Ellenborough's Act Law and Legal Definition
Ellenborough's Act is an English Statute of 1803 which punishes offenses against the person. The Act provides for prevention of malicious shooting and attempts to discharge loaded fire-arms, stabbing, cutting, wounding, poisoning and the malicious using of means to procure the miscarriage of women. The Act provided that it was an offence for any person to perform or cause an abortion. The punishment for performing or attempting to perform a post quickening abortion was the death penalty. The Act is named after Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Edward Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough who first proposed the law. The Act is also known as Malicious Shooting and Stabbing Act of 1803.
