Crime and Policing Bill: New Clause 1
On Tuesday 17 June the main business in the House of Commons was to debate and vote on changes to the Crime and Policing Bill, which then received its Third Reading and final Commons vote on Wednesday. These amendments, if approved by MPs in a majority vote, would become part of the bill as it makes its journey on the process into becoming statute.
The new Clause 1, proposed by MP Tonia Antonazzi, reads as follows:
“Removal of women from the criminal law related to abortion
For the purposes of the law related to abortion, including sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929, no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy.”
This amendment has been referred to as “abortion decriminalisation”, but that’s not strictly true. This clause prevents those suspected of inducing their own abortion, or who have had an abortion outside of the current legal limits (which still exist and remain unchanged) from being prosecuted. Doctors performing abortions outside the scope of the current regulations, or anyone forcing another to have an abortion, would still be committing criminal offences.
MPs were given a free vote on the amendment, meaning that party whips would not force members to vote one way or another. Greater Manchester MPs had a mixed response, with 17 ayes, 2 noes, and 8 abstentions.
Overall, the bill passed 379 to 137, with 132 abstentions (including the Speaker, deputies and Sinn Féin).
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
This began as a Private Members’ Bill submitted by Kim Leadbeater, MP for Spen Valley, which was chosen for debate after selection by ballot. The bill would allow people with a diagnosis of terminal illness, with less than 6 months of life left, to be provided with medical assistance to end their own life.
“A bill to allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life; and for connected purposes.”
This bill has proven controversial, with many of the issues raised by campaigners being addressed in its text – but it seems that many of these quandaries arise from wider social problems like the lack of a policy framework, inadequate health and social care services, and no consensus on what we define as quality of life.
As it stands, the bill leaves many questions unanswered (although it has tried to anticipate how its provisions might be implemented in future). It introduces a new responsibility to the medical field, which will undergo a period of learning and adjustment that could take years; and the bill isn’t even law yet. It still needs to go through the debate, voting and amendments process in the House of Lords, and it could still be amended and/or new laws passed to override it even after it has been given Royal Assent.
This vote was considered more controversial than the abortion decriminalisation vote, and passed much more narrowly at 314 to 291, plus 43 abstentions. In Greater Manchester the vote was split 11 ayes, 14 noes and 2 with no vote recorded.
How GM MPs voted
| Constituency | MP | Party | Abortion Vote | Assisted Dying Vote |
| Altrincham & Sale West | Connor Rand | Labour | No vote recorded | Aye |
| Ashton-under-Lyne | Angela Rayner | Labour | No vote recorded | No |
| Blackley & Middleton South | Graham Stringer | Labour | No | No |
| Bolton North East | Kirith Entwistle | Labour | Aye | No vote recorded |
| Bolton South & Walkden | Yasmin Qureshi | Labour | No vote recorded | No |
| Bolton West | Phil Brickell | Labour | Aye | Aye |
| Bury North | James Frith | Labour | Aye | No |
| Bury South | Christian Wakeford | Labour | Aye | Aye |
| Cheadle | Tom Morrison | Liberal Democrats | Aye | No |
| Gorton & Denton | Andrew Gwynne | Independent | Aye | No |
| Hazel Grove | Lisa Smart | Liberal Democrats | Aye | Aye |
| Heywood & Middleton North | Elsie Blundell | Labour | Aye | No |
| Leigh & Atherton | Jo Platt | Labour | No vote recorded | Aye |
| Makerfield | Josh Simons | Labour | Aye | Aye |
| Manchester Central | Lucy Powell | Labour | Aye | Aye |
| Manchester Rusholme | Afzal Khan | Labour | No vote recorded | No |
| Manchester Withington | Jeff Smith | Labour | Aye | Aye |
| Oldham East & Saddleworth | Debbie Abrahams | Labour | Aye | No |
| Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton | Jim McMahon | Labour | No vote recorded | No |
| Rochdale | Paul Waugh | Labour | Aye | No |
| Salford | Rebecca Long Bailey | Labour | Aye | No |
| Stalybridge & Hyde | Jonathan Reynolds | Labour | No vote recorded | No |
| Stockport | Navendu Mishra | Labour | Aye | Aye |
| Stretford & Urmston | Andrew Western | Labour | Aye | Aye |
| Wigan | Lisa Nandy | Labour | No vote recorded | No vote recorded |
| Worsley & Eccles | Michael Wheeler | Labour | Aye | Aye |
| Wythenshawe & Sale East | Mike Kane | Labour | No | No |
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Featured image: Philip Halling via Geograph
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