Abortion with covert meds and restraints

Nicola Laver  |  UK & Ireland
Date posted:  1 Dec 2023
Share Add       
Abortion with covert meds and restraints

A court has ruled that a woman with schizoaffective disorder, who was almost 18 weeks pregnant, should have a medical abortion – using ‘covert’ medication and restraint if she was non-compliant. 

The 26-year-old woman had been detained under the Mental Health Act and was suffering psychosis at the time. With one exception, she had reportedly made clear she wanted a termination. The woman previously had a surgical termination but had threatened to kill herself if she was to have another.

The Court of Protection ruled that she lacked capacity to consent to an abortion and how it should take place. The judge said her mental disorder, which had caused wide-ranging delusions about the nature of her pregnancy, ‘had robbed her of the rational basis to understand her pregnancy and the options available to her’.

Share
< Previous article| UK & Ireland| Next article >
Read more articles on:   abortion
Read more articles by Nicola Laver >>
People
New Dean for Bethlehem Bible College

New Dean for Bethlehem Bible College

Bethlehem Bible College has appointed Dr Yousef Alkhouri as its new academic dean.Gaza-born Yousef questioned his faith in his …

UK & Ireland
Ban on smacking in England hanging in the balance

Ban on smacking in England hanging in the balance

Calls to criminalise smacking in England are regaining momentum, with leading psychiatrists urging MPs to back an amendment to the …

Subscribe

Enjoy our monthly paper and full online access

Find out more

About en

Our vision, values and history.

Read more