Many of you will no doubt have heard about the tragic case of Carla Foster and her daughter who she aborted during May 2020 by taking abortion pills at 32-34 weeks. This has prompted abortion providers (not that they needed any prompting) and those who support them to push for a change in the law. Those of us who are of the pro-life perspective also think this should prompt a change in the law – so, for once, do we all agree? Well, not exactly . . .
Earlier today I was asked to join a discussion on a BBC Radio show where they were looking at the recent sentence given to Carla. Interestingly, Carla was wrongly described as a mother of 3. Carla has shared that she has 3 living children and has had one abortion, so Carla is a mother of 4. The producer called me and said I would be on shortly so I waited on the line listening to those phoning in. Caller after caller spoke of how they agreed with the sentence Carla had received and also stated that it was a ‘baby’ who had died during the abortion. Each time a new caller got in touch the host spoke more and more emotively about the situation, asking whether a jail sentence was really helping anything, yet every caller stated that they did support the judge’s decision and that this abortion should never have happened. Eventually I was told I wasn’t needed on the show as every single person who’d spoken had given the same perspective.
So how did this happen and can we really put all the blame on mother of four, Carla? The answer to the second part is an emphatic ‘No’. The answer to the first part takes more explaining. The bigger problem we have in the UK is the inconsistency that exists in our law. Before 24 weeks you can have an abortion for pretty much any reason, when this happens the child being aborted is referred to as a blob of tissue or a product of conception (poc). If the mother wants her child at this stage, then he or she will be referred to as a baby. Past 24 weeks the child can still be aborted if there is a diagnosis of downs syndrome or cleft palate. Somehow these conditions dehumanise the child, but only if the mother agrees. If she wants her child with a cleft palate, he or she become human again. Do we not see the confusion these inconsistencies are creating in people’s minds? Is it any wonder that people start to believe that taking of a child’s life isn’t really killing?
On top of this we have abortion providers implementing a law which is desperately trying to normalise abortion, a law which abortion providers campaigned to achieve. Women like Carla can phone up to ask for abortion pills to be sent through the post without ever having to even speak to a doctor, let alone see one. No one gives them a scan to ensure the correct dating of their pregnancy. No one sees them in person at all. We simply take the word of every panicked, fear driven woman who asks for an abortion. In what other situation would this happen? If abortion is being peddled as healthcare, then why isn’t the law consistent with other forms of healthcare? Cancer patients aren’t left to diagnose themselves. If they want medication, then their doctor needs to see them and help diagnose their condition him or herself. No one says if you think you have a tumour then just tell me over the phone and we’ll send out some medication or sign you off for treatment.
Abortion providers have helped create a situation which has resulted in a mother ending up with a jail sentence but they are getting off scot-free.
I recently spoke to a young mum who also phoned up an abortion provider. She wasn’t sure what she wanted at that stage but had some questions to ask before making her decision. At question number one she was told ‘It’s as simple as this, do you want an abortion or not?’ Feeling under pressure, she replied she did and so pills were sent out to her which she took and immediately regretted. That’s the level of care that’s being provided.
Carla Foster’s baby had a name, as seen in the sentencing notes. She was called Lily. Let Lily’s death not be in vain. Let this be the wake-up call our country has needed to show how anti-women and inhumane our laws currently are. If we care about women then no woman should be tempted to make the decision that Carla did. No woman should have that option waved so easily under their nose, knowing all they need to do is state a lie and ‘everything will be fixed’. Carla’s biggest consequence isn’t the jail sentence she has received, this will end. Carla has herself shared how she now has nightmares and flashbacks. Some may say this is her own doing. I, along with many other pro-lifers would say that the greater culpability lies with the abortion providers.
The law does need to change and it needs to come down hard on people who post out pills that aren’t just capable of causing death but are manufactured specifically for this purpose. People who pose as caring about women’s health but don’t even bother to see the woman they are speaking with who’s considering a life changing decision. People who are using a situation they have helped create to further their own agenda of abortion up to birth with no restrictions. So yes, change the law, but let’s not make a dire situation any worse and let little Lily not have died in vain.
