Court sets free UK woman jailed for illegally obtaining abortion pills, terms it 'sad' case
Woman held for taking abortion pills
A UK woman who was sent to jail after she obtained abortion pills to terminate her pregnancy during the Covid pandemic will be released following a court decision on Tuesday (July 18). The woman, identified as Carla Foster (45) in British media reports, won appeal against her jail sentence. She was handed a jail sentence of 28 months in June this year.
On Tuesday, three judges reduced the 28-month sentence by half and suspended 14 months. As per Sky News, the woman will have to complete up to 50 days of activity.
"This is a very sad case... It is a case that calls for compassion, not punishment, and where no useful purpose is served by detaining Ms Foster in custody," said Dame Victoria Sharp who was sitting with Lord Justice Holroyde and Mrs Justice Lambert. She was quoted by Sky News.
Foster appeared at the hearing via a video link from Foston Hall Prison. She has spent 35 days there. She is a mother of three children and has previously admitted to illegally procuring abortion medication. She aborted her pregnancy when she was 32 to 34 weeks pregnant during the Covid pandemic.
According to the law in England, Scotland and Wales, pregnancies can be terminated only up to the 24th week.
At the time of her sentencing, the court heard that Foster was given abortion pills by the charity British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). However, it was revealed during the hearing that while obtaining abortion pills, Foster has lied how far along she was in her pregnancy.
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"The relief that this woman can go home to be with her children is tempered by the knowledge there are more cases to come where women in England being prosecuted and investigated for having abortions under this archaic legislation," said Stella Creasy, Labour MP, after the Court of Appeals ruling.
A widely known case
Foster's case has been widely discussed, even within the pro-abortion movement in the US. Just last month, thousands of activists held a march from the Royal Courts of Justice to Whitehall and demanded an end to the criminalisation of abortion. The march was organised after Foster's sentencing.
The chief executive of the BPAS has said that she "echoes the judges' statements".
Clare Murphy, the chief executive said the court had "recognised that this cruel, antiquated law does not reflect the values of society today" and urged Parliament to decriminalise abortion as a "matter of urgency". She was quoted by Sky News.
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