Student jailed for two years after taking abortion pills 'bought online by abusive ex-partner'
08.08.2022 - 20:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A university student was jailed for two years after taking abortion pills which she claims were bought online by her abusive ex-partner.
Speaking to the Sunday Times under the pseudonym Laura, the 20-year-old who had a two year old daughter when she became pregnant again, has told of the horrifying events that led to her ending up behind bars.
"I felt I had no other choice other than to (plead guilty)," Laura told the Sunday Times - after she was charged with taking pills that caused her to have an illegal abortion.
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"The prosecution said if I didn’t plead guilty, they would charge me with child destruction, and I would likely go to prison for life," she added.
Last month the director of public prosecutions, Max Hill, was urged to urgently stop the prosecution of women who end their own pregnancies, the Mirror reports.
The number of women reported to the police for 'criminalised abortions' has been on the rise with 30 so far in 2022 - already higher than previous years.
In an open letter signed by 66 organisations and people, including the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, barristers and women’s rights groups, called for the prosecutions to stop saying women targeted are often "vulnerable" and in "desperate situations". They pointed out that two women are facing prosecution in England now.
Referring to the US developments which saw abortion rights destroyed, the letter said: “It is our strong belief that in the 21st century, in the shadow of the overturning of Roe v Wade, it is never in the public interest to prosecute women in these circumstances.”
While abortion is accessible, it is still officially a criminal act in the UK