Latest news with #AbortionAct1967
Cosmopolitan
2 days ago
- Health
- Cosmopolitan
Anti-choice groups and some MPs want to end pills-by-post abortions that help thousands of women a year
A group of cross-party MPs, including Reform's Richard Tice and Caroline Johnson of the Conservative Party, backed by ardent anti-choice groups with religious affiliations, are hoping to push forward an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill next week which would see the end of telemedicine (pills-by-post) abortions. This method of ending a pregnancy is a preferred choice for thousands of women every year, particularly those who live in remote areas and who cannot easily access a clinic in person, and those in vulnerable situations, such as an abusive relationship. Data shows that since telemedicine abortions were introduced during the pandemic (and voted in permanently in August 2022) that more than 150,000 women have opted for this method of ending a pregnancy. It is the preferred option for more than half of women, according to MSI Reproductive Choices, a leading abortion provider. A study by the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology also described the pills-by-post method as 'effective, safe, acceptable, and improves access to care'. The push to ban this form of healthcare comes as Parliament are also gearing up to vote on another amendment (NC1) to the Crime and Policing Bill which would see the biggest overhaul to abortion-related laws in more than 50 years and which would decriminalise the procedure (abortion is still technically a criminal offence in England and Wales under a law dating back to 1861, before women had the right to vote, however it is legal if strict criteria is met as set out in the Abortion Act 1967). More than 30+ medical bodies, women's rights groups and abortion providers are in support of NC1, saying it is important to remove women and abortion from the law as police investigations into women suspected of illegal terminations have ramped up in recent years. Police have now been formally issued guidance on how to search a woman's phone for evidence of an illegal abortion following a miscarriage, if she is reported as suspicious by medical staff after seeking help. Anti-choice campaigners are hearing this discourse, repackaging the call to decriminalise abortion and are instead trying to frame it as pro-choice groups calling for 'abortion rights up until birth'. This is false: no groups are calling to amend the time limit around abortion cut off points. However, groups are calling for women to no longer be prosecuted for ending a pregnancy outside of the legal time limit – something that happens incredibly rarely, and when it does is, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists "generally involves extremely vulnerable women, including victims of domestic abuse, women with a history of mental health problems, women not registered with a GP, and women who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or have difficulties accessing the health system". The College argues that these women deserve compassion over prosecution. Abortions are not permitted in England and Wales after 24 weeks unless the woman's life is at risk or if there is a severe fetal abnormality. Less than 0.1% of abortions take place beyond 24 weeks. Speaking about the rally cry to end at-home abortions, Louise McCudden, UK head of external affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices, told Cosmopolitan UK, "At-home abortion care is safe, effective, and preferred by a majority of women. Banning women from choosing at-home abortion care would be an authoritarian restriction on a common, safe healthcare procedure, with no clinical or ethical basis whatsoever." She added that, "Everyone who needs or chooses abortion should be offered the right type of care for their needs. For some, that will be taking pills at home as part of our supported care package, for others that will be taking pills in a clinic, and for others, that will mean having a surgical abortion. "These decisions should be between women and their doctors, not ill-informed politicians. Despite the handful of MPs backing this bizarre proposal, we hope that most MPs would instead listen to doctors, midwives, and women themselves about the vital importance of offering at-home abortion care." Professor Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, echoed McCudden's sentiments, saying, "Restricting telemedicine would significantly reduce women's and girls' access to an essential form of healthcare in England and Wales. "There is a wealth of evidence to show that telemedicine for early medical abortion is safe, has enabled women to access treatment sooner, and that the service is preferred by women." Professor Thakar highlighted that it is abortion providers that have extensive expertise and experience in the management of abortion care, of safeguarding and of the needs of patients – and that they strongly oppose any amendment to the law that would reduce access to pills-by-post terminations. "Removing access to telemedicine will only increase barriers." Last month, a woman named Nicola