Decriminalising abortion up to birth is wrong. Here are 5 better ways to help women

Next week, the House of Lords will debate an amendment that would radically change Britain’s abortion law. If passed, it would decriminalise abortion right up to birth, removing the remaining legal deterrents that currently apply after 24 weeks’ gestation.

In practice, this would mean that a woman could take abortion pills alone at home at six, seven, eight or even nine months pregnant, without legal consequence. This is not a minor technical change. It represents one of the most extreme abortion regimes in the world.

Yet public opinion is strikingly out of step with this proposal. Polling consistently shows that support for late-stage abortion is vanishingly small. Whatever labels we adopt - “pro-life” or “pro-choice” - most people instinctively believe that unborn children deserve protection at least at some point in pregnancy.

Despite this, abortion continues to be rhetorically framed as a cornerstone of women’s rights. But abortion is rarely something women aspire to. It is far more often a response to fear, financial pressure, unstable relationships, or a sense that there are no other viable options. When one in three British women will undergo an abortion in her lifetime, we know something is deeply wrong with society.

There is also growing evidence that abortion is not a cost-free solution. The late Professor David Fergusson, a self-described pro-choice academic, found that women who have abortions face higher rates of anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal ideation compared to those who do not. Abortion is not cost-free, and pretending otherwise helps no one.

The scale of the crisis should alarm us all. In 2026, Britain is on course for a grim milestone: we will see more deaths than births. We are aborting roughly a third of our children before they are born. If most women do not want abortions, yet so many feel driven to them, expanding abortion up to birth is not progress – it is a policy failure.

5 better ways

If the government truly wants to support women and children, there are far better options. Here are five. 

1. Invest in babies

Recent figures show abortion rates have hit an all-time high among women over 35, with abortion providers citing the cost-of-living crisis as a key factor. Many women fear they simply cannot afford to have a child.

Some governments are experimenting with policies that materially welcome new life. In the United States, a new initiative offers $1,000 in a bank account for every baby born over a defined period, with some employers matching the contribution. The message is unmistakable: children are a social good worth investing in.

In 2026, Britain is on course for a grim milestone: we will see more deaths than births. We are aborting roughly a third of our children before they are born

A comparable commitment in the UK – baby bonds, child grants, or enhanced early-years support – could transform how pregnancy is perceived in times of economic uncertainty. 

2. Invest in motherhood

Motherhood is too often treated as a professional inconvenience rather than a social good. Current policy focuses heavily on returning mothers to the workforce as quickly as possible, relying on subsidised childcare to replace parental care during a child’s earliest years.

Yet surveys show that 40 per cent of British mothers with young children would prefer to stay home longer if they could afford it. A reimagining of maternity policy - with longer, more flexible leave and genuine respect for caregiving - could dramatically reduce the pressure many women feel to choose abortion for career reasons.

3. Invest in marriage and stable families

Marriage remains one of the strongest predictors of child wellbeing and long-term stability. Over 80 per cent of abortions in Britain are obtained by unmarried women. Yet the UK tax and welfare system does little to support marriage. Unlike other European nations, we tax individuals, not households – making it far more difficult for families to live on a single income.

By reforming household taxation and meaningfully supporting family formation, the government could strengthen the social conditions in which children are welcomed rather than feared.

4. Educate for responsibility, not just risk avoidance 

British children receive extensive education in school on how to avoid pregnancy. Far less attention is given to the social and relational foundations of family life. 

Young people are taught how to prevent conception, but not how to build lasting relationships, prepare for marriage, or understand the responsibilities of parenthood. A more holistic approach to relationships education – one that values commitment, responsibility and self-giving - could reduce reliance on abortion over time. 

5. Expand real alternatives to abortion 

Finally, women facing crisis pregnancies need more than a procedure - they need support. This means expanding practical help for expectant mothers, and ensuring that women know abortion is not their only option. 

Thousands of churches, charities and volunteers across the UK already do this work quietly and compassionately. Yet many such charities have been criminalised and expelled from offering their services near abortion facilities by censorial “buffer zone” laws, which have resulted in the criminalisation of pro-life charitable leaflets, conversations, or even prayers. Many of these charities offer the financial, emotional and social support that mothers in crisis pregnancies crave. Government policy should strengthen, not sideline, these life-affirming alternatives. 

A truly pro-woman society does not respond to hardship by ending unborn lives. It responds by removing the pressures that make pregnancy feel impossible. Expanding abortion up to birth is not an act of compassion. Offering women real support, real hope, and real choices is.