New UK law makes sex-selective abortion easier than ever

On March 18, abortion law in the United Kingdom underwent a profound — and, to some, deeply troubling — change. At the center of the controversy is Clause 208 of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Introduced by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, the clause passed in the House of Commons on June 17, 2025 and was supported by the House of Lords on March 18 of this year.

India — the largest country of origin for migrants to the United Kingdom — accounts for roughly half of the world’s 'missing females' at birth.

While presented as a compassionate update to Victorian-era laws, the clause effectively creates a legal disparity that anyone concerned with the sanctity of life may find objectionable.

Exempting women

To understand the scale of the change, American readers need context. The Abortion Act of 1967 did not legalize abortion outright. Instead, it established exemptions. Termination was permitted only if two doctors agreed that the pregnancy posed a risk to the physical or mental health of the mother or her existing children. Outside those conditions, abortion remained a criminal offense under the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861. Today, the general legal limit for abortion in the U.K. is 24 weeks.

Clause 208 fundamentally alters that framework. It removes women entirely from the scope of the 1861 Act. In practical terms, a woman can no longer be prosecuted for ending her own pregnancy at any stage — including up to birth. Medical professionals, however, remain bound by the 1967 Act. A doctor who performs an abortion past the 24-week limit without specific medical justification still faces potential prosecution, including life imprisonment.

The result is an asymmetry: The individual is exempt from criminal liability, while the practitioner is not. By removing legal risk from the woman — particularly in an era of pills by post and self-managed abortion — the law effectively permits abortion on request, even if formal restrictions on providers remain.

Unprecedented levels

This comes at a time when abortion rates have reached unprecedented levels. In January, the government released the 2023 abortion figures for England and Wales. The numbers showed there were 277,970 abortions — the highest recorded since the 1967 Act was introduced. If current trends continue, the U.K. is projected to surpass 300,000 annual terminations when the next figures are released.

Nearly one-third of pregnancies in England and Wales now end in abortion. In 2023, approximately 32% of all conceptions resulted in termination. Much of this increase is attributed to the “pills by post” scheme introduced during COVID-19 and made permanent in 2022. By allowing women to access abortifacients without an in-person consultation, the policy has lowered practical barriers to abortion and accelerated its normalization.

Critics of Clause 208 also point to the absence of a clear public mandate. Despite the scope of the change — effectively eliminating the prospect of prosecution for late-term self-abortion — there was no referendum or broad public consultation.

Polling from Savanta ComRes suggests that while most Britons support access to abortion, only a small minority — around 1% — support access up to birth. The same polling found that 70% of women believe the current 24-week limit should be reduced. On this reading, the law moves in the opposite direction of public sentiment.

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Sex-selective abortion

Concerns extend beyond process to potential consequences. Baroness Rosa Monckton, a life peer in the U.K.’s House of Lords, warned that the removal of legal liability could encourage sex-selective abortion. The NHS typically discloses fetal sex at the 20-week scan. Without legal deterrence, critics argue, there is little to prevent termination based on sex.

Globally, sex-selective abortion has been documented for decades, particularly in countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, where cultural and economic pressures — especially the dowry system — have historically incentivized a preference for sons. India — the largest country of origin for migrants to the United Kingdom — accounts for roughly half of the world’s “missing females” at birth.

Inevitably, some long-standing cultural traditions have persisted within these communities.

Some institutions dispute that risk. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service has described sex-selective abortion as a myth, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has stated that statistical evidence remains inconclusive.

Imported misogyny

Yet recent data challenges these claims. Analysis from the Department of Health and Social Care found that while sex ratios among first and second births to women of Indian origin align with the national average, third births show a marked imbalance — 118 boys for every 100 girls.

The same analysis estimates that approximately 400 sex-selective abortions of female fetuses of Indian heritage occurred between 2017 and 2021, describing this as the first measurable evidence of the phenomenon in official statistics.

This raises a broader concern that legal changes intended to expand autonomy may also make it easier for society and the state to overlook grave issues such as infanticide, coercion, or sex-selective abortion. In prioritizing rights and compassion for the mother, the law now raises serious questions about the status and protection of the most vulnerable.

Liberal shibboleths

The rise of sex-selective abortion in the U.K. results from the convergence of several misguided liberal shibboleths: that "multiculturalism" permits minority groups to practice antiquated cultural customs in Britain without scrutiny; that rights of citizenship do not require corresponding responsibilities; and that any restrictions on the actions of adult women are automatically sexist and patriarchal.

The implications extend beyond individual cases. At a time when Britain faces rapid demographic change and fewer young people are choosing to start families, abortion is increasingly becoming a question of national survival. If the 300,000 pregnancies ended by abortion each year had gone to term, the U.K. population could have grown by nearly a million over just three years. Instead we rely on immigration to support our aging population, all in service of the "economic growth" idolized by elites.

Britain now faces a choice. Clause 208 is not merely a technical adjustment to outdated law. It marks a turning point — one that forces the country to confront fundamental questions about life, responsibility, and the limits of autonomy.