Packer was found not guilty of carrying out an illegal abortion after experiencing a traumatic stillbirth after taking abortion pills in November 2020. Packer told the court she was not aware of how far into the pregnancy she was when she opted for a telemedicine abortion. She delivered a stillbirth estimated to be about 26 weeks' gestation and after seeking medical attention, was reported to the police. Packer described the criminal investigation against her as 'horrific' and says what happened in her case was a "tragic accident" that deserved support rather than criminal proceedings. "There are other ways that it could have been handled after I'd been in hospital," Packer said when speaking to the Guardian, and recalling how intimate images of her body were shown in court as part of evidence. "I could have been sent home to recuperate. There was no legal need for me to be taken straight to a police station [in the back of a police van]. "I had to sit basically on a plank of wood, with no seatbelts on it, driving around London like that." Due to the criminal investigation that ensued, Packer claims to have not been given anti-clotting medication in good time as she was deemed "not a priority". Another amendment relating to abortion law reform (NC20) is also being put forward in Parliament next week, but it is not supported by any of the UK's abortion providers. BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) said during a BBC Radio 4 interview that it does not feel NC20 is the right approach when it comes to overhauling abortion law which is "incredibly complex [and] governs 250,000 women's healthcare every single year". A BPAS spokesperson, Rachael Clarke, Head of Advocacy, added, "Because of that, it is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered. That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators – and proper debate time in parliament [which NC20, in the charity's opinion, would not have]." Cosmopolitan UK has partnered with leading abortion provider BPAS to campaign to 'End 1861' and call for urgent law reform that would decriminalise abortion in England and Wales. It hopes to see the rare cases, like Packer's, to be treated with compassion rather than prosecution. You can find out more information about the campaign here. Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC's Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women's Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After 'Shocking' Police Abortion Guidance, Here's What Campaigners Want To Happen Next
Following the release of new police guidance detailing how to seize phones and search for medications used to terminate pregnancies in the homes of women after unexpected pregnancy loss, campaigners and doctors are urgently calling for abortion to be decriminalised. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has branded the guidance on child death investigation, which comes from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and was updated earlier this year, as 'truly shocking'. If someone is suspected of terminating a pregnancy outside of the legally permitted circumstances, the guidance suggests police could seize phones to examine internet search history, messages and health apps such as menstrual cycle and fertility trackers to 'establish a woman's knowledge and intention in relation to the pregnancy'. It also offers advice on searching for abortifacients (medications used to terminate pregnancies) as well as packaging, documentation and empty medication blister packs. Now, campaigners and doctors are calling for abortion to be decriminalised, with Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, urging people to write to their MPs to ask them to support it. Labour and Co-op MP Stella Creasy has also urged her followers to take action. The NPCC told HuffPost UK: 'Unexpected pregnancy loss is not something which is routinely investigated by police as potential illegal abortion, and these are very rare. 'We recognise how traumatic the experience of losing a child is, with many complexities involved, and any investigation of this nature will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion.' The council added an investigation would only be initiated 'where there is credible information to suggest criminal activity' and this would often be as a result of concerns raised from medical professionals. 'It is important to stress that due to the individuality of each case, there is no standardised policy to investigate illegal abortions and that police will always work closely with health partners, prioritising the welfare of everyone involved,' said the NPCC. But against a backdrop of reproductive rights being rolled back in the US, campaigners are concerned by the update to police guidance. Over the past two years, six women have appeared in UK courts charged with ending their own pregnancy. Since the introduction of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (written before women could vote in the UK), only three other convictions of illegal abortion have been reported, the BMJ said. 