Carla Foster

[AntoniaSmith]

My friends and I were talking about the abortion laws in the US and we ended up talking about Carla Foster's case

We know her case involved a late-term abortion (beyond the 24-week legal limit), but there's a bit of confusion among my friends about whether the sentence was due to the timing of the abortion (after 24 weeks threshold) or because she took abortion pills after the 10 weeks of pregnancy. I'm not looking to debate the morality of her actions but rather to understand the specific legal basis for her sentencing. Could someone with knowledge of UK abortion laws or this particular case shed some light on this? Thanks!

She was convicted of administering poison with intent to procure a miscarriage. That was an offence because the abortion was after the 24 weeks threshold. She was not convicted of any offence related to getting the medication by claiming she was less than 10 weeks pregnant and therefore eligible for the "pills by post" scheme. The sentence was therefore entirely due to the timing of the abortion.

Thank you so much for your answer. I do understand now. Some of my friends thought she was sent to jail because she lied to get the pills after the 10 weeks limit for medical termination.