Last Friday, a judge in the United Kingdom ruled that a mentally ill pregnant mother must be forced to abort her child because doctors believed it was in her “best interests.” That horrendous decision was overturned by a Court of Appeal in London on Monday, but the country still has much to sort out on this issue.
After Justice Nathalie Lieven’s controversial forced abortion decision on Friday, Right to Life UK started a petition that gathered 91,000 signatures by Monday afternoon when the decision was overturned. The pregnant mother and her family needed to act quickly after the decision Friday, as the baby was at 22 weeks gestation age and the legal limit for abortion is 24 weeks, and later abortions pose a greater threat to the mother’s health as well. Fortunately, the Court of Appeal swiftly issued a ruling to overturn Justice Lieven’s decision and save this baby and the family from any further trauma.
The three judges at the Court of Appeal who overturned the ruling did not issue an explanation for their decision. According to “Catholic Herald,” the judges did say that it was a “unique” situation and that a full explanation would be provided at a later date.
Right to Life UK issued a statement celebrating the decision, but the group is also pressuring the Department of Health to review its history on the issue and ensure this near-death catastrophe doesn’t repeat itself.
“This is a very welcome decision that will save the life of the unborn child and the mother from a forced late-term abortion and much undue distress … Unfortunately, we fear that this is not a one-off case. We are calling on the Department of Health to urgently reveal how many women have been forced to have an abortion in the UK over the last 10 years and make it clear how they will ensure it will not happen again.”
The warning is much needed, as the country has a terrible track record on this issue. In 2017, the government ruled that doctors could turn off the life support for young Charlie Gard. The baby’s parents wanted to leave the country to seek potentially life-saving medical treatment elsewhere. Both President Trump and Pope Francis offered to facilitate this, but the baby’s parents were denied the opportunity to seek this care for their child. Consequently, Charlie Gard died before his first birthday.
A similar situation arose in 2018 with Alfie Evans, a baby who had a brain disorder. After a long legal fight, a judge ruled that the doctors treating Alfie could pull the plug on his life support against his parents’ wishes, and they did. Alfie’s parents were denied the opportunity to seek medical treatment elsewhere as well.
Furthermore, as Right to Life UK pointed out, there are likely similar atrocities that didn’t get as much press coverage as these ones.
For a small group of doctors to pull the plug on a child is morally questionable in and of itself, but for that to happen against the parents’ wishes and when other doctors are offering life-affirming care is absolutely insane. British citizens must pressure their government to fix this inhumanity that disrespects children, parents, and doctors alike.
