Queensland couple to stand trial for procuring an abortion - What do you think? (1 Viewer)

[HumanDichotomy]

Qld abortion couple to stand trial

A young Queensland couple charged over a home abortion have been committed to stand trial.

Cairns magistrate Sandra Pearson on Friday ordered Tegan Simone Leach, 19, and her partner Sergie Brennan, 21, to face trial in the District Court on a date to be set.

It is alleged Brennan provided abortion drugs, mifepristone (also known as RU486) and misoprostol, smuggled from Russia to Leach so she could induce her own abortion last December.

The court last week heard police found empty pharmaceutical blister packets alleged to have contained the contraband drugs along with a Russian doctor's instructions during a search of the couple's Cairns home in relation to another matter in February.

In interviews with police the couple admitted they had decided to go ahead with an abortion and had used the smuggled drugs to do it, though they said they did not know they were committing a crime in doing so.

Leach is facing one count of procuring her own abortion, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years jail, while Brennan is facing the lesser charge of supplying drugs to procure an abortion.

Brennan had initially been charged with procuring an abortion but prosecutors dropped the charge last week.

At a committal hearing last week, defence barrister Kevin McCreanor called for the charges against Leach to be dropped because there was no evidence of the chemical composition of the drugs taken by Leach.

He also argued that section 225 of the criminal code stated that the drugs must be harmful to the pregnant woman, rather than the foetus, for the act to be considered a crime.

However, Ms Pearson said those arguments were matters for the jury to decide and agreed with prosecutors that there was sufficient evidence for a jury to convict the pair.

The couple was granted bail.

 

[Random_dude]

Qld abortion couple to stand trial

you do realise you are talking about a bunch of racist, backward idiots. my dad was subjected to so much racism over there it was not funny.

 

[Freedom_]

There is nothing much to say but stand back and LOL or cry at the government. All out of pity.

 

[Random_dude]

There is nothing much to say but stand back and LOL or cry at the government. All out of pity.

all, still stand by my argument. my dad WAS subjected to racism moreso than over here. but otherwise, what sort of city, or nation would not allow abortion. i mean sure, the issues associated with abortion are many, but why, in this free country would you do that unless you had to accept values from a book what, 4000 years ago,(or so it apparently is according to my minister) and keep it as an advanced social constriction? and with abortion, why should we bring children into this world only to make their life suck that so more much? the decission is only up to the parents and if they want to, then they should, but what sort of government does not allow this from happening, what sort of government enforces up to seven years jail because the parents can not support their baby? if they should, then why not arrest the homeless, the bankrupt, the millions of ghettoes in the world? why are they not arrested? if this government was truly advanced, why did the qld govt prosecute these people for knowing, and being ridden by guilt, that they could not support their own baby? why not arrest the other million people for not being able to as well?

 

[scarybunny]

This isn't about her having an abortion.

This is about her having a home abortion with drugs smuggled in from Russia.

That can't be safe.

 

[copkiller]

all, still stand by my argument. my dad WAS subjected to racism moreso than over here. but otherwise, what sort of city, or nation would not allow abortion. i mean sure, the issues associated with abortion are many, but why, in this free country would you do that unless you had to accept values from a book what, 4000 years ago,(or so it apparently is according to my minister) and keep it as an advanced social constriction? and with abortion, why should we bring children into this world only to make their life suck that so more much? the decission is only up to the parents and if they want to, then they should, but what sort of government does not allow this from happening, what sort of government enforces up to seven years jail because the parents can not support their baby? if they should, then why not arrest the homeless, the bankrupt, the millions of ghettoes in the world? why are they not arrested? if this government was truly advanced, why did the qld govt prosecute these people for knowing, and being ridden by guilt, that they could not support their own baby? why not arrest the other million people for not being able to as well?

How is that a reply to what Freedom said.

He was basically saying the same thing, just much more succinctly.

 

[copkiller]

This isn't about her having an abortion.

This is about her having a home abortion with drugs smuggled in from Russia.

That can't be safe.

I'm sure it is unsafe. But that's her business. Why should she be treated like a criminal for doing something that is only dangerous to her?

 

[Freedom_]

I'm sure it is unsafe. But that's her business. Why should she be treated like a criminal for doing something that is only dangerous to her?

The government owns her.

 

[Random_dude]

How is that a reply to what Freedom said.

He was basically saying the same thing, just much more succinctly.

no no no, to breaking. he said 'no!' for some reason. mind you, i did call them bogans, and neanderthals. sorry freedom, thought you were insulting me.

This isn't about her having an abortion.

This is about her having a home abortion with drugs smuggled in from Russia.

That can't be safe.

true, but still, why prosecute them about making stupid decisions. if this turns into a thread about illegal drugs, i will go and hurt someone.

 

[scarybunny]

I'm not going to say that people need to be protected from themselves. That would bring in the illegal drug discussion, which we don't need.

But when there is a safe way to do something, people should be encouraged to take that route. I suppose criminal punishment might not be the solution, but how else do you stop untrained people from performing medical procedures?

 

[Uncle]

I think the mother was better off waiting for years to tell her would-be child he/she was an accident.
The pain would be much less.

or i think she has the ability to predict natural select.

 

[Napstar]

What a load of shit.

Go and find some paedophiles to persecute.

 

[Random_dude]

I'm not going to say that people need to be protected from themselves. That would bring in the illegal drug discussion, which we don't need.

But when there is a safe way to do something, people should be encouraged to take that route. I suppose criminal punishment might not be the solution, but how else do you stop untrained people from performing medical procedures?

the problem stems from that we can not. so how do we teach idiots that think that they are smarter than doctors who took so long to learn medicine that they are not.

 

[black_kat_meow]

the problem stems from that we can not. so how do we teach idiots that think that they are smarter than doctors who took so long to learn medicine that they are not.

We don't. We do nothing and let natural selection take it's course.

 

[kokodamonkey]

lock them away.

 

[Random_dude]

please elaborate kokodamonkey.

 

[kokodamonkey]

They have broken the law and should be punished. need i say more? They weren't even married... .another crime in itself.... so they have committed 2crimes.... and we need to set an example!

 

[lala2]

Surely the government must have better things to do than persecute a couple for abortion. And as the bf pointed out, wouldn't customs have checked the incoming drugs? So now you're encouraging more people to have babies. And hopefully next time the couple will use some sort of protection.

 

[Kwayera]

They have broken the law and should be punished. need i say more? They weren't even married... .another crime in itself.... so they have committed 2crimes.... and we need to set an example!

Lol Chad, since when was not being married a crime in this country?