UK woman jailed for illegally procuring abortion to be freed

A UK woman jailed for illegally procuring her own abortion when she was between 32 and 34 weeks’ pregnant will be released after the Court of Appeal reduced her sentence Tuesday.

Carla Foster, 45, was handed a 28-month jail sentence last month after admitting to illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy by telling an abortion counsellor she was around seven weeks’ pregnant — well within the legal limit.

ALSO READ: New York passes state law to protect doctors prescribing abortion pills

But three judges at London’s Court of Appeal reduced her sentence to a 14-month suspended prison term, meaning she will be released and only return to jail if she breaks any requirements set by the court.

“This is a very sad case… It is a case that calls for compassion, not punishment,” said judge Victoria Sharp.

Thousands of protesters marched through London demanding that abortion be decriminalised after the mother-of-three’s sentence was handed down.

The marchers chanted “Free Carla Foster” and waved signs reading “abortion is healthcare” and “policing our bodies is the real crime”.

ALSO READ: White House blasts ‘catastrophic’ Arizona abortion ban ruling

The 162-year-old law banning abortion was amended in 1967, legalising abortion with an authorised provider up to 28 weeks, which was later lowered to 24 weeks in 1991.

There are very limited circumstances that would allow an abortion after this point in England, Scotland and Wales, such as if the mother’s life is at risk or if the child would be born with a severe disability.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) sent Foster the abortion-causing drugs in the post in May 2020 following a phone consultation due to the pandemic lockdown.

After receiving the drugs and ingesting them, she gave birth, although the child was pronounced dead following a call to emergency services.

ALSO READ: Japan to decide on abortion pill after panel’s agreement

BPAS chief executive Clare Murphy this week said they were “shocked and appalled” by the sentence and called the 19th century law used to prosecute her and others the “harshest penalty in the world”.