Mum sentenced to 28 months in prison for abortion pills

[mumoftwobarnyboys]

Used after the cut off point of 10 weeks.

Regardless of how far gone she was, surely this isn't right?

It is her body, despite me morally really thinking what she did was very wrong.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/12/woman-in-uk-jailed-for-28-months-over-taking-abortion-pills-after-legal-time-limit?CMP=twtgu&utmmsource=Twitter&utmmedium=&s=08#Echobox=1686577294

She was 32 weeks pregnant - when I saw a thread on this earlier I was shocked the UK might prosecute. Now I know she was 32 weeks I understand.

She was 32-34 weeks pregnant.
I absolutely can't imagine the pain she now feels and the worry at finding herself pregnant when she didn't want to be, but aborting a child having misled professionals at such a late stage isn't right. There needs to be legal consequences, imo, to enforce the fact what she did was illegal. There were other options available to her.

Judges sentencing remarks here https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/R-v.-Foster-sentencing-remarks-12.6.23.pdf

worth reading as so much of the reporting is inaccurate and sensationalist.
thr royal colleges and BPAS have acted outrageously in seeking to influence the court. Time the medical profession got back in its box

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4825963-aibu-to-think-throwing-a-mum-of-four-in-prison-for-having-an-abortion-is-never-the-answer

So sad for everyone concerned. However, the baby could have been born at 26 weeks and so be 6-8 weeks, would you let someone kill a nearly two months old baby?

I don't think prison is the right punishment here.

She knew she was pregnant in the December. Didn't arrange to speak to BPAS until May. She searched for "how to abort a baby at 30 weeks". I'm fully pro-choice but bloody hell.
She lied to the team to get the medication for under 10 week abortion, and admitted she'd done that in police interview. She may have not known how far gone she was, but internet searches show she fully expected to be past 24 weeks.

it's a desperately sad case all around, and I agree she needs help, but she could have accessed support earlier.

Im not completely sure how I feel about the custodial sentence. She knew what she was doing. But equally what a sorry mess and her being imprisoned doesn't actually achieve anything.

Thing is, we only have legal abortion under very specific circumstances in england and Wales. it would not be legal at any point in pregnancy to source your own pills.

You could day that about any late legal abortion.

Agreed.

If you're judging a woman for having an abortion at any time for any reason, you're not fully pro choice.

I feel so sad for her and her children. Prison is definitely not the answer here.

God, what an ordeal it must have been for her :( The whole thing is just desperately sad, and now three children are without their mum for two years, so they're going to suffer too.

I think it is how far along she was that is shocking 32-34 weeks . My own Ds was born at 36 weeks - no oxygen needed .

It did all coincide with the onset of covid and lockdowns, so I can imagine that medical appointments were somewhat harder to come by...

It's an awful decision to jail her.

@Clymene I think on that definition not that many are fully pro-choice. In fact I don't think there is any country in the world where you can get an abortion up to term for any reason whatsoever. There are plenty where you can for any reason before 12-15 weeks, but in most places after 20-26 weeks there are tight restrcitions

Happy not to be fully pro-choice if the alternative is being ok with the aborting of a baby at 32-34 weeks’ gestation.

This. She fully knew what she was doing and could have prevented this all along. No sympathy from me whatsoever.

The headlines about this case are a bit simplistic.

She was 32-34 weeks and she knew it.

She googled about whether she would go to prison.

She lied to BPAS to get the pills.

She knew she was pregnant in December but didn’t contact BPAS until May.

It’s horrible case but it seems she knew what she was doing and the law is there for a reason. You have to draw a line somewhere about when a foetus becomes a baby and the law does that.

This was during covid, and was a service offered to women, so was completely legal to obtain them for anyone under 10 weeks.

I am not fully pro choice. Once a baby is viable, and certainly once a baby is viable without highly specialist care, I think it is wrong. Past 24 weeks a baby feels pain. I know some on here would refer to me as a ‘forced-birther’ which is ridiculous since birth is involved regardless of the life or death of the baby at that stage. This woman gave birth. The reality is the majority of people do not agree with ‘as late as necessary’ when that means a full term baby.

You have to draw a line somewhere about when a foetus becomes a baby and the law does that.

It doesn't though, does it? Because a Fetus isn't a 'baby' or infant until birth, that's just fact

But it wasn't, and that isn't what's being discussed here.

Completely agree. There's a word for what this is ...

Seems that she knew how far along she was and had known for quite some time. She had known for 4-5 months but not attempted to contact anyone about a termination and covid is irrelevant as she had know she was pregnant before lock down

And she would still have been given a none custodial sentence if she had pleaded guilty straight away