Citation 19 & 20 Geo.5 c.34 Royal assent 10 May 1929 | Territorial extent England and Wales Commencement 10 May 1929 | |
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Long title An Act to amend the law with regard to the destruction of children at or before birth. | ||
The Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates the offence of child destruction.
The Bill for this Act was initially introduced as the Child Destruction Bill. It was reintroduced in the next session as the Preservation of Infant Life Bill.
It also amended the law (Offences against the Person Act 1861) so that an abortion carried out in good faith, for the sole purpose of preserving the life of the mother, would not be an offence.
Relationship with the Abortion Act 1967
The Abortion Act 1967 makes abortion legal in a number of circumstances when conducted in accordance with the regulations of the act.
The 1967 Act—as amended by s37 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990—explicitly notes that abortions performed under the terms of the 1967 Act are not offences under the 1929 Act.
No offence under the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929 shall be committed by a registered medical practitioner who terminates a pregnancy in accordance with the provisions of this Act [the Abortion Act].