We can’t be complacent about pregnant women’s rights in Britain | Rebecca Schiller

A local authority has failed to make drinking in pregnancy a crime, but we should be wary about further attempted incursions

This morning, women stood precariously on the last solid ground in the landscape of UK reproductive rights, looking ahead at an uncertain and treacherous footing. The court of appeal rejected the claim for criminal compensation in the case of CP vs Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. Thankfully, following this judgment, we still have solid ground under our feet.

Had the unnamed local authority’s solicitors successfully persuaded the court that excessive drinking in pregnancy was a violent crime against a foetus (now a seven-year-old child with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder), it would have marked a dramatic departure from the way the UK legal system has previously defended the autonomy of pregnant women.

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from Pregnancy | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1I4rH0v