Nicola Packer trial - absolutely shocking

[Scimitarsandstars]

Can't see a thread about this already. I really feel for this woman - what an utter nightmare for her, and why on earth did the CPS consider it was worth prosecuting her?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/08/anger-ordeal-woman-accused-abortion-nicola-packer

The NHS apparently says it’s possible for a baby to survive if born at 24 weeks. There is a 60-70% survival rate but high risk of disability. So it makes no sense to me that we can terminate a baby beyond this time but spend huge resources resuscitating and treating others whilst researching how to improve outcomes. I have no objection to a legal termination well before this time, when it’s not able to survive on its own, but after 24 weeks a fetus can survive after being born. So at 26 weeks the fetus would have made breathing attempts. I think late abortion is wrong. I think the professionals did the right thing.

Babies can survive before 24 weeks.

I know a 23 weeker who is now a teen with very mild learning difficulties.

So I agree with you on that point.

having read various articles on this I do think the midwife was right to report. But I am also pro abortion and right to choose.

But if she suspected she was more than 10 weeks then she should have followed a different approach.

I don’t however think this is a woman who tried to completely hide what she did. She went to the hospital with the feotus.

I think lockdown played a huge part in what happened here and for that reason alone I wonder how much it was in the public interest to prosecute. I suspect it was “making a statement” and putting what can happen into the public eye. I think at any other time in history maybe she would have and even could have taken a different path.

The whole case is tragic for everyone involved. I do t think there’s any winners or losers tbh.

I agree with you about no winners or losers,
I think it was right to be investigated and the CPS will prosecute if it’s in the public interest and they have greater than 50% chance of success. They put it to the test of a jury. It’s very hard to prove intent and the jury decided the prosecution hadn’t done enough. However, I think the guardian/liberal hysterical response though saying abortion rights are being rolled back is misleading and misplaced. I don’t like the articles blaming the professionals for doing their job properly. They actually did what they should have and were live to the implications, but they didn’t let feelings control or blind them and they looked at the facts and rightly followed the process.

I think this article is hugely misleading. The legal limit for abortion is 24 weeks and there isn’t much public support to change that. It’s not criminalisation of abortion at all.

Prosecutions for this are extremely rare. The vast majority of terminations are within the first trimester. I presume the prosecution had reason to believe she knew she was 26 weeks. Whether there was sufficient evidence or public interest none of us know without knowing the facts of the case which are rarely reported in full. The media don’t sit through the full trial. I expect she will get her review which she is entitled to and if she has been treated wrongly I hope she is compensated and lessons are learnt. I’m not convinced the law should be changed. Police investigations into anything relating to child death should be carried with huge care and sensitivity. If that hasn’t been the case here then I expect that will come out in time.

I'm fed up w this report & the Guardian reporting on the woman who stabbed her attempted rapist. Both were misleadingly reported to sound horribly unfair when the full facts were v different. Plenty of real misogyny out there without faking stuff. I'm starting to wonder if I can trust anything in that paper

As much as the court case seems to be incredibly full on and painful for her, I do believe it was right for this to be investigated and based on her search history and timings (as per the BBC article linked later in the thread) I can see why she was prosecuted and taken to court. I know it’s a highly emotional case, but we have to remember that if she was guilty, this would all have been necessary.

I listened to theRadio 4 'File on Four' programme yesterday. Very compelling interview with her. Shocking story, absolute madness

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002cdh2