'Abortion providers have reported that in recent years they have received c.50requests for women's medical records from the police in relation to suspected abortion offence,' a cross-party amendment briefing on the topic said. Abortion is technically still a criminal offence in England and Wales. It is only 'de facto' legal until 24 weeks because of the Abortion Act 1967, which allows people to circumvent the law by meeting certain conditions (getting the sign-off from two doctors, taking place in a hospital or premises approved by the Secretary of State for Health, and meeting one of the seven criteria that allows abortion). According to the briefing, that means that technically 'any woman who undergoes an abortion without the permission of two doctors – for example by ordering pills online – can be prosecuted and receive a life sentence as her abortion takes place outside of the provisions of the Act'. This is not usually enforced, but the law seems to be getting stricter. Nicola Packer was only cleared of illegally terminating a pregnancy after taking abortion pills during Covid this month, for instance. She had used a registered provider and was covered by emergency lockdown rule changes that allowed people to order abortion pills online up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy (this stayed in place after the lockdown). Earlier this month, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 'welcomed' an amendment which is currently making its way through parliament and calls for abortion to be decriminalised. At the time, Dr Ranee Thakar, president of RCOG, said: 'Abortion that happens outside of the current law generally involves very vulnerable women – including those facing domestic abuse, mental health challenges or barriers to accessing NHS care. 'Yet alarmingly, prosecutions of women have been increasing in recent years.' Stating that abortion is a form of healthcare, Dr Thakar added: 'Parliamentarians now have an unmissable opportunity to decriminalise abortion, to ensure women can access abortion safely, confidentially and free from the threat of investigation and prosecution. 'We urge MPs to support this amendment to ensure that women and girls in England and Wales will have the same protections as their counterparts in countries such as Northern Ireland, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.' The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has also been campaigning for abortion law reform. Spokesperson Katie Saxon said the recent police guidance change 'is the clearest sign yet that women cannot rely on the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, or the courts to protect them'. She added: 'The only way to stop this is to remove women from the criminal law on abortion.' Joeli Brearley, campaigner and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, has now urged people to write to their MPs to ask them to support the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. 'This is not the time for caution,' she wrote on social media. 'We need to go hard or go home. Let's make sure the future of reproductive rights in this country is secure and that no woman who experiences pregnancy loss is ever investigated as a potential criminal.' On Sunday, Stella Creasy took to Instagram to 'beg' her followers to not 'ignore the warning signs that abortion access is under threat on our shores'. 'For the sake of the 250,000 women who have one every year here ask your MP to sign our cross party amendment and vote for it,' she said. 'We only have a few weeks to win this vital fight for our freedoms ... The stakes could not be higher but with your help and all our voices we can do this.' Abortion Law Could Radically Change As MPs Propose Decriminalising Abortion Up To 24 Weeks Lesbians Have Always Stood With Trans Women – Our Safe Spaces Should Too Former Minister Calls Out 'Sexist' No.10 Briefings Against Women In Starmer's Cabinet
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What is the law on abortion in the UK as MPs prepare to vote on decriminalisation?
MPs are set to vote this summer on whether abortion should be decriminalised in England and Wales. Two Labour backbenchers are reportedly putting forward proposals to change the current law around abortion, which would remove the threat of women being prosecuted for ending their own pregnances. The Abortion Act 1967 allows women to end their pregnancies but only in specific circumstances - under medical supervision up to 24 weeks, or beyond in certain circumstances, such as if the mother's life is at risk or the foetus has a serious abnormality. Campaigners have been calling for changes to the law, bringing legislation in English and Welsh in line with Northern Ireland where abortion was fully decriminalised in 2020, as well as other countries. Previous plans to table amendments ran out of time before the 2024 general election but are now set to come before MPs in what will be the second so-called 'vote of conscience' this year, alongside the Assisted Dying bill. With changes on the horizon, Yahoo News looks at the current law around abortion and what amendments would mean. It is a criminal offence in England, Wales and Scotland for a woman to