Think the UK is progressive when it comes to abortion? Think again. Under the Abortion Act 1967 , abortions are only considered “legal” up until the 24-week mark. Anyone who terminates a pregnancy after that point can be subjected to a penalty as harsh as a life sentence in prison. Last June, 44-year-old Carla Foster was sentenced to 28 months in prison after she had an abortion at 32-to-34 weeks. The sentence shocked and outraged many around the country.
As Chloe Laws wrote for GLAMOUR last year: “There's a sense that the rollback of reproductive rights in the USA has emboldened anti-choice lobbyists in the UK.' Katherine O’Brien, associate director at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service , even previously explained to GLAMOUR, “The 1967 Abortion Act, and our ability to end a pregnancy, lie in the hands of politicians, and over the past 10 years we have seen a number of parliamentary bids to restrict abortion safely and legally”.