Woman jailed for illegal abortion at 34 weeks. Thoughts?

Why all on thr

Not if there's a disability or the mothers life is in danger.

 

Calling your grand bairn a tw4t - classy.

 

Neither of which applies in this case.

Sorry but taking drugs to kill a child for reasons only of personal convenience, that was more than capable of surviving birth is very wrong. Its like saying that the act of birth is the cut off point and before that, anything goes. I don't agree.

Had she happened to go into Labour that morning, which is not at all uncommon at 34 weeks, delivered it in secret in the bathroom and then drowned it in the bath, people would rightly describe it as murder. I don't see the difference. The baby just happened to have not been born but it was a baby. A human. Fully formed and capable of surviving post birth.

 

We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

No worries. It's all about opinions

 

They're like arseholes.

 

I saw something once that pointed out that there isn’t a single medical procedure (besides carrying a baby and giving birth) that a person can be forced into having to save someone else’s life. Not one. And this one carries huge, quite possible deadly, risks to the person undergoing it. She should have done something about it way before she did, I have no idea why she didn’t unless it was just blind panic. Everything in me tells me that of course she can’t do that at 34 weeks but the other side says that she shouldn’t be forced to use her body to carry a baby against her wishes and at risk to herself. It’s a heartbreaking situation.

 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ter-news/man-who-mowed-down-girl-27061704.amp

Interesting case when a man inflicts this in a childs life. Not even a day in prison. Like referees it’s the inconsistency that’s hard to swallow.

 

Have you read it, she didn't die. Still too lenient though.

 

yeah sorry typing without my glasses on. Always leads to **** ups.

 

I think a prison sentence is very harsh. She’s not a risk to the public and the risk of her “re-offending” is basically 0

 

Each case should be decided on it's own merit. The courts getting things wrong in the public's eye is not relevant to any other type of case in my view. They are tied to precedents as well.

Yes the man who absconded the scene after knocking down the child should have got locked up in most peoples eyes. If he'd stayed that might have helped his good character and it's a different story.

This woman should have taken note of her lawyers recommendation. If as she says she was emotionally in turmoil. That's what they are there for.

As for it blighting her other kids lives by being in prison. I think She's already done that to a degree With the question What if.? That will haunt em for the rest of their days.

 

tragic case - no winners -
-- I have massive sympathy for the woman who was clearly the victim of a misogynistic judiciary.

 

Misogynistic. With respect how do you come to that conclusion. Do you think only men would reach the same decision. ? And the law left him with little or no option. It may be an archaic law. But any reform would have to safeguard to whatever degree seen fit.
There is something I picked up on called Child destruction. Not sure if this was utilised in this case. As I've not picked up on the charge.

Edit
The woman eventually admitted a charge under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 of administering drugs or using instruments to procure abortion.

 

The judge stated this during sentencing remarks which seems relevant to what you mention

"My duty as a judge is to apply the law as provided by Parliament and clarified by the Court of Appeal. If the medical profession considers that judges are wrong to imprison women who procure a late abortion outside the 24-week limit then it should lobby Parliament to change that law and not judges who are charged with the duty of applying the law."

 

I have two viewpoints on this; one for the application of the law; and the second from a personal experience point of view.

Firstly the law - The law and the cut off date is there for a reason. It is to protect a life that is sustainable in the outside world at that point but in pregnancy has no protection from anyone other than the mother. She clearly knew it was illegal which is why she lied about how far along the pregnancy she was. If the child had been born and she drowned it immediately after birth she’d go down for a lot longer than she did. So all in all, I think a prison sentence is absolutely the right thing to do.

Now from a personal point of view. I’m a middle aged man, married for 20 years to a woman I love dearly. We tried so hard to have children of our own but never did. We went through IVF 4 times (which I can assure you is hell for both partners but especially the woman), half failed, one miscarried and the other ‘died’ meaning my wife had to have a medical induced miscarriage. The last one was horrific and ended up being our last attempt, we just couldn’t go through it any more. We have looked after friends’ children, we have fostered kids for years but all we wanted was the chance to have a child of our own. Unfortunately we were never blessed enough to get it.

So you can imagine my personal view on this woman and what she has done when all we have ever wanted was what she willingly and coldly decided she couldn’t be arsed to have. As such, I have absolutely zero sympathy with her. In fact, my heart says she’s got off lightly.

I can imagine some will think ‘well you’re a man and you don’t understand it from a woman’s point of view’. And you’re right, I don’t. But this is not just me as a man being judgemental. I can assure you my wife’s reaction to this is a lot more extreme / harsh than mine.

Anyway, rant over….

 

Had she pleaded guilty at the outset she would have had a suspended sentence. In effect rightly or wrongly the judge imprisoned her not for aborting the baby but because she didn't admit her guilt.

Had her baby got a disability she wouldn't have been charged - abortions being legal right up to birth date for babies with a disability.

 

As a father of two disabled children I find that a very troubling thing. Sadly it's still all too common that disabled life is viewed as less precious.

 

Totally agree. I think there have been legal challenges to this law but none have succeeded.