Woman Acquitted in Illegally Performed Abortion Case Sparks Debate Over Legal Reformation
A London Woman Acquitted of Illegal Abortion
In a surprising court decision, Nicola Packer, 45, was found not guilty of administering a poison or noxious substance with intent to cause a miscarriage during the second coronavirus lockdown. The verdict was delivered at Isleworth Crown Court in London.
Ms Packer admitted taking abortion medication at home in November 2020. She later brought the fetus to a hospital in a backpack, having passed it in a toilet the following day. The court heard that she had taken prescribed medications mifepristone and misoprostol when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, contrary to the legal limit of 10 weeks at home for an abortion.
Prosecutors argued that Ms Packer knew she was more than 10 weeks pregnant, a claim she denied. The jury, however, rejected the prosecution's case, and Ms Packer was declared not guilty.
Ms Packer spoke of her shock and surprise at being pregnant, adding that she wouldn't have put herself or the baby through it.
The court case has sparked discussions about the outdated abortion laws in England and Wales, with calls for reform to decriminalize abortion. Katie Saxon, chief strategic communications officer at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, argued that the investigations and prosecutions of women for suspected illegal abortions are against the public interest.
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who supported Ms Packer during the trial, stated that it was unacceptable for Ms Packer to have had to endure the trial's indignities. She called for a change in the archaic law, emphasizing that it is no longer justifiable to maintain a law written before women had the right to vote.
In response, the government spokesperson stated that any changes in abortion laws are a matter of conscience for parliamentarians. However, they acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue and highlighted that decisions to prosecute are made by the CPS and are extremely rare.
Did you know?While the Abortion Act 1967 permits abortion in specific circumstances, it does not decriminalize the practice itself. As a result, abortion remains a criminal offense under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, placing women at risk of criminal charges and custodial sentences if they end pregnancies. Major medical bodies, like the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), advocate for changes to align England and Wales with countries like Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada, France, Australia, and New Zealand, where abortion rights are more protected and decriminalized.
- The court case of Nicola Packer has led to discussions about the need for reform in England and Wales' outdated abortion laws, specifically decriminalizing abortion, as major medical bodies like the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) advocate for changes to align with countries where mental health, women's health, and reproductive rights are more protected, such as Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada, France, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Amidst ongoing debates about the need for change in the abortion laws, Katie Saxon, chief strategic communications officer at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, highlights that investigations and prosecutions of women for suspected illegal abortions are against the public interest, particularly considering the importance of mental health, health-and-wellness, and women's health in these sensitive matters.
- In light of the court case and calls for change, women's health advocates such as Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi have emphasized that it is long overdue for the archaic abortion laws to be updated, since it is no longer justifiable to maintain a law written before women had the right to vote, which negatively impacts women's mental health and overall well-being.
