A Brit was sentenced to 28 months in prison on Monday for lying to doctors and having an abortion after the legal deadline.
The 44-year-old woman, who was already a mother of three before becoming pregnant in 2019, was given abortion pills during delivery in 2020 after lying about the length of her pregnancy.
In England, Wales and Scotland, pregnant women can have an abortion up to 24 weeks pregnant.
According to her, the abortion services she contacted had estimated that she was seven weeks pregnant and therefore sent her abortion pills.
In reality, she was 32-34 weeks pregnant and had attempted an abortion in May 2020 before help was called because the woman was giving birth. The child was born during roll call but was pronounced dead by doctors 45 minutes later.
She was charged with “child destruction” (causing the death of an unborn child who could have been born alive) and pleaded not guilty.
She later pleaded guilty to taking abortion drugs.
She was sentenced to 28 months in prison, half of which was suspended.
“She lied (to the abortion services) about the length of her pregnancy,” prosecutors said. “Taking medication was a planned and conscious act.”
According to a law dating back to 1861, women who have an abortion outside the legal limits face life imprisonment.
“We are shocked and appalled by the decision to sentence a mother to between three and 28 months in prison for taking abortion pills to terminate her own pregnancy,” said Britain’s Pregnancy Advisory Service – which runs clinics that perform abortions – in a statement calling for a change in the law.
“Vulnerable women in the most incredibly difficult circumstances deserve more from our justice system,” she added.