Much has been written, particularly over the last twenty years, on the subject of the law of abortion. The bulk of the literature, however, has been concerned with the desirability or otherwise of legal reform, has addressed the subject in the broad context of moral, philosophical, political and sociological considerations, and has related largely to the law in the United States. Remarkably little academic attention has been given to the development and scope of the law in England, and research that has considered English law has tended to concentrate on the political dimensions of the relaxation of the law by the Abortion Act 1967 (see Appendices, p. 168), and in particular the role played in that relaxation by the Abortion Law Reform Association. Not only is research into the development of the law sparse but also the question of the influence both of the medical profession on its development and of the law on the practice of abortion by the profession has been largely ignored. This text seeks to make a contribution to the remedying of these deficiencies.

The book spans the period 1803 to 1982 and considers certain aspects of the development of the law, with particular reference to the influence of the medical profession (that is, registered medical practitioners and their predecessors, the ‘regular’ as opposed to uneducated practitioners) on its enactment and the degree to which the law has influenced the practice of abortion by the profession. It does not, therefore, present either a comprehensive history of the law itself or a socio-political history of its development.