A man who manipulated his pregnant partner into taking abortion drugs to kill their unborn child has been jailed for seven years. John Deighan, SPUC Deputy Chief Executive said: "Keeping abortion in the criminal law, ensures that abusive men are brought to justice."
Isaac Lyndsay, aged 27 from London, persuaded the pregnant woman to take the abortion drug, misoprostol, by falsely telling her that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Lyndsay carried out a range of internet searches before exploiting his partner which included "how to convince your partner to have an abortion" and "what drugs to use to terminate a pregnancy".
Lyndsay enlisted two accomplices, Rahman and Christy to obtain the abortion drugs which were then given to the woman who was past the 24-week abortion time-limit.
Lyndsay and the accomplices admitted to conspiring to administer poison to the woman to procure a miscarriage, an offence under section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act. Lyndsay was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Rahman and Christy were sentenced to three years each for aiding him.
Dangers of decriminalisation
Decriminalising abortion would take abortion outside the criminal law, effectively removing any significant legal protection for unborn children and their mothers.
Mr Deighan said: "Crucially, Lyndsay’s actions are an offence under section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act. Attempts by abortion advocates to decriminalise abortion have centered on repealing or amending parts of this Act, which they often slam as ‘Victorian legislation’.
"Decriminalising abortion would create the conditions to make terrible incidents like this harder to prosecute. Stories like this show just how crucial it is to protect women and babies by keeping abortion within the criminal law to ensure that abusive men such as Lyndsay are brought to justice."
Mr Deighan added: "The provisions in the Offences Against the Person Act, that abortion campaigners are keen to discard, as they now have in N. Ireland, are proving important in delivering justice for the pregnant victims of sadistic attacks."
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