Time limits for abortion should be scaled back to just 22 weeks, down from the current 24, doctors have said.
In a letter to all MPs, the group of 700 doctors wrote that medical advances meant babies born at this time now had a good chance of survival.
The group, which includes senior NHS doctors and GPs, said a baby born at 23 weeks now had a 40 per cent chance of survival. That’s up from about 20 percent a decade ago.
Improving survival odds mean there is a “long overdue” need to reform abortion rules in England, according to the letter seen by The telegraph.
“Reducing the upper time limit to 22 weeks would be appropriate now given further medical advances that have led to significant further improvements in survival rates for babies born before the 24-week abortion limit,” it reads.
Debate over abortion laws in England follows the case of Carla Foster, aged 45, who was sentenced to 28 months in prison in 2023 for illegally taking abortion pills to end her pregnancy during the Covid lockdown
Babies born before 37 weeks are considered premature. Their chances of survival vary greatly depending on how early they are born, but medical advances mean that those born at 34 weeks and beyond now have the same chance of life as a baby born at full term.
Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that around 215,000 women had an abortion in England and Wales in 2021, an increase of around 2 per cent on the 2020 figure
It comes as two opposing groups of MPs prepare for a battle over abortion legislation in the House of Commons.
An amendment tabled by Conservative MP Caroline Ansell aligns with this group of doctors in seeking to lower the abortion limit to 22 weeks.
It has been backed by 30 MPs, including former Business Secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, former Home Office Secretary Sir John Hayes and former Health Secretary Maggie Throup.
Another, tabled by Labour’s Dame Diana Johnson, who also chairs the home affairs committee, seeks to decriminalize abortion after 24 weeks.
This would not change the 24-week legal limit for abortions, but would stop women facing jail time if they have terminations after that time, as in the case of Carla Foster.
Mrs Foster, 45, was jailed for 28 months in 2023 for illegally taking abortion pills to end her pregnancy during the Covid lockdown.
The mother of three was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant at the time.
Doctors campaigning for the abortion limit to be lowered to 22 weeks claim their call has precedent.
They cited how, in 1990, abortion limits were reduced from 28 weeks to the current 24 in recognition of similar medical advances at the time that increased the survival rates of premature babies.
The doctors also argued that the UK was out of step with the rest of Europe, with the average abortion limit across the continent just 12 weeks, such as in Germany, Italy and Ireland.
Therefore, their proposed 22-week limit represented only a ‘moderate change’, they said.
But while many European nations have stricter abortion deadlines, many countries also allow abortion on request, meaning a woman does not need a reason to request a termination.
In contrast, in the UK, abortions are only allowed for health and financial reasons, such as not being able to afford to care for a child.
Similar to the UK, abortion limits in Europe can be waived in certain circumstances, e.g. if continuing the pregnancy would endanger the woman’s life.
Writing in a separate opinion pieceAnsell cited a poll that found 60 percent of Britons, and 70 percent of women specifically, supported reducing abortion limits to just 20 weeks, two less than her proposed change.
Ms Ansell added that the current limit of 24 weeks led to a situation where premature babies born around this time were treated while abortions were carried out on fetuses of the same age.
She added how, in her opinion, fetuses at this stage of their development were essentially human.
“These babies are unmistakably human: according to the NHS website, the unborn child is “fully formed” at 12 weeks; at 18 weeks, babies can begin to respond to loud noises from the outside world.
‘At 22 weeks they enter a pattern of sleeping and waking, and at 23 weeks they practice breathing movements to prepare for life outside the womb.
“And yet in 2021, the most recent year for which we have full records, 755 abortions of babies at 22 or 23 weeks’ gestation were carried out under ground C in the statutory grounds under which abortions are permitted, for which there is currently 24-week time limit.’
An amendment tabled by Conservative MP Caroline Ansell seeks to lower the abortion time from the current 24 weeks to 22.
Labor MP Dame Diana Johnson (pictured) will bring an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to exempt women from prosecution if they have an abortion outside the borders
Access to abortion varies around the world, with some countries allowing full access, although gestational age limits still apply. Others only allow abortions on medical grounds or ban them entirely. The UK is considered a European outlier, only allowing abortions for both health and economic reasons, while most of its neighbors are more flexible. Abortion access in the US has undergone a radical shift recently and now varies widely on a state-by-state level
Such abortions account for a small fraction of the total performed that year, about 0.35 percent of the 214,256 terminations performed in 2021.
While medical advances mean for premature babies, those born before they are fully developed after 37 weeks have a much better chance of survival, this is by no means certain.
Pregnancy and baby loss charity Tommy’s estimates that babies born at less than 22 weeks have almost no chance of survival.
This rises to 10 percent at 22 weeks, 60 percent at 24 weeks, 89 percent at 27 weeks and 95 percent at 31 weeks.
Medical advances mean that babies born at 34 weeks and beyond have virtually no difference in survival compared to those born at full term.
The current rules mean that pregnant women can legally request an abortion in the UK until they are 24 weeks pregnant, but it is up to doctors whether it is granted.
Under the 1967 Abortion Act, terminations are granted on grounds of physical or mental health as well as financial reasons such as not being able to afford to care for a child.
There is no access to abortion on demand in the UK. A woman cannot terminate a pregnancy for no reason, she must have a reason.
Abortion can still be legally performed after the 24-week mark, but only under very strict circumstances.
These include that the mother’s life is in danger as a result of the pregnancy or if the child would be born with a serious disability.
Before 10 weeks, abortions can be carried out at home with the help of medicine, after this period the procedure must be carried out in a specialized clinic.
In these clinics, most abortion services perform an ultrasound scan to find out how many weeks pregnant an expectant mother is.
The length of pregnancy is calculated from the first day of a woman’s last period.
