The College of Policing says current guidance to police is not to routinely take samples when women are being investigated after the unexpected death of an infant immediately after birth, and that it is for lead investigating officers to decide which lines of enquiry to follow, including whether to seek biological samples.
It is unlawful for health professionals to take samples of bodily fluids without the informed consent of the patient, according to Dr Sally Sheldon, a law professor at Bristol University. “For that consent to be valid, patients need to understand the nature and purpose of the procedure to which they are consenting.”
In the investigation of women after an unexplained pregnancy loss, she said “the woman would need to understand that blood or urine or placenta samples are to be used not for diagnostic purposes but in pursuit of a criminal investigation”.
Even if this is explained to the woman and they agree to a forensic analysis of samples, “given the nature of these cases, there are grounds for concern regarding whether her consent was truly valid and informed,” Dr Sheldon said.
So they are doing it where they supposedly suspect illegal abortion (after 24 weeks). I'd be interested to know how many women they are talking about here: "Tortoise has seen forensic reports in which police have requested a mass spectrometry test, which can detect the presence of the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol in the urine, blood and placenta of women under investigation. Other reports include requests for “data related to menstruation tracking applications” as part of the police’s investigations."