A recent wave of prosecutions under the United Kingdom’s 1861 Offences Against the Person Act has intensified concerns about the criminalization of abortion, with six women charged since late 2022 – more than in the previous 160 years combined. The case of Nicola Packer, recently acquitted after a traumatic four-year ordeal, highlights how legal ambiguity and institutional overreach are putting women’s health, privacy, and rights at risk. Gender justice advocates warn that fear of prosecution is deterring women from seeking medical help, eroding trust in healthcare providers, and exacerbating inequality. The use of invasive police practices, like tracking period apps and demanding abortion-related data, underscores a broader pattern of reproductive surveillance. Campaigners are urging the government to remove abortion from the criminal code entirely to protect women’s rights and restore proportionality in the legal system.