Criminalising thought crime? – Local Government Lawyer

‘Kuljit Bhogal KC and Sarah Salmon explain why a defendant was recently convicted of breaching a PSPO near an abortion clinic.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th November 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Abortion service protection zones in place in England and Wales – Home Office

Posted November 1st, 2024 in abortion, government departments, harassment, news, public order by tracey

‘Safe access zones are now in force around abortion clinics in England and Wales to protect women accessing these services.’

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Home Office, 31st October 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

Man who spiked orange juice to force miscarriage convicted – Crown Prosecution Service

‘A man who gave orange juice to a woman that he spiked with an abortion-inducing drug has been found guilty of administering a poison to procure a miscarriage.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 30th October 2024

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

“Safe access zones” at abortion clinics: legislation – Law & Religion UK

Posted October 24th, 2024 in abortion, Christianity, harassment, news by sally

‘On 21 October 2024, the Secretary of State made The Public Order Act 2023 (Commencement No. 5) (England and Wales) Regulations 2024 which extend to England and Wales; this provides that Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 (offence of interference with access to or provision of abortion services) will come into force on 31 October 2024.’

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Law & Religion UK, 23rd October 2024

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Buffer zones to be introduced outside abortion clinics after lengthy delays – The Independent

Posted September 18th, 2024 in abortion, delay, demonstrations, fines, government departments, harassment, news by sally

‘Buffer zones will soon be introduced outside abortion clinics to stop women seeking abortions from being harassed by protesters.’

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The Independent, 18th September 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Towards a rights-based approach for disabled women’s access to abortion – Medical Law Review

Posted July 29th, 2024 in abortion, disabled persons, human rights, mental health, news by sally

‘This article adds to the still limited scholarship on the impact of abortion laws and policies on people with disabilities and those with diminished capacity who seek abortion. We argue that neither the legal nor policy framework currently operating in England and Wales adequately incorporates and protects the rights of people with disabilities or those experiencing mental ill-health. Rather, the law and policy framework jeopardizes their reproductive agency. We argue that greater attention to and incorporation of standards contained within the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (including the sources produced by its Committee) and implementation of guidelines produced by the World Health Organization would result in a rights-affirming framework that supports disabled women’s reproductive agency, enhances their effective enjoyment of human rights, and supports them in accessing quality abortion care.’

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Medical Law Review, 17th July 2024

Source: academic.oup.com

Illegal abortion trial collapses as jury discharged for legal reasons – The Independent

Posted May 21st, 2024 in abortion, juries, news, poisoning, trials by sally

‘The jury in the trial of a teenager charged with arranging her own illegal abortion has been discharged for legal reasons.’

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The Independent, 20th May 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Termination of pregnancy and wishes and feelings in the Court of Protection – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 26th, 2024 in abortion, Court of Protection, families, hospitals, mental health, news, pregnancy by sally

‘The decision of the Court of Protection in Rotherham and Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust and NR [2024] EWCOP 17 is the latest in a line of cases where the Court has been asked to determine whether a termination of pregnancy is in a woman’s best interests. Any case about a termination engages the pregnant woman’s Article 8 rights. But where the woman also lacks capacity to decide for herself whether to have a termination, there must be a particularly careful analysis to ensure that her rights are respected. While previous decisions have frequently accorded weight to the wishes and feelings of the pregnant woman at the heart of the case, Mr Justice Hayden’s decision goes further in handing the decision over to the pregnant woman herself.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 25th April 2024

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

MPs propose decriminalising abortion up to 24 weeks – The Guardian

Posted April 8th, 2024 in abortion, bills, criminal justice, human rights, news, women by tracey

‘A cross-party group of MPs is proposing to make abortion access a human right in England and Wales, putting forward legislation that would decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks and introduce protections against access being stripped back.’

