Crime brief: 7 July 2023

07 July 2023 / David Walbank KC

Issue: 8032 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Criminal , Human rights , Discrimination

Recent judgments have highlighted the interaction between abortion time limits, criminal law & human rights, as David Walbank KC explains

Abortion and the criminal law.
No time limit on termination where child may be ‘seriously handicapped’.
Declaration of incompatibility refused.

The recent case of Carla Foster has brought the issue of abortion and the criminal law back onto the front pages. Foster, aged 44 years, was handed a 28-month prison sentence in June after she admitted to illegally procuring her own abortion at a late stage of the pregnancy. The case hit the headlines after she pleaded guilty to taking tablets, delivered through the post, in order to abort baby Lily, who was between 32 and 34 weeks’ gestation at the time.

Her prison sentence was immediately followed by a large-scale demonstration in central London. Protestors marched from the Royal Courts of Justice to Whitehall, carrying placards saying ‘Abortion is Healthcare’ and ‘Policing Our Bodies is the Real Crime’. The ultimate aim of some campaigners

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Crime brief: 7 July 2023

Recent judgments have highlighted the interaction between abortion time limits, criminal law & human rights, as David Walbank KC explains

Abortion and the criminal law.
No time limit on termination where child may be ‘seriously handicapped’.
Declaration of incompatibility refused.

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content

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...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

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Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

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Crime brief: 7 July 2023

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan