On 17 June 2025 UK Parliament voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, reversing a Victorian-era law. The amendment will prevent women from being prosecuted for ending a pregnancy after 24 weeks or without approval from two doctors.

We spoke to our senior investigative reporter Sian Norris, author of Bodies Under Siege: How the Far-Right Attack on Reproductive Rights Went Global. 

Get Bodies Under Siege by Sian Norris: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781839764738

Read Sian’s full piece on this vote: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/mps-vote-decriminalise-abortion-important-increasing-prosecutions-global-backlash-us/

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

00:55 A huge achievement for women's reproductive rights

01:55 'Isn't abortion already legal in the UK?'

07:19 The 24 week question

09:44 Telemedicine

13:24 What does this mean on a global level?

14:51 What happens next?

17:22 On to the next fight!

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