procure her own abortion. However, the Abortion Act 1967 allows for abortions under specific circumstances, including up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, or occasionally later if the mother's life is at risk or if the foetus has a severe abnormality. This means that the Abortion Act does not grant a right to an abortion, but makes prosecution exempt in certain circumstances. According to campaigners, this means women who end a pregnancy outside of these parameters face criminalisation and potential prosecution. Inducing a miscarriage can be punishable with up to life in prison. A briefing document by a group of organisations calling for changes to the law, says: "As it stands, England and Wales has the most severe penalty for having an 'illegal' abortion in the world – a maximum sentence of life in prison." Most illegal abortions are prosecuted under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, but until 2022 it is believed that only three women had ever been convicted. However, an investigation by Sky News suggested that there has been a rise in the number of people being investigated, and in some cases prosecuted, over so-called "illegal" abortions in recent years. It found that between 2023 and 2024, 29 people in England and Wales were recorded as under police investigation on suspicion of "procuring an illegal abortion" or the "intentional destruction of a viable unborn child". According to data collected by the Guardian from the Crown Prosecution Service, 13 people made a first appearance at a magistrates court charged with abortion-related offences in 2022; four people in 2019; and three in each of 2020 and 2021. Separate data from around half of Britain's police forces, showed at least 11 people were arrested in 2023 on suspicion of child destruction or inducing a miscarriage, including a 31-year-old woman in north Wales 'reported to have taken illicit substances to initiate an abortion'. The briefing note around potential changes to the law cited the example of a woman sentenced to 28 months in prison for using abortion pills to end her own pregnancy in England in 2023, and said that at the time of the document's production two other women awaited similar trials. It also cited examples including:- Seven police officers arrived at the home of a woman who had called an ambulance when her baby was born prematurely, about 18 months ago. They searched her bins and provided no assistance while she performed mouth-to-mouth on her unconscious child, who was still attached to her placenta by umbilical cord. Mother and baby survived. A vulnerable 17-year-old girl presented to abortion services in the early days of the pandemic. She was unable to travel to a clinic on two occasions owing to COVID restrictions so passed the legal abortion limit and was referred to children's services and antenatal care. Soon after, she delivered a stillborn baby at home. She was investigated by the police on suspicion of abortion law offences. A woman was taken to hospital by ambulance owing to complications from early medical abortion medication that she was given after a medical consultation this year. She believed she was ten weeks pregnant, but it emerged she was actually at 19 weeks. Despite being within five weeks of the legal abortion limit when she was discharged from hospital in the early hours, she returned home to find a police cordon and officers searching her property. Campaigners say a change in the law would remove the threat of criminal investigation and prosecution for women who end their own pregnancies in England and Wales. It has previously been suggested that the proposed changes would have no impact on the provision of abortion care, or the laws that govern doctors, nurses and midwives. This would mean that there would still be a 24-week time limit and in exceptional circumstances beyond, and there would be no change to the 10-week limit on telemedicine, agreed by Parliament in 2022. Abortions would still require two doctors' signatures to be legally provided and women would still have to meet one of the grounds laid out in the Abortion Act 1967. Louise McCudden from abortion provider MSI - one of more than 30 organisations including the British Medical Association, Women's Aid, and the Royal College of Gynaecologists that is calling for politicians to look again at the law - previously told Sky News: "We don't believe abortion should be a crime. "It's healthcare, and it should be regulated the same as any other healthcare." Women can have an abortion surgically, or can take two pills, known as a medical termination. Previously women would need to take the first pill under medical supervision, but in 2020 emergency legislation meant they could receive both pills by post after a remote consultation. What was the biggest change to abortion provision since 1967 was made permanent in 2022. According to campaigners, nearly 50 countries do not criminalise women who seek to end their pregnancy outside the law, including Northern Ireland, France, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. They argue that even countries with strong anti-abortion laws do not criminalise women under their strict abortion laws, including the USA and Poland. In June 2022, the US supreme court ruled that there was no constitutional right to abortion, with the laws now decided at state level, resulting in the banning of abortion in more than a dozen states. Woman tearfully says she would not have had abortion if she knew pregnancy stage (PA) Scots women 'still having to travel to England for abortions' (Daily Record) What has Trump said about abortion rights in the US? (Yahoo News)
