Carla Foster being released

[JustMint]

Court of appeal have reduced her sentence!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-65581850

Per my earlier post - it wasn’t Covid for all but the last 6 weeks or so of her pregnancy. She had months of normal medical care available.

As did COVID and the lockdowns themselves, to the extent that the whole topic had to be given its own separate board on the site.

It's not an episode in this country's history we can ever look back on with pride. Some of the behaviour of the self-appointed lockdown police was abominable, both on and off the internet.

I avoided that area of the site like the plague.

Both are murderers.

I agree. What's the difference between that and giving birth. and then killing the baby.

My child was born at 34 weeks. He was healthy and is now a 21 year old in the military. Are you really saying that abortion should have no limit? The poor medical staff having to be dealing with this. I’m all for pro choice - which she had right upto the legal limit. But I’m not up for the choice to abort healthy babies at 34 weeks. She needs help I agree. But so do murderers.

I also hate that the anti-abortion brigade are using this to try and restrict access to abortion pills taken at home.

Of course they're going to use this case to promote their own agenda.

I'm pro choice and support the argument for trusting women and as early as possible, as late as necessary. This woman threw a hand grenade into that narrative and gave them an example of why you can't trust women. The abortion was also carried out far later than necessary. She broke the law and the consequences of that are bigger than her.

Releasing her early sends a message that everyone will feel sorry for you if you are desperate enough to follow her example. The next time a woman may die doing what she did and that would definitely bring an end to abortion pills being delivered by post.

Do I have compassion for her - of course but my bigger worry is giving the anti choice/forced birthers ammunition to erode a woman's right to safe, legal abortion.

👏

both are women in very unenviable situations. Neither of whom, particularly the teenager, are in need of a long custodial sentence.

But I do disagree with this:

Releasing her early sends a message that everyone will feel sorry for you if you are desperate enough to follow her example. The next time a woman may die doing what she did and that would definitely bring an end to abortion pills being delivered by post.

She still stands convicted. That's as it should be.

The questions surround the appropriateness of the sentence. This decision IMO is also as it should be.

The rest of what you say in your above post is fair and these are important considerations.

This! You can completely disagree with what she did. And I certainly don't condone it, but can imagine given she is already a mother that it was not done without serious thought. And under very difficult circumstances.

But she has children who need her at home. And should never have been jailed in the first place. There are other punishments available. Her children who are completely innocent in this are the ones to suffer most with her in prison.

The decision to take this to court in the first place was political.

@nervousneave - thank you for sharing your story, I am so pleased you are in a better place in your life now.

THIS.

She knew a long time before, and could have acted much earlier. Am I the only one here to think that what she did was revolting?

For the hard of thinking, no one thinks that what she did was a good thing. This is about what happens after that.

The lack of compassion on this thread is quite sad. I can’t imagine this woman woke up one day at 33 weeks pregnant and thought I am going to have an abortion and put myself though a horrific birth at home alone for fun. Just the fact she turned herself in shows she was carrying tremendous guilt. I wonder if there was any pressure from her ex which contributed to her decision. I am sure I read she’d been in an abusive relationship. I don’t for a moment think she made the right decision but I have compassion for her in what was obviously a very difficult and scary time.

it's almost as if some posters can only see the world in black and white.

Yes, she committed an awful crime. She turned herself in, expressed remorse and if i have understood correctly has been in prison. She has now had her sentence, which will be on her record (for ever?) commuted to suspended prison, rather than incarceration. She is on licence, and if she does it again, she'll be banged up for sure.

There is no reason to believe (but the chances aren't completely zero) that she will do this again. I hope she is getting support to not be in coercive or damaging relationships, and to look after the children she does have.

I can’t even read this thread as makes my blood boil. Clicking off. This woman absolutely has got off lightly. How can people say ‘poor woman’ are you serious?!?!?! Poor poor baby. And poor poor children having THAT as a mother.

I hope you are OK.

it was so hard wasn’t it?

have you got support around you?

I think this important so just going to OP quote it.

I’m glad to hear this. It’s a complex and difficult case, and I think this is the right decision.

I have to agree. What she did was truly horrifying!

Yay! Intentionally causing the death of a viable foetus because you dont want your DP you want to reconcile with to find out you've been sleeping with more than one man, and facing no real consequences after killing your child and traumatising multiple witnesses is a victory for feminism!

100% this ^

I don’t think anyone saying this, I was born at 26 weeks (now 36)

I have gone on to have an amazing life, my daughter did not. But I had the world around me when we said goodbye to her NICU

There are loads of people minimising it, and making excuses for her though. People saying she may have been coerced or in an abusive relationship - where’s the evidence for that? It’s not referred to in the sentencing remarks.

I think the first sentence was correct, personally. The fact is she got 28 months, not 28 years like she would for murder, so no one is saying it’s the same thing, but a suspended sentence truly does not do justice to the severity of what she did.

Someone being a mother, and vulnerable, does not mean they should not go to jail. It’s mitigation, which was taken into account by the Crown Court, but not a reason not to be sent to prison if the crime otherwise warrants it.