There have been calls for the "dangerous" 'pills-by-post' abortion scheme to end after a woman was jailed for using the service when she was over the legal time limit.

Carla Foster, 44, was sentenced to over two years in prison after she acquired pills from an abortion provider and used them to abort her unborn baby when she was between 32 and 34 weeks into the pregnancy. 

Abortions can be carried out legally in the UK up to 24 weeks. The pills by post service was launched during lockdown to allow women to access abortion pills and carry out their own abortions at home up to the tenth week of their pregnancy, following an e-consultation. 

Commenting on the verdict, Christian advocacy group CARE said that the pills by post scheme is "harming women" and that current rules make it "hard to determine gestation and spot the signs of coercion".

It is urging the government to resist calls from some campaigners to decriminalise abortion and "instead work towards a society where both mothers and babies are cherished and protected". 

A spokeswoman for CARE said: "This tragic case underlines the dangers of the 'pills-by-post' scheme introduced during the pandemic, and still in force today.

"Hundreds of doctors and charities including CARE warned that the approach makes it hard to determine gestation and spot the signs of coercion.

"This dangerous scheme must be revoked now."

She continued, "We recognise the emotional trauma and difficulty Ms Foster was facing. The government and healthcare providers should have been supporting mothers in her position, ensuring that they had access – even in a pandemic – to proper information and support so that abortion was not seen as the only option." 

Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said, "The responsibility for this tragedy lies firmly with pro-abortion campaigning organisations that promote an up-to-birth abortion culture and facilitated this dangerous and illegal abortion.

"Now a child has died and the mother lives with the terrible consequences. This should never have happened and would never have happened without the abortion industry's pet policies.

"The government should urgently turn back the clock and end this disastrous policy of cheap, convenient, pills by post abortions."

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that Ms Foster took the pills between 32 and 34 weeks into her pregnancy.