Introduction Colonial legacy has left significant marks on the society of numerous nations. One of the most prevalent colonial laws was the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861 passed by the United Kingdom Parliament and adopted by colonies around the world in the following years. This paper will examine the impact of the legislation on Jamaica, West Indies in the social context of abortion by tracing the colonial history and outlining both past and present abortion laws on the island under the influences of colonialism. The second half of the paper, to be completed next semester, will study efforts to change the abortion laws in Jamaica and the modern opposition to those efforts. There is a possibility that in naming the opposition to expand abortion access in Jamaica, I will also explore the colonial origins of the opposition to abortion access. Importance of the Topic The topic deals primarily with postcolonialism which is the aspect of accounting for and combating the residual effects of colonialism on cultures, including social and legislative. The postcolonial theory is critical to explore in a wide variety of contexts in the modern world when societies and cultures are struggling with many of the post-colonial influences including systemic racism, inequality, and appropriation. However, recent years have seen more cultures ascertain their identity by dropping the shackles of colonial influences through this postcolonial exploration. 1 Access to abortion is a fundamental human right and affects primarily women who are much disadvantaged in developing nations such as Jamaica. Exploration of post-colonial legal frameworks can identify shortcomings and provide the scholarly foundation for nations influenced by the Offences Against the Person Act to begin shifting away from such discriminatory and restrictive practices. The Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) The Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) was written and passed by the UK parliament in 1861. As its title indicates, the bill consisted of multiple statutes which combined offenses against the person, a legalese term which meant any crime that caused direct physical harm or force applied to another human being. However, besides typical crimes such as assault and homicide, the bill reflected actions that were considered crimes at the time such as abortion, and certain sexual acts such as sodomy. Great Britain continued to rule multiple colonies in the 19th century, and British law commonly became colonial law as well. Jamaica, which was a British colony until 1962, adopted OAPA on January 1st, 1864. 2 As seen in the figures below, the text regarding abortion between the original UK OAPA bill and the one adopted and still considered law in Jamaica (last amendments in 2014) are nearly identical with minor differences regarding sentencing. Jamaica had been a British colony from 1655 to 1962. For the majority of its early rule, the colony consisted of a small white population overseeing the native population and African slaves left behind by the Spanish, labor used to harvest natural resources including the valuable sugar. Due to this state, English values and law were essentially imposed on Jamaica without debate. OAPA was introduced 30 years after the aboliti