I had an abortion – it isn’t a criminal act, it’s healthcare

Choosing to end a pregnancy should not be controversial – and it certainly shouldn’t be punishable with prison, writes women's correspondent Maya Oppenheim

The notion that women should be criminalised for seeking an abortion feels unforgiving, punitive and cruel (Shutterstock)

For many, getting pregnant is easy. Whether the trials and tribulations of life mean you forget to take your pill one day, or the condom splits, or another form of contraception fails, the magic of biology means many unexpectedly fall pregnant in their lives.

Of course, the limitations of contraception are not the only reason you may suddenly find yourself pregnant. Many choose to eschew hormonal contraception because they don’t want to grapple with its grim psychological and physical side effects, and just feel like the pay-off isn’t worth it. The risk, of course, is that they are far more likely to wind up pregnant.

Not that they’d be completely safe if they did use contraception. The NHS spells this out in no uncertain terms: “No contraceptive is 100 per cent reliable,” it states on its website. “And some can have side effects.”