Decriminalising Abortion in the UK

Sally Sheldon is Professor of Law at the University of Kent. Her research interests are primarily in health care law and ethics and the legal regulation of gender. In 2017, Sheldon was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, in recognition of her pioneering socio-legal research, particularly in the area of abortion law. Kaye Wellings is Professor of Sexual and Reproductive Health Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Wellings was a founder of the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles. She led the first global study of sexual behaviour, based on analysis of data from 59 countries and has been charged with the national evaluations of several national sexual and reproductive health interventions, including England's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. She is an elected Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Introduction: what would it mean to decriminalise abortion? ~ Sally Sheldon and Kaye Welling
Is public opinion in support of decriminalisation? ~ Ann Marie Gray and Kaye Wellings
How would decriminalisation impact on women’s health? ~ Patricia Lohr, Jonathan Lord and Sam Rowlands
Would decriminalisation mean the deregulation of abortion services? ~ Jonathan Herring, Emily Jackson and Sally Sheldon
What would be effects of decriminalisation in Northern Ireland? ~ Marie Fox and Goretti Horgan
How would decriminalisation impact on the incidence of abortion? ~ Ronnie Johnson, Louise Keogh and Wendy Norman