Nigeria, June 19 -- Britain's parliament has voted in favour of decriminalising abortion in England and Wales, in a bid to end the prosecution of women over the procedure.

The vote on Tuesday targets a 163-year-old law that still allows women to face criminal charges for terminating a pregnancy after 24 weeks, Reuters reports.

Lawmakers voted 379 to 137 in support of an amendment to the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, which currently treats abortion after 24 weeks as a criminal offence punishable by life imprisonment.

While prosecutions have been rare, they have increased in recent years, especially after abortion pills were approved for home use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical professionals who assist women in obtaining a...