Earlier today, I voted to decriminalise abortion in Great Britain.

Women accessing abortion in Great Britain do so under the Abortion Act 1967. But this law did not decriminalise abortion – it simply made it legal in certain, fixed circumstances.

Like 90% of the country, I believe in a woman’s right to choose – 1 in 3 women in the UK will have an abortion at some point in their lives and I am aware that as an MP I am representing many constituents who will have made this choice, and who rely on me to ensure that they are able to access abortion care in the future if they need it.

As it stands, England and Wales have the most severe penalty for having an ‘illegal’ abortion in the world – a maximum sentence of life in prison.

I sponsored two amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill – NC1 and NC20 – to show my support for updating the legislation, especially as there has been a disturbing increase in the number of women prosecuted in the last five years.

NC1, which was voted on in the House of Commons earlier, does not extend the abortion time limit or change how abortion is provided, the need for two doctors’ signatures, or the current guidance around sex-selective abortion.

Its focus is on ensuring that women are treated with care and compassion, rather than threatened with criminalisation when they seek medical help.

This amendment was backed by 5 Royal Medical Colleges, the BMA, countless VAWG groups, every abortion provider and organisation that represents abortion providers in the UK, multiple women’s rights groups and more than 50 trade unions and brings us in line with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Ireland, Northern Ireland – and US states like Texas.