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Doctors promised ‘new doll’ after forced abortion for disabled woman

After a Court of Appeal ordered that a woman with a learning disability must not be forced to have an abortion, it was revealed that the hospital had planned to give the disabled woman a doll as an apparent replacement for the baby whose life they were intending to end.

Barrister Fiona Paterson, who represented the NHS hospital trust with responsibility for the woman’s care, told the three appeal judges: “She was told she would go to sleep.”

“She would have an operation and when she woke up the baby would no longer be in her tummy. But she would get a new doll.”

Miss Paterson said the woman had already been given a doll which she played with.

She added that it was “thought to be in keeping with her current level of understanding of the pregnancy” and that doctors believed “the prospect of a new one might be very appealing to her”.

This is consistent with the Justice Lieven’s original ruling saying that the woman must be forced to have an abortion.

The judge said she did not believe the woman understood what it meant to have a baby.

“I think she would like to have a baby in the same way she would like to have a nice doll,” Lieven said.

Clare McCarthy from Right To Life UK said: “There is no reason to think, from the information available, that this woman with a learning disability would not experience great distress and suffering were the life of her baby to be forcibly ended in the womb.”

“Children, and adults with learning disabilities, know the obvious difference between a baby and a doll – something which apparently Justice Lieven and the NHS Trust do not understand at all.”

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Dear reader,

Thanks to the support from people like you, in 2025, we have grown to 250,000 supporters, reached over 100 million views online, helped bring the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill within just 12 votes of defeat and fought major proposals to introduce abortion up to birth.

However, the challenges we face are far from over.

FIVE MAJOR BATTLES

In 2026, we will be facing five major battles:

  1. Assisted suicide at Westminster – the Leadbeater Bill
    With this session of the UK Parliament at Westminster expected to continue well into 2026, there are many more months of this battle to fight. There is growing momentum in the House of Lords against the dangerous Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill, but well-funded groups such as Dignity in Dying have poured millions into lobbying, and we must sustain the pressure so this Bill never becomes law.
  2. Assisted suicide in Scotland – the McArthur Bill
    We are expecting to face the final Stage 3 vote on the Scottish McArthur assisted suicide Bill early in the new year. If just seven MSPs switch from voting for to against the Bill, it will be defeated. This is a battle that can be won, but the assisted suicide lobby is working intensely to stop that from happening.
  3. Assisted suicide in Wales – the Senedd vote
    In January, we are expecting the Welsh Senedd to vote on whether they will allow the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill to be rolled out in Wales. Dignity in Dying and their allies are already putting a big focus on winning this vote. This is going to be another decisive and major battle.
  4. Abortion up to birth at Westminster
    We are going to face major battles over the Antoniazzi abortion up to birth amendment as it moves through the House of Lords. Baroness Monckton has tabled an amendment to overturn this change, and other Peers have proposed changes that would protect more babies from having their lives ended in late-term home abortions.
  5. Abortion up to birth in Scotland
    In Scotland, moves are underway to attempt to introduce an even more extreme abortion law there. An “expert group” undertaking a review of abortion law in Scotland has recommended that the Scottish Government scrap the current 24-week time limit – and abortion be available on social grounds right up to birth. It is expected that the Scottish Government will bring forward final proposals as a Government Bill next year.

If these major threats from our opposition are successful, it would be a disaster. Thousands of lives would be lost.

WE CAN ONLY DEFEAT THESE FIVE MAJOR THREATS WITH YOUR HELP

Work fighting both the abortion and assisted suicide lobbies in 2025 has substantially drained our limited resources.

To cover this gap and ensure we effectively fight these battles in the year ahead, our goal is to raise at least £198,750 by midnight this Sunday, 7 December 2025.

With a number of these battles due to begin within weeks, we need funds in place now so we can move immediately.

£198,750 is the minimum we need; anything extra lets us do even more.

If you are able, please give as generously as you can today. Every donation, large or small, will make a real difference. Plus, if you are a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid adds 25p to every £1 you donate at no extra cost to you.

Will you donate now to help protect vulnerable lives from these five major threats?

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to protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight the next phase of our battles against major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.

URGENT
APPEAL
to protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight the five major battles we will face in 2026.