“Laws very, very outdated”: Briton aborts in the 8th month – prison sentence

“Laws very, very outdated”
Briton aborts in the 8th month – prison sentence

06/13/2023 10:04 am

Because she has no access to doctors or advice during the corona pandemic, a woman swindles an abortion pill. A court sentenced the 44-year-old to more than two years in prison. In Great Britain, this causes protests.

After a woman in Great Britain was sentenced to late abortion, politicians and aid organizations are calling for a reform of the law. “What is the purpose of criminalizing and imprisoning this woman if she just needs better access to health care and other support?” said Harriet Wistrich, director of the Center for Women’s Justice. The 44-year-old is traumatized anyway and will miss her three children for more than a year.

The woman was sentenced on Monday to 28 months in prison for having an abortion without medical attention when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant. She must serve at least half of the sentence. The convict had claimed that she had not had access to doctors or advice during the pandemic. In a telephone consultation with the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, she gave false information about her pregnancy and was given medication for an abortion.

She was convicted on the basis of an 1861 law. In Great Britain, abortions are legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy and must be performed in clinics from the 10th week of pregnancy. The chair of Parliament’s Committee on Women and Equal Rights, Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, told BBC Radio 4 on Monday evening that the tragic case made it clear “that we depend on laws that are very, very outdated”. Parliament should address the issue, Nokes demanded. Opposition Labor MP Stella Creasy also called for reform.

The judge also referred to Parliament when pronouncing the verdict. “The legal balance between a woman’s reproductive rights and the rights of her unborn fetus is an emotional and often controversial issue,” said Edward Pepperall. “But that is a matter for Parliament and not for the courts.”