Topics: Police, UK News, Periods, Women's Health
New guidance in the UK has handed British police the power to trawl through women's phones if they suspect said individual has undergone an illegal abortion.
As per an announcement made by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) last month, officers investigating the causes of stillbirths, miscarriages and unexpected pregnancy losses will now be permitted access to check menstrual cycle tracking apps.
The alleged aim of the incoming procedure is to 'establish a woman’s knowledge and intention in relation to the pregnancy.'
Women's houses could also be searched for abortion drugs in accordance.
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In England and Wales, abortion remains a criminal offence unless carried out under specific legal circumstances.
The legislation comes just weeks after UK-local Nicole Packer was found not guilty of illegally consuming abortion pills during a national lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Packer reportedly believed she was less than 10 weeks pregnancy, and had been prescribed the pills by her medical provider.
The 45-year-old was later found to be 22 weeks pregnant at the time of ingestion - past the term for an unsupervised medical termination.
According to the NPCC, however, an investigation into a woman's mobile phone, or a search of her property, is 'only initiated where there is credible information to suggest criminal activity.
"Police do not routinely investigate unexpected pregnancy loss," a representative of the group previously explained.
"We recognise how traumatic the experience of losing a child is, with many complexities involved, and any investigation of this nature and individuals will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion."
Experts in women's health and safety have since declared they're deeply troubled by the new protocols, as per an interview conducted by Stylist.
Rhiannon White, a spokesperson for the menstrual health app Clue, told the publication: "We have never - and will never - share health data with authorities. We will aggressively challenge any such requests and will never allow our members' data to be used against them."
Founder of the Centre for Women's Justice, Harriet Wistrich, also spoke to The Times on the matter, describing the 'failure to consult on such a controversial piece of police guidance' as 'concerning.
"The experience of late termination is often traumatic and to compound this with an intrusive investigation into the woman concerned is an outrageous waste of the limited resources available to criminal justice agencies, who should be focussing on protecting the public from real crime," she explained.
Dr Ranee Thakar, who serves as president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), also described the new guidance as 'shocking', telling press: "Women in these circumstances have a right to compassionate care and to have their dignity and privacy respected, not to have their homes, phones, computers and health apps searched, or be arrested and interrogated.'