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
MPs set to vote on decriminalisation of abortion in England and Wales
MPs are expected to vote on whether to decriminalise abortion this summer, with two Labour backbenchers to put forward amendments to government legislation to change the law. Labour MPs Tonia Antoniazzi and Stella Creasy are believed to be putting forward separate amendments. For six decades abortion in England and Wales has been largely governed by the Abortion Act 1967, which has allowed women to end their pregnancies under medical supervision up to 24 weeks, or beyond in certain circumstances, such as if the life of the mother is at risk or if the foetus has a serious abnormality. In 2020, emergency legislation introduced during the Covid pandemic brought in telemedicine and with it the biggest shake-up in abortion provision since 1967. Instead of women seeking an abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy needing to take the first pill under medical supervision, they could receive both pills by post after a remote consultation. It was made permanent in 2022, with MPs voting 215 in favour to 188 against. However, inducing a miscarriage remains a crime, punishable with up to life in prison, and in recent years several women have found themselves in the dock for ending their own pregnancies outside the strict legal parameters of the 1967 act. According to freedom of information data from the Crown Prosecution Service, 13 people made a first appearance at magistrates court charged with abortion-related offences in 2022. This had risen from four people in 2019 and three in each of 2020 and 2021. The numbers include both men and women. Separate data, from about half Britain's police forces, showed at least 11 people were arrested in 2023 on suspicion of child destruction or inducing a miscarriage, including a 31-year-old woman in north Wales 'reported to have taken illicit substances to initiate an abortion'. One woman is now on trial at Isleworth crown court, with the prosecution alleging she knew herself to be beyond the time limit when she obtained abortion pills by post during lockdown. In June 2023, Carla Foster was sentenced to 28 months in prison for terminating a pregnancy between 32 and 34 weeks. She had obtained pills after a remote consultation during lockdown, which were supplied in good faith. A month later, her sentence was reduced to 14 months and suspended. Sitting at the court of appeal, Dame Victoria Sharp said it was 'a case that calls for compassion, not punishment'. Until 2022, it is believed that only three women had been convicted of having an illegal abortion in the 150 years since the introduction of the Offences Against The Person Act 1861, under which illegal abortions are most commonly prosecuted. In the last parliament, MPs had put forward proposals to change the law under the criminal justice bill, with Labour MPs Diana Johnson and Creasy both proposing different changes to the law. However, the plans, along with the legislation, fell by the wayside with last summer's general election. Now a Home Office minister, Johnson can no longer table amendments to government legislation. Antoniazzi's amendment is believed to be similar in scope to the one put forward by Johnson in the last parliament. It is the second so-called vote of conscience MPs will walk through the voting lobbies in quick succession, with assisted dying legislation expected to come before the Commons prior to any abortion vote. In a referendum in 2018, Ireland made abortion legal on request up to 12 weeks, and later if the foetus would be likely to die before or shortly after birth or if there is a risk of death or serious harm to a pregnant woman. In 2019, Northern Ireland's abortion laws were also modernised, allowed up to 12 weeks and later under limited circumstances. However, in the United States, change has gone in the opposite direction. In June 2022, the supreme court ruled that there is no constitutional right to abortion, with the laws now decided at state level. About 22 million women of reproductive age have had access restricted, with abortion banned in more than a dozen states. Heidi Stewart, the chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said: 'BPAS, alongside a coalition of royal colleges, medical bodies and women's rights groups, are calling on MPs to reform our archaic abortion law and end the prosecution of women accused of ending their own pregnancies. We fully supported the amendment tabled by Diana Johnson MP to the criminal justice bill in 2024 and we hope that this parliament will take these proposals forward as a matter of urgency.'
