"Vulnerable women in England are still being arrested and facing police investigations over suspected illegal pregnancy terminations, despite parliament backing changes to the law to decriminalise abortion. Responding to a freedom of information request, Nottinghamshire police and the Metropolitan police confirmed they had arrested women suspected of illegal terminations between June last year and this January."
"In one case, which happened after the parliamentary vote last year, a woman went to hospital and shortly afterwards miscarried at about 17 weeks. When she was examined, tablets were found in her vagina and police were called. Officers arrested the woman in the hospital's delivery suite, and her home was searched while she remained on the labour ward."
"The amendment to the crime and policing bill, put forward by the Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi and passed with 379 votes in favour and 137 against, came after an outcry. However, the legislation is still passing through parliament and yet to become law."
Women in England are being arrested and investigated for suspected illegal pregnancy terminations despite parliament voting overwhelmingly to decriminalize abortion. Police forces have confirmed arrests between June and January under current legislation. Abortion providers report additional cases not captured in official data. The parliamentary amendment, supported by 379 votes, would prevent prosecution of women seeking terminations outside legal frameworks, but the legislation remains in progress and has not yet become law. One documented case involved a woman arrested in a hospital delivery suite after miscarriage, with police confiscating medical devices she needed to manage her diabetes, causing her to distrust healthcare and law enforcement services.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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