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Woman sentenced to 2.5 years for taking misoprostol at 32-34 weeks pregnant

7 replies

RickRoll · 17/12/2015 21:37

www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/mum-jailed-for-killing-unborn-child-at-eight-months-using-diy-pills-from-the-internet-1-7631301

Rather shorter sentence than the case of Sarah Catt who was given 8 years initially, but later reduced to 3.5 years on appeal.

OP posts:
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lougle · 17/12/2015 21:50

It's very sad. I think you must be very, very desperate to do that.

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MissFitt68 · 17/12/2015 22:01

Awful

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MrsTerryPratchett · 30/12/2015 03:19

I'm horrified about this. I should be able to do whatever I like to my body. Up to and including taking poison.

The thing that is the question mark for me is whether a child is killed after leaving the mother's body. In a couple of the cases (and this might be one) there is some doubt as to whether a baby was a stillbirth or was killed after birth either by neglect or deliberately.

If we had a much better delineation between pregnancy (totally the woman's bodily autonomy) and the moment after birth (the woman's body is hers, the baby's body is the baby's body) we would be better off. All the blurring lines of telling women what they can and can't do is worrying.

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DirtyBlonde · 30/12/2015 05:03

If you are taking poison (suicidally, or accidentally) you would not be committing an offence.

Taking misoprosol (an abortifacient or labour inducing drug) does nit come in to that category.

There is no lack of clarity in English law. Abortion is regulated. There have been no blurry lines about the dates when it is legal, and it has never been permitted as DIY. Indeed some of the rationale for the original act was to prevent DIY.

There are only 4 countries (I think) worldwide which permit abortion up to the onset of labour, and none in Europe.

I really do not think there would be any support to make a change to the law to permit abortion to term (which is how a I read what MrsTerryPratchett recommends) and the latest revisions, to the contrary, reduced the time limit other than for TFMR. Nor would I expect there to be support to reduce the requirement for HCPs to prescribe or perform.

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Out2pasture · 30/12/2015 06:12

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2530645-Mother-who-forced-a-miscarriage-at-32-weeks-is-jailed&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjK8rGA9oLKAhUDxGMKHUN_Aq0QFggFMAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNGKaD2mt4fSpIJu1vHqqkrpSIavyA" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?q=www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2530645-Mother-who-forced-a-miscarriage-at-32-weeks-is-jailed&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjK8rGA9oLKAhUDxGMKHUN_Aq0QFggFMAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNGKaD2mt4fSpIJu1vHqqkrpSIavyA

covered last week with over 300 posts

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spaceyboo · 08/01/2016 16:11

It upsets me that people are getting longer sentances for aborting fetuses than killing born kids.

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Murphyslaw21 · 08/01/2016 16:19

I cannot imagine what this woman was going through. Wrong or right there seems to be a failing for support for her.

I cannot pass judgement all I can do is hope she gets help.

And heaven gained another angel . So sad

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