Joanna Jepson
Encyclopedia
Joanna Jepson is a Church of England
vicar most notable for instigating a legal challenge to the late abortion
of a 28-week-old fetus
in 2001. The reasons given for the termination were associated with the fetus having a cleft lip and palate - grounds which Jepson argued did not constitute "a serious handicap" under the terms of the 1967 UK Abortion Act
.
Jepson, who was born with a jaw deformity herself, and whose brother is disabled, argued that the abortion was an "unlawful killing
". However, in 2005 a judicial review concluded that the doctors carrying out the abortion had "acted in good faith", and would not face prosecution.
jaw defect - her top jaw stuck out by eight millimetres and her lower jaw hung down into her neck. This resulted in a deformed appearance which she herself described made her look "like a chipmunk
". She was forced to wait until her late teens before she could have reconstructive surgery, as it was necessary to wait until her facial and jaw bones had stopped growing.
Between 1991 and 1993 she underwent corrective operations in order to correct her jaw defect. These operations involved removing flesh from her upper jaw, breaking and resetting her lower jaw, and rebuilding her chin using muscle. The process was highly traumatic and involved Intensive Care treatment in hospital, a lengthy period of swelling, and having her jaw wired.
Jepson believes that this gave her an insight into human nature - she was bullied because of her appearance at school, but became part of "the pretty, popular crowd" at university, after her corrective cosmetic surgery. Her feelings about this change, as well as those brought up by the attitudes of other people she met after surgery, influenced her interest in a much-publicised trial following the abortion of a fetus in December 2001.
by doctors who cannot be named for legal reasons. Under the terms of the 1967 UK Abortion Act
, abortions after 24 weeks (such as this one) should only be carried out if "there is a substantial risk that if the child was born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped
".
Jepson argued that a cleft palate or lip did not meet this definition - citing the fact that she herself had more serious facial deformities, and that many people born with cleft palates have had perfectly satisfactory corrective operations. As a consequence, she considered this a case of 'unlawful killing
', and mounted a legal challenge. Between 1995 and late 2003, 26 abortions on fetuses with cleft palates took place in the United Kingdom, two of which are believed to have taken place after 24 weeks.
Additionally, there is no legal definition of "seriously handicapped" - it is left to the discretion of parents and medical personnel. Rev. Jepson believes that applying the above reasoning to her own situation, "the law is saying there are good reasons why I should not be alive".
The result of the legal challenge was that Jepson's complaint was not upheld, the Crown Prosecution Service
stating that the doctors involved acted in good faith and would not face criminal charges.
A spokesperson for the pro-choice
group Abortion Rights stated that they welcomed the decision. Cleft palate can lead to severe disability and the doctors are believed to have acted on those grounds. A ProLife Alliance
spokesperson expressed concern at the verdict, commenting on the "eugenic mentality in medicine in the UK".
Jepson said that "People only see the negative side of disability".
She also expressed her difficulty dealing with the fact that pregnant mothers in the UK are screened for Down's Syndrome - a condition which Jepson's brother has. Diagnosis of Down's Syndrome in the fetus is one of the most common reason given for abortion of fetuses in the UK, and it is feared that screening
for this will lead to more abortions.
Jepson expressed a desire to raise the profile of the issues associated with the case, and to see a tightening of the law so that "abortions do not take place for trivial reasons and women are not traumatised".
, as the institution celebrated its centenary. She stated that she was looking forward to meeting the challenges associated with the role, such as the ethical and political issues associated with fashion, and its "hedonistic image
".
She voiced her amazement that, in view of the fashion industry's impact on society, the involvement of the Church had been so little. "It is just as important to work in a cultural community as a parish community".
entitled Make Me A Christian, in which a panel of four Christian leaders, including Jepson, attempted to mentor volunteers who were exploring conversion to Christianity.
After being shown the final cut, Jepson took unsuccessful legal action to have her scenes removed from the programme, on the grounds that the footage had been cut in a sensationalist manner to emphasise issues of sexuality and to present only a fundamentalist version of Christianity.