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The Guardian, 8th April 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Court of Protection declares lawfulness of care plan setting out arrangements for termination of woman’s pregnancy – Local Government Lawyer

‘A judge sitting in the Court of Protection has declared that a care plan setting out the arrangements for the termination of a woman’s pregnancy was lawful.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th March 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Top Cases of 2023: the good, the bad and the legally complicated – UK Human Rights Blog

‘As the dust settles on another year, it is (just about still) time to look back over the year gone to review some of the most dramatic, legally interesting or impactful cases of the year gone by. As ever, this is only a selection of the top cases of the year, but as a whole they reveal yet another year in which the courts have been drawn into the centre of the most important social and political debates of the society in which they find themselves.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 29th January 2024

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

UK medics told not to report illegal abortions to police – The Guardian

‘Medical staff in the UK should not report women to the police if they believe their patients may have illegally ended their own pregnancy, a professional body has said. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has said it is never in the public interest to report women who have abortions to law enforcement agencies, according to the BBC.’

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The Guardian, 22nd January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ministers accused of watering down rules around abortion clinic buffer zones – The Guardian

Posted January 18th, 2024 in abortion, government departments, human rights, news, public order by sally

‘Ministers have been accused of watering down guidance around new buffer zones outside abortion clinics in England and Wales, after it emerged campaigners could still be allowed to conduct silent prayers and approach women attending clinics to discuss the issue.’

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The Guardian, 17th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Eaglescliffe woman found not guilty of ‘home abortion’ – BBC News

Posted January 10th, 2024 in abortion, Crown Prosecution Service, news, pregnancy, prosecutions by sally

‘A woman charged with carrying out an illegal abortion on herself has been found not guilty on the eve of her trial after the prosecution dropped the case due to “evidential difficulties”.’

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BBC News, 9th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Termination, will and preferences – another difficult dilemma for the Court of Protection – Mental Capacity Law and Policy

Posted October 26th, 2023 in abortion, consent, Court of Protection, news, pregnancy by sally

‘The very difficult case of Re H (An Adult; Termination) [2023] EWCOP 183[1] stands out for the careful attempt by the judge – John McKendrick KC (sitting as a Tier 3 judge) to comply with (in CRPD language) the will and preferences of a woman with a mental disorder undergoing a profound crisis. The questions he had to answer were whether the woman, H, had capacity to make the decision to consent to terminate her pregnancy,[2] and, if she lacked that capacity, whether a termination was in her best interests; and, if a termination were to be in her best interests, whether this should be carried out by a medical procedure (i.e. the administration of drugs) or a surgical procedure.’

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Mental Capacity Law and Policy, 25th October 2023

Source: www.mentalcapacitylawandpolicy.org.uk

Women still being harassed at abortion clinics despite buffer zone law – The Guardain

Posted October 19th, 2023 in abortion, demonstrations, government departments, harassment, news by sally

‘Women using abortion clinics are still being harassed despite MPs voting a year ago to create buffer zones to stop protesters intimidating them, medical and abortion groups say.’

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The Guardian, 18th October 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Jailing women for abortion ‘unlikely to be just’ – BBC News

Posted October 19th, 2023 in abortion, imprisonment, news, sentencing, suspended sentences by sally

‘A senior court has said jailing women for abortion-related crimes was “unlikely” to be a “just outcome” after a mother’s sentence was reduced.’

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BBC News, 18th October 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pregnant girl, 11, who was raped twice should have a termination, judge rules – The Independent

Posted October 12th, 2023 in abortion, children, forensic science, human tissue, news, pregnancy, rape by sally

‘A pregnant 11-year-old girl who has twice been raped by teenage boys should have a termination, a High Court judge has ruled.’

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The Independent, 11th October 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The Disability Ground in Abortion Law, and the Negative ‘Message’ it is Sending: R (Crowter) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – Oxford Human Rights Hub

Posted September 21st, 2023 in abortion, disabled persons, human rights, news by sally

‘A recent decision of the Court of Appeal involved a very interesting legal challenge based on an alleged negative “message” in the law. It raises important questions about the law on disability-selective abortion, but also more broadly on the possibility of challenges to the law based on any allegedly negative message.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 21st September 2023

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Woman in Teesside accused of carrying out own abortion to appear before judge – The Guardian

Posted August 14th, 2023 in abortion, news, pregnancy by tracey

‘A 22-year-old woman accused of procuring a poison to abort her child shortly after the first Covid lockdown is due to appear before a judge this week. Bethany Cox is the fourth woman to be prosecuted in the last eight months for allegedly carrying out her own abortion, with only three trials in the 160 years before that, according to campaigners.’

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The Guardian, 13th August 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com