Analysis of the Impacts of The Requirement of Two Doctors’ Approval on Abortions on Pregnant Women in England

Wenjun Zhou

doi:10.54097/fbem.v10i1.10380

Authors

Wenjun Zhou

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/fbem.v10i1.10380

Keywords:

Two doctors’ approval, Abortions, Pregnant women, Social justice.

Abstract

In England, the Abortion Act 1967 (AA) provides several grounds for lawful abortions and allows women to lawfully procure abortions under certain conditions. However, the AA provides that doctors have the right to certify women’s eligibility for abortions, causing several issues. The requirement of doctors’ approval undermines pregnant women’s individual autonomy, violates their human rights and runs counter to present legal and medical views. Meanwhile, the requirement of two doctors’ signatures is problematic. Due to the lengthy procedure of collecting signatures and doctors' right to conscientious objection, this requirement causes delays in access to abortions, delaying the opportunity for early abortions and even the 24-week upper limit of permissible abortions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Offences against the Person Act 1861

Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929

Abortion Act 1967

Sheldon Sally. The Decriminalisation of Abortion: an Argument for Modernisation [J] Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 2015, 36: 334.

Howard Sally. After 50 Years of Legal Abortion in Great Britain, Calls Grow for Further Liberalisation [J]. British Medical Journal, 2017, 359: 5278.

Lowe Pam. (Re)imagining the "Backstreet": Anti-abortion Campaigning against Decriminalisation in the UK [J]. Sociological Research Online, 2019,24: 203.

Fenwick Daniel. The Modern Abortion Jurisprudence under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights [J]. Medical Law International, 2012, 12: 249.

Jackson Emily. Abortion, Autonomy and Prenatal Diagnosis [J]. Social & Legal Studies, 2000, 9: 467.

Liu Yunjiao. Medical Gatekeeping and Access to Abortion: Opening the Floodgate or Embracing Patient Autonomy? [J]. Manchester Review of Law, Crime and Ethics, 2021, 10: 121.

Francome Colin, Freeman Edward. British General Practitioners' Attitudes toward Abortion [J]. Family Planning Perspectives, 2000, 32: 189.

McGuinness Sheelagh. A Guerrilla Strategy for a Pro-Life England [J]. Law, Innovation and Technology,2015, 7: 283.

Cates Willard Jr., Grimes David A., Schulz Kenneth F.. The Public Health Impact of Legal Abortion: 30 Years Later [J]. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2003, 35: 25.