Overview

• Nicola Packer, 45, was acquitted by a jury at Isleworth Crown Court after being charged under a 19th-century law for taking abortion pills during the COVID-19 lockdown.
• Packer, prescribed the medication under emergency pandemic rules, believed she was under 10 weeks pregnant but delivered a foetus estimated to be 26 weeks along.
• The case has reignited criticism from healthcare professionals and MPs, who argue the current legal framework criminalizes vulnerable women and perpetuates stigma.
• Medical bodies, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, have joined calls for Parliament to decriminalize abortion and modernize existing laws.
• Labour MPs are expected to propose amendments to the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill to protect reproductive rights and prevent similar prosecutions.