Feminist speaker and activist Eliza Hatch shares her fears over the UK police’s “invasive” guidance, which allows them to search women’s phones in the case of suspected illegal abortion
In news that sounds like it’s come straight out of The Handmaid’s Tale, the police have released new guidance that allows them to search your phone for period tracker apps in event of an unexpected pregnancy loss suspected to be abortion. Feminist speaker Eliza Hatch says she’s now “terrified” over what this means for women and people of marginalised genders.
Eliza is an award-winning feminist photographer, speaker and educator. In 2017, she founded Cheer Up Luv, an internationally recognised photo and interview series which retells accounts of street harassment. Then in 2019, she co-founded the Hysteria Collective, which promotes arts and activism by people of marginalised genders.
Speaking to The Mirror, Eliza says: “I’m terrified for the future of women and people of marginalised genders rights in this country generally, and more specifically our bodily autonomy, healthcare and access to safe, legal and free abortions.”
READ MORE: Period tracking apps ‘outraged’ at new police guidance to search women’s phones if they miscarry
The guidance, released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in January, states that women who experience a sudden unexpected pregnancy loss, such as stillbirth or miscarriage, can have their homes searched and their phones seized if under investigation for a suspected illegal abortion.
The NPCC said that investigators looking into the causes of stillbirth and miscarriage should look at digital devices to “establish a woman’s knowledge and intention in relation to the pregnancy” – which includes searching fertility and period tracking apps.
In 1967, the Abortion Act was introduced to the UK, and allowed women to legally terminate a pregnancy up to 28 weeks with the certification of two doctors. In 1990, the limit was changed to 24 weeks.
Eliza adds: “This new police guidance is not only terrifying, it follows an incredibly invasive pattern of policing and criminalising of women’s bodies, fuelled by influential anti-abortion groups funded by powerful religious organisations in the US. If we don’t act now, we will follow in the US’s footsteps of the far-right political overturn of our hard won rights.”
The US has seen a sharp swing to far right politics over recent years. In June 2022, the Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, which gave US women the constitutional right to abortion. Since then, 12 states have enacted near-total abortion bans, while four states have banned abortion past around six weeks of pregnancy.
One of the most shocking outcomes of this has been the case of Adriana Smith, a braindead woman who is being forced to carry a baby to life due to Georgia’s abortion laws, which bans termination after six weeks.
As dystopian as the situation sounds, Eliza warns that, in many respects, UK abortion rights can be more constrictive. She says: “We do not have the luxury of being complacent, of saying, ‘oh well at least it’s not as bad as the US’.”
Providing an abortion in the UK carries a life sentence, due to what Eliza describes as a “cruel, outdated Victorian law”. This is because it falls under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, which carries a maximum life sentence.
Eliza urges people to put pressure on the government, write to MPs and to “lobby for our hard earned bodily autonomy as vocally and aggressively as anti-abortion groups who campaign against our hard won rights.” Otherwise, she fears that “we are in serious danger of going in the same direction as a post Roe v Wade overturned America.”
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Sands (stillbirth and neonatal death charity). You can call them on 0808 164 3332 or email [email protected]. You can also find help and support at the Miscarriage Association. You can call them on 01924 200799 or email [email protected]