Abortion between the Clouds of Albion – The Legal History of Abortion in England up to the 18th Century

Abstract

The historical English abortion legislation not only has an indirect impact on the present, but also has very concrete effects on modern law and its development. Perhaps the most current example of this can be seen in the United States of America, where the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson played a significant role in, among other things, the legal history argument to prove that abortion was never part of the national tradition. However, elements of English legal history are not only seen as a model in the US, but the practical and real-life solutions of the English are taken into account in many parts of the world. As a result, it may be worthwhile to study these provisions in Hungary, especially in relation to a complex issue such as the legal treatment of abortion.