Douglas, Isle of Man, Nov 7, 2018 / 11:17 am
The upper house of the Isle of Man's legislature passed Tuesday a bill that will liberalize abortion access in the territory. The Abortion Reform Bill 2018 now needs only receive royal assent and promulgation before it becomes law.
Members of the Legislative Council unanimously passed the bill with its amendments Nov. 6.
Abortion policy on the the Isle of Man, a crown dependency located between England and Northern Ireland, is currently governed by the Termination of Pregnancy Act 1995, which allows abortion only in cases where the mother's life is endangered or if the baby has a low survival rate.
The Abortion Reform Bill 2018 decriminalizes abortion. It will allow elective abortion up to 14 weeks; up to 24 weeks if medical reasons or "serious social grounds" were presented; and, according to Isle of Man Today, "in certain emergency or serious situations after 24 weeks."