A legal test case brought by a council could pave the way for pregnant women’s behaviour to be criminalised, triggering concerns.
19:19, UK,Wednesday 05 November 2014
Screencap of video from UK news.sky.com
By Hind Hassan, Sky News Reporter
Drinking while pregnant could become a criminal offence after a court case to be heard today, women’s charities have said.
A local authority in the North West of England is seeking criminal injuries compensation for a six-year-old girl in care who has ”growth retardation” caused by her mother’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Both the local authority and the young girl cannot be named.
If the Court of Appeal agrees that the mother committed a crime, the ruling could lead to the criminalisation of taking necessary medication or refusing a caesarean section, campaigners have warned.
The lawyer acting on behalf of the council, Neil Sugarman, told Sky News that the court case was not aiming to criminalise pregnant women who drink.
But he said: “The mum was drinking excessively and was warned not to – so we believe it’s a crime as set down by the definition of the scheme.”
The compensation would be paid by the taxpayer, not the child’s mother.
The case will be heard at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday with a ruling expected at a later date.
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