Eaglescliffe woman denies carrying out home abortion
- Published
Bethany Cox pleaded not guilty to two charges when she appeared at Teesside Crown Court
A woman has denied carrying out an illegal abortion on herself at the end of the first coronavirus lockdown.
Bethany Cox, 22, from Eaglescliffe, Stockton, is accused of child destruction and using misoprostol to procure her own miscarriage.
She pleaded not guilty to both when she appeared at Teesside Crown Court with a week-long trial set to be held in January.
The two charges date from the beginning of July 2020.
She is charged under Section 58 of the Offences Against the Person act 1861, which makes it an offence for a woman to unlawfully procure her own abortion.
The first charge states that on 6 July in Stockton she administered "drugs to procure abortion" with "intent to destroy the life of a child capable of being born alive".
The second alleges that between 2 and 7 July she administered misoprostol with "intent to procure your own miscarriage".
Ms Cox was granted unconditional bail.
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