions and end the prosecution of women who terminate their own pregnancies

Legislation to pardon women who have been convicted of illegal abortions has passed its final parliamentary hurdle, paving the way for a landmark change in the law.

The amendment to the crime and policing bill, which will also expunge the police records of those arrested and investigated over illegal abortions, was considered in the House of Lords during a phase of parliamentary ping-pong, where a bill passes back and forth between the Lords and Commons.