When British mother Carla Foster was sentenced to more than two years in prison last June, for terminating a pregnancy after the legal time limit during lockdown, the media largely told a story of sadness and public outrage. This woman was trapped at her home in dire circumstances, perhaps frightened of attending a clinic (a legal requirement under the Abortion Act until Covid-19). She is a mother of three. Did this really happen in England? Explanatory articles clarifying that, actually, the rules were stricter in the UK than you might think went viral. Foster had ended her pregnancy via an at-home abortion pill: she believed herself to be 28 weeks pregnant but told a doctor during an online consult that she was within the legal limit of ten weeks. Eventually, a month after her sentencing, following widespread backlash, her prison term was reduced to 14 months, and then suspended. One of the judges said Foster’s case called for “compassion, not punishment”.
But many were furious to see Foster’s sentence softened – to even see her gain any sympathy at all. Her use of pills drew ire not just from loud and proud pro-life campaigners but from many social media users and media commentators who professed themselves to be on the fence on the abortion issue. They argued that she should have been forced to go see a physician in person, even during the pandemic, and that no abortion should be able to happen via the post. Some maintained that the force of the law should apply to those who provide this type of medication. Details that Foster took these pills when she was actually between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant only exacerbated these punitive responses.
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