The House of Commons has voted 379 – 137 to remove all criminal sanctions from pregnant women who induce an abortion at any point in their pregnancy.

Pro-life advocates had fiercely opposed the move and condemned the result.

It now goes to the House of Lords where it must pass before it can become law.

New Clause 1 (NC1), proposed by Tonia Antoniazzi MP, would disapply the crimes of ‘unlawful procurement of miscarriage’ (Offences Against The Person Act 1861) and ‘child destruction’ (the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929) from women who cause their own abortion. This means that no woman could be prosecuted for aborting her own child at any stage of pregnancy, including immediately before birth, and for any reason.

A still more extreme proposal would have repealed the two crimes altogether, meaning that abortionists, whether or not medically qualified, would face no penalties for causing the death of an unborn child at any stage of pregnancy, but this was withdrawn.

The Anscombe Bioethics Centre said the change would increase the danger of coercion of women into abortion and the risk of dangerous late-term abortion without medical supervision.