‘Miscarriage is not an illness and should not be allocated as ‘sick leave.’ The statistics speak for themselves: 1 in 8 pregnancies results in miscarriage, 1 in 90 pregnancies are ectopic and 1 in every 200 births in England is a still birth (death occurring after 24 weeks of pregnancy).’
Law Society's Gazette, 4th July 2022
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘On Friday 24th June 2022, in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) overruled the right to an abortion nearly 50 years since it first declared it a constitutionally protected right. An outpour of protests and condemnation followed the release of the opinion, with many legal professionals, politicians and NGOs across Europe speaking out against the devastating consequences this decision will have on women’s and other pregnant people’s rights in the US. Pregnancy holds implications for women’s physical and social identity, with repercussions on the woman’s economic status, her chance for education, career and ability to pursue the life she chooses, not least to mention her physical health. In the opinion of this blog’s authors, a pivotal decision such as access to an abortion should be shielded from state interference.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 30th June 2022
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Women in England and Wales who have suffered miscarriages or stillbirths are being investigated by police on suspicion of having illegal abortions, with some forced to hand over their phones and laptops for invasive “digital strip searches”.’
The Guardian, 2nd July 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A couple are taking legal action against a hospital trust following the death of their unborn son.’
BBC News, 7th April 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A damning report this week revealed the catastrophic failings at an NHS trust, where at least 201 babies and nine mothers might have survived with better maternity care. Michael Buchanan has led the BBC’s investigation into the scandal and first reported concerns five years ago, but he says he’s not done in Shrewsbury yet.’
BBC News, 2nd April 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Investigator Donna Ockenden’s team has recorded the harrowing stories of children and mothers dying at the hands of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.’
The Independent, 30th March 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A police sergeant has been jailed for 10 years for raping a “paralytic” woman who went on to give birth to his child.’
The Independent, 7th March 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘For those who are struggling to conceive a child, the creation of an embryo using donated sperm could be lifechanging. As well as creating a baby, however, the procedure could create a whole host of legal problems in the future.’
Family Law, 4th February 2022
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘The aim of this study is to find out why pregnant women spend time in prison, on remand, on recall from licence conditions and on sentence. Research shows that women very rarely commit violent or serious crime, and very few women present any kind of danger to the public. Research also identifies that pregnant women are especially vulnerable and in need of extra care – so this raises critical questions about the incarceration of pregnant women. ‘
Coventry University, November 2021
Source: www.coventry.ac.uk
‘Vulnerable pregnant women are being imprisoned for non-violent offences, in some cases within just a few weeks of their babies’ due date, according to new research set to be published on Monday.’
The Guardian, 16th January 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A prisoner who gave birth to a stillborn baby in the toilet of a cell has said she “will never forgive the prison” for the “horror death”. Louise Powell, 31, who did not know she was pregnant, said she begged for an ambulance before her baby died at HMP Styal in Cheshire in 2020. She told BBC Newsnight she was left alone when she was “crying for help”.
The Prisons and Probations Ombudsman found there were “missed opportunities” to identify her urgent clinical needs.’
BBC News, 11th January 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A man has been handed a life sentence for attacking his girlfriend and killing her unborn child.’
The Independent, 6th January 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Hundreds of doctors around the country, along with representative organisations, have spoken out over the High Court finding a GP negligent for advice given to a mother before conception which led to the birth of a disabled child.’
Legal Futures, 20th December 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A couple whose child died in the womb after mistakes by maternity staff have received a £2.8m settlement.’
BBC News, 6th December 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘In R (Crowter & Ors) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care [2021] EWHC 2536 (Admin), the issue before the Court was the fact that the Abortion Act 1967 differentiates between pregnancies where there is a substantial risk that, if born, a child would be “seriously handicapped” (the terminology used in the Act) and those where it would not. The three claimants – a 25-year-old woman with Down Syndrome who had gained an NVQ qualification level, was employed and had recently married, A, a two-year-old with Down Syndrome who had met all his developmental milestones, and A’s mother [6-8] – challenged the disability ground for abortion in section 1(1)(d) of the Act as contrary to Articles 2 (right to life), 3 (inhuman or degrading treatment) and 8 (private and family life) ECHR.’
Law & Religion UK, 3rd December 2021
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
‘Women in prison are five times more likely to have a stillbirth and twice as likely to give birth to a premature baby that needs special care, new data collected by the Observer shows.’
The Guardian, December 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A married lesbian couple are launching a landmark legal test case against a branch of the NHS fertility sector in England, claiming it discriminates against LGBT+ families.’
The Guardian, 7th November 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘There were not enough maternity staff to keep mothers and babies safe at a hospital trust at the centre of a baby deaths scandal, inspectors have found.’
BBC News, 15th October 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A man who bit and throttled a pregnant woman during a 14-month campaign of abuse has been jailed.’
BBC News, 12th October 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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