Petition · past parliament · Home Office
Urgent review into the protection of unborn children in domestic violence cases
Closed
166 signatures
What the petition asks
Too many unborn babies are killed or harmed by domestic violence. Current laws protecting the mother don't always provide immediate protection for the unborn child. Child destruction laws only apply where there's proof of intent to harm the baby and even then only if they are at least 28 weeks old.
The Government should commission an urgent review to improve the protections of all unborn children in domestic violence cases, looking at how more immediate protections can be put in place when there is an unborn child, and updating child destruction laws to include all unborn children, regardless of age and remove the burden of proving an attempt to harm the baby to knowledge of a pregnancy when attacking the mother.
Timeline
| 24 Apr 2023 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 24 Oct 2023 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
166
Status
Closed
Department
Home Office
Opened
24 Apr 2023
Closed
24 Oct 2023
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.