London, England, Oct 14, 2019 / 12:00 pm
A court in the United Kingdom ruled last week that it is in the best interest of a pregnant woman with severe learning disabilities that she undergo an abortion. A British court made the same decision in a similar case earlier this year, though that decision was overturned after it was issued.
The unidentified woman in this case is estimated to be 12 weeks pregnant. She, along with her NHS trust and local council, have not been identified by the court or in media reports, in order to protect her privacy.
The court's ruling was issued Friday, Oct. 11, after a hearing in the U.K.'s Court of Protection which handles cases brought concerning care and decision making for people judged not to be able to act for themselves. The NHS trust responsible for the woman's care petitioned the court for permission to carry out an abortion. In its petition, the trust argued that continuing her pregnancy would be harmful to the woman.
Eloise Power, the lawyer representing the NHS trust, testified that the woman's doctors and caregivers support ending her pregnancy.