Woman jailed for a year after taking abortion pills

Carla Foster, a 44-year-old mother of three from Barlaston, Staffordshire, has been sentenced to more than two years in jail for taking abortion pills after the legal cut-off time.

The incident occurred during a period when abortion rules were relaxed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Foster obtained abortion-inducing drugs from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant. She claimed that she felt too embarrassed to consult a doctor after becoming pregnant in 2019 and was unaware of how far along she was in her pregnancy.

Prosecutors presented evidence in Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court indicating that Foster had conducted internet searches between February and May 2020, including queries such as "how to lose a baby at six months" and "how to hide a pregnancy bump." On May 9, she took mifepristone, followed by misoprostol two days later.

On the same evening, Foster called emergency services (999) to report that she was in labor. Sadly, she experienced a miscarriage, and her daughter, Lily, was stillborn. A post-mortem examination revealed that the child was between 32 and 34 weeks gestation and did not show any signs of natural disease or trauma that could explain her death, as stated by Justice Pepperall during the sentencing.

Initially, Foster was charged with child destruction, but she pleaded not guilty. Later on, she changed her plea to guilty for an alternative charge under section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

As a result, Foster has been sentenced to 28 months' imprisonment, with 14 months to be served in custody and the remaining time on license after her release.