UK woman who took pills during lockdown cleared of illegal abortion

theguardian.comPublished: 5/8/2025

Summary

Nicola Packer, a 45-year-old woman, was acquitted after taking abortion pills during the COVID-19 lockdown believing she was only 10 weeks pregnant. The case highlighted the risks of secret abortions even with remote prescriptions allowed under pandemic laws, sparking calls to reconsider abortion access and remove it from criminal statutes to prevent similar trauma for women.