1967 Abortion Law and 1990 Abortion Law

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The 1967 abortion act and the human fertilization and embryologic act of 1990 The Act made abortion legal in the UK up to 28 weeks gestation. In 1990, the law was amended by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act so that abortion was no longer legal after 24 weeks except in cases where it was necessary to save the life of the woman, there was evidence of extreme fetal abnormality, or there was a grave risk of physical or mental injury to the woman. In May 2008, there was a parliamentary debate over whether the limit should be reduced from 24 to either 22 or 20 weeks but no changes were made. The Act does not extend to Northern Ireland, where abortion is illegal unless the doctor acts "only to save the life of the mother" or if continuing the pregnancy would result in the pregnant woman becoming a "physical or mental wreck." The situation is the same as it was in England before the introduction of the Abortion Act 1967. The Offences against the Person Act 1861 and the Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 1945 remain in full force. Extra info on the HFAEAO1 is that of the amendments of embryo’s and gametes is considered wrong and unethical, because if an embryo carried a gene for a certain illness it can still grow to be a human, yet it is destroyed due to its potential deformity which is unfair. What these mean for the law of abortion today? Abortion is illegal to happen after 24 weeks as the death of a baby at this late a stage is unethical as this embryo is so close to being a human. Only in exceptional circumstances is abortion ok, such as if the mother’s life is threatened or if the child is going to suffer extreme
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