There are no plans to overhaul the ‘out of date’ abortion laws or sentencing guidelines in England, Downing Street has said.

Campaigners have called for the law that dates back to 1861 to be changed after the sentencing of Carla Foster on Monday.

The 44-year-old was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant when she took tablets to end her pregnancy after the legal time limit during lockdown.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has since launched a campaign to reform abortion law. 

But the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: ‘Through the Abortion Act, all women have access to safe abortions on the NHS up to 24 weeks.

‘We have made changes so that now includes taking abortion pills at home. We think this approach provides the right balance and… there are no plans to change this.’

After the backlash the sentencing caused, they added: ‘We recognise that this is a highly emotive issue and obviously we recognise the strength of feeling on all sides.’

In response, the Women’s Equality Party, joined by BPAS and the Fawcett Society, will hold a march in central London on Saturday to condemn the ‘cruel and utterly heartbreaking’ sentencing of the mum-of-three.

‘And I think that’s one of the things I would have factored in in relation to this particular case.’

Labour MP Stella Creasy has also backed the calls for ‘urgent reforms’, arguing on Twitter that the average prison sentence for a violent offence in England is 18 months.

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