British woman jailed for late-term abortion

Stoke on trend. Politicians and aid organizations have called for reform of the law after a woman in Great Britain was convicted of having a late-term abortion.

“What is the purpose of criminalizing and imprisoning this woman if she needs better health care and other assistance?” said Harriet Wistrich, director of the Women’s Justice Center. The 44-year-old is still traumatized and will lose her three children for more than a year.

The woman was sentenced to 28 months in prison on Monday for having an abortion without medical attention when she was 32 to 34 weeks pregnant. She should serve at least half of her sentence.

The accused had said that he did not seek doctors or counseling during the epidemic. In a telephone consultation with the British Pregnancy Advice Service, she was given false information about her pregnancy and was prescribed an abortion. She was convicted under the 1861 Act.

In the UK, abortion is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy and must be performed in clinics from the 10th week of pregnancy.

Conservative MP Caroline Noakes, chair of the parliamentary committee on women and equal rights, told BBC Radio 4 on Monday evening that the tragic case made it clear that “we depend on very outdated laws”. Noakes demanded that Parliament should find a solution to this problem. Opposition Labor MP Stella Grace also called for reform.

The judge also mentioned Parliament while announcing the verdict. “The legal balance between a woman’s reproductive rights and the rights of her unborn fetus is an emotional and often contentious issue,” said Edward Pepperall. “However, that is a matter for Parliament, not the courts.”

RND/dpa