Forensic reports reveal that tpolice in the UK have requested a mass spectrometry test, which can detect the presence of the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol in the urine, blood and placenta of women under investigation.
Other reports include requests for “data related to menstruation tracking applications” as part of the police’s investigations.
It’s understood these requests have been taking place for at least the past three years. Dr Jonathan Lord, co-chair of the British Society of Abortion Care Providers and an NHS consultant gynaecologist, called searching women’s phones for menstrual data “chilling and deeply intrusive”.
Dr Allison Holmes, Lecturer in Law at the University of Kent told Tortoise she was not surprised to hear menstrual app data was being requested by UK police when investigating suspected illegal abortions, based on her research into the treatment of victims’ phones in sexual offence investigations.
The UK Home Office was approached but did not comment.
I don’t understand what they’re testing for them for? It says illegal abortions… but abortion is legal in the UK and easily accessible. Who’s getting illegal abortions?
Although abortion was legalised in England and Wales in 1967, the procedure is still criminal in specific circumstances.
Under Section 58 of the Offence Against the Person Act 1861, which carries a maximum life sentence, it is illegal for a woman to administer “poison” (abortion pills) with the intent to cause her own miscarriage after the 24-week legal limit.
As the article also says:
Even when the test finds no trace of abortion medication women can continue to remain under suspicion “as a negative test does not exclude earlier use of drugs”, he said. In that event, he argued, “the only motivation for testing is entrapment”.
And the article examines a wide range of intrusive measures by police forces in the UK and other countries, violating fundamental human rights.
Perhaps this is just another facet of Project Fear, get 50% of the population worried they’re having their rights infringed and we may go the way of the US and ban abortion in the future.
Remember kids, be scared.
Considering almost everything “project fear” predicted would happen has in fact happened (and that it was coined by the same people who were deliberately trying to keep the population ignorant to label anything that went against their lies - a lie, so that they could get shit that benefits themselves passed), I don’t think you’re making the point you think you are (or worse - you seriously think there’s nothing to fear, in which case you need to both get your head out of your ass, and check your privilege)
Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks. After 24 weeks abortion is no longer legal (unless for medical reasons) as the foetus is regarded as viable - as in the foetus may survive birth with medical intervention. Premature babies born at 24 weeks can survive thanks to neonatal medicine.
The police are tasked with enforcing that law.
It remains highly controversial as on one hand there are arguments about women’s rights Vs foetus rights (which are more nuanced as the foetus can survive at that age) and on the other when the law in enforced, how it is done is difficult and legal cases are highly controversial.
It’s not like there are many women going around trying to abort at 24 weeks+; often they are cases of tragically chaotic lives, mental illness and so on. But the police are obliged to enforce the law, and we have a conservative government directing them to do so. And also ultimately the law is the law - the limit exists for a very good reason. A foetus born and dying without medical care due to an illegal late abortion is horrific to even think about, and adds a complex layer of emotion on to the whole topic.
That’s a good law, though. The line has to be drawn somewhere.
However the enforcement does sound really icky.
Abortions are readily available before 24 weeks - after that the restrictions become tghter - you’ll get one if the mother’s life is at risk, or the foetus has a severe disability.
There is a problem in some communities with late selective abortions because the parents want a child of a particular sex, so that is one driver for late abortions that tend to get investigated, I believe.
It isn’t legal for a start, it’s technically still highly illegal, but there are loopholes and defenses created in a variety of acts, which can defend from prosecution for the vast vast majority of doctor-led abortions. It can still be found illegal in a hospital setting if the patient lies about certain factors.
Street/Backroom Abortions are not covered by these legislative defenses and so remain prosecutable and illegal.
Hurray for freedom. It’s disgusting.
Man oh man, the UK is such a boring dystopic hole.
Some of the right wing is looking at the US and foaming at the mouth. Gilead… Yah! That’s what we want, too.
requests for “data related to menstruation tracking applications” as part of the police’s investigations.
Better use the open-source apps drip. or Periodical for menstrual cycle tracking.
Would have thought avoiding a digital record entirely would be best.
An app which does not ever upload your data could be ok, but I wouldn’t risk it without various kinds of blocks just in case - only takes one unaudited update & boom, your data is on a server somewhere the police can access.
Dr Jonathan Lord
Dr Lord. What a fancy name.
Scary thing is, though abortion is easy to access in the UK, the laws on the matter are far, far tighter.
This means that it would take very little to drastically reduce access.
So though there is little appetite amongst the public for restricting abortion, or reproductive health generally, a government in thrall to certain types of donor can impose restrictions nigh instantaneously.
Sure, there would be court cases and patients/doctors/clinics would likely win, but the law moves painfully slowly relative to human gestation.
It worries me that people take a “wouldn’t happen here” attitude.
