Decriminalising Abortion in the UK

Decriminalising Abortion in the UK is a highly authoritative consideration of the issues around the contemporary concern of the impact of decriminalisation of abortion in the UK.

The public and parliamentary debate about UK abortion law reform is often diverted away from key moral and political questions by dispute regarding basic questions of fact. And all too often, claims of scientific ‘fact’ are ideologically driven.

But what effect would decriminalisation be likely to have on women’s health? What would be the impact on the incidence of abortions? Would decriminalisation equate to deregulation, sweeping away necessary restrictions on dangerous or malicious conduct?

With each chapter 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.

About the Author

Sally Sheldon is Professor of Law at the University of Kent and University of Technology, Sydney. Her research interests are primarily in health care law and ethics and the legal regulation of gender. In 2017, Sheldon was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, in recognition of her pioneering socio-legal research, particularly in the area of abortion law. Kaye Wellings is Professor of Sexual and Reproductive Health Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Wellings was a founder of the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles. She led the first global study of sexual behaviour, based on analysis of data from 59 countries and has been charged with the national evaluations of several national sexual and reproductive health interventions, including England's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. She is an elected Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and of the Academy of Social Sciences.