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
UK woman accused of using pills for illegal abortion during Covid lockdown
A woman has gone on trial in London accused of illegally taking pills in order to induce an abortion during the second coronavirus lockdown. Nicola Packer, 44, was arrested in November 2020 after she went to hospital having miscarried a foetus, and later reported to staff that she had taken abortion medication. She had been sent the drugs by a registered provider, MSI, referred to in court as Marie Stopes, after a telephone consultation with a nurse on 4 November, Isleworth crown court heard. 'At about 3pm on Saturday, November 7, 2020, the defendant Nicola Packer, then aged 41, attended the Chelsea and Westminster hospital,' the prosecutor Alexandra Felix KC told the court. 'She reported to a nurse that she was 16 to 18 weeks pregnant but 'thought she had miscarried'. 'Miss Packer went on to say that she had found out about the pregnancy on previous Monday, 2 November, but had started bleeding heavily and passed the foetus and some blood clots which she had brought with her to the hospital in a rucksack. 'An obstetrician, a medical doctor, examined the foetus and estimated her, because it was female, to be 22 weeks gestation.' Under English law, medical abortion without attending a clinic in person is available up to nine weeks and six days of pregnancy, with the pills dispatched by post after a remote consultation. Early medical abortion was introduced as an emergency measure during Covid, with MPs later voting in 2022 to make the provisions permanent. Under the Abortion Act 1967, a termination is available up to 23 weeks and six days of pregnancy if certain criteria are met, and beyond the usual time limit in some circumstances, such as evidence of severe foetal anomaly or a significant risk to the mother's life. 'This trial is not about the defendant's right to have an abortion; nor is it about why she chose to have an abortion, which was entirely a matter for her,' Felix told the court. 'It is the prosecution case that the defendant is guilty of intentionally procuring an unlawful abortion because she was in excess of 24 weeks pregnant and she knew that the gestation of the foetus exceeded 10 weeks at the time she took the medication.' The court heard that Packer had a previous diagnosis of endometriosis, which she had undergone treatment for in the past, and had been prescribed a progesterone-only contraceptive pill to help manage her symptoms. In a conversation with a call handler from MSI she said she had last had a period that began on about 21 September, and when asked whether it had been lighter than usual, had said 'they've all been fairly light recently', the court heard. She said she had not been taking hormonal contraception during the last three months, as she had run out during the last lockdown and decided to take a break. Following the consultation, she was told she would be sent pills for an early medical abortion at home. Opening the case against Packer, Felix said police had obtained phone searches from around the time she took the pills, which included 'difference between miscarriage and abortion' and 'can abortion pills work later in pregnancy?' 'If Nicola Packer thought she was early in pregnancy, why was she concerned to know whether abortion pills work later in pregnancy?' Felix asked the court. She also highlighted searches from Packer on 6 November including 'medical abortion from 10 weeks to 24 weeks', 'can abortion pill be detected in urine', and 'how long does a later stage miscarriage take'. Other searches on her phone around the same time into how long an abortion would take suggested she had not started bleeding, or delivered a foetus, Felix said. 'All of these searches were all at a time when Nicola Packer could not have known what the foetus looked like nor its size,' Felix told the court. 'Yet the searches suggest that she knows that the foetus she is carrying is more than 10 weeks old.' At 5.07am in the morning on 7 November, Packer had searched 'if you late miscarry at home what do you do with the foetus', Felix told the court, 'which suggests that by now Nicola Packer had miscarried'. Packer called 111 several hours later to report that she had had a 'late-stage miscarriage', estimating the foetus to be about 18 weeks, but did not report that she had taken abortion medication. 'The crown says that she gave at least a misleading account and indeed a dishonest one,' Felix told the court. Packer was advised to go to hospital, and did not initially disclose to medical staff that she had taken abortion medication. It was only after she was told by a senior midwife, Claire Baker, that 'she was there to care for her, that her safety was their priority and that what whatever happened they were there to support her', that Packer told staff she had taken medication supplied to her by MSI, the court heard. 'She was advised that the police would be called and the coroner would have to be informed,' Felix said. 'In this case, because she is likely to say that she honestly believed that she was less than 10 weeks gestation,' Felix told the court, 'then it will be for the crown to prove that she did not honestly believe that she was less than 10 weeks pregnant'. The trial continues.
