According to one leading provider of abortion services in the UK, police investigations into women suspected of unlawfully ending their own pregnancy have increased substantially in recent years.
Earlier this year, MSI Reproductive Choices reported that this type of criminal investigation was very rare before 2018, but that it was aware of many more happening since then. While the number of women prosecuted for this offence remains small – four in the past 20 years – these police investigations can be traumatic for women, some of whom may have lost their babies, and the risk of prosecution can hang over them for months.