Calling the final cut "sensational, irresponsible and contrived", Jepson complained "There was clearly an agenda behind making the programme designed to make Christians look obsessed with people's sex lives and intent on imposing Christian behaviour on everyone else. Christian behaviour is only possible after a spiritual transformation. We were encouraged to take part on the understanding that we were dealing with a group of people who genuinely wanted to embrace Christianity. But that was clearly not the case".
Supporters of Jepson pointed out that the Channel 4 programme devoted most of an episode to an evangelical priest's attempt to persuade a lesbian volunteer that her homosexuality was sinful, while cutting out her conversations with Jepson - who, like many in the Church of England, does not believe that homosexuality is sinful nor a bar to a fully Christian life.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
vicar most notable for instigating a legal challenge to the late abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
of a 28-week-old fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
in 2001. The reasons given for the termination were associated with the fetus having a cleft lip and palate - grounds which Jepson argued did not constitute "a serious handicap" under the terms of the 1967 UK Abortion Act
Abortion Act 1967
The Abortion Act 1967 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom legalising abortions by registered practitioners, and regulating the free provision of such medical practices through the National Health Service ....
.
Jepson, who was born with a jaw deformity herself, and whose brother is disabled, argued that the abortion was an "unlawful killing
Unlawful killing
In English law unlawful killing is a verdict that can be returned by an inquest in England and Wales when someone has been killed by one or several unknown persons. The verdict means that the killing was done without lawful excuse and in breach of criminal law. This includes murder, manslaughter,...
". However, in 2005 a judicial review concluded that the doctors carrying out the abortion had "acted in good faith", and would not face prosecution.
Childhood
Jepson was born with a congenitalCongenital disorder
A congenital disorder, or congenital disease, is a condition existing at birth and often before birth, or that develops during the first month of life , regardless of causation...
jaw defect - her top jaw stuck out by eight millimetres and her lower jaw hung down into her neck. This resulted in a deformed appearance which she herself described made her look "like a chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunks are small striped squirrels native to North America and Asia. They are usually classed either as a single genus with three subgenera, or as three genera.-Etymology and taxonomy:...
". She was forced to wait until her late teens before she could have reconstructive surgery, as it was necessary to wait until her facial and jaw bones had stopped growing.
Between 1991 and 1993 she underwent corrective operations in order to correct her jaw defect. These operations involved removing flesh from her upper jaw, breaking and resetting her lower jaw, and rebuilding her chin using muscle. The process was highly traumatic and involved Intensive Care treatment in hospital, a lengthy period of swelling, and having her jaw wired.
Jepson believes that this gave her an insight into human nature - she was bullied because of her appearance at school, but became part of "the pretty, popular crowd" at university, after her corrective cosmetic surgery. Her feelings about this change, as well as those brought up by the attitudes of other people she met after surgery, influenced her interest in a much-publicised trial following the abortion of a fetus in December 2001.
The case
The abortion of the 28-week-old fetus was carried out in December 2001 in HerefordshireHerefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
by doctors who cannot be named for legal reasons. Under the terms of the 1967 UK Abortion Act
Abortion Act 1967
The Abortion Act 1967 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom legalising abortions by registered practitioners, and regulating the free provision of such medical practices through the National Health Service ....
, abortions after 24 weeks (such as this one) should only be carried out if "there is a substantial risk that if the child was born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
".
Jepson argued that a cleft palate or lip did not meet this definition - citing the fact that she herself had more serious facial deformities, and that many people born with cleft palates have had perfectly satisfactory corrective operations. As a consequence, she considered this a case of 'unlawful killing
Unlawful killing
In English law unlawful killing is a verdict that can be returned by an inquest in England and Wales when someone has been killed by one or several unknown persons. The verdict means that the killing was done without lawful excuse and in breach of criminal law. This includes murder, manslaughter,...
', and mounted a legal challenge. Between 1995 and late 2003, 26 abortions on fetuses with cleft palates took place in the United Kingdom, two of which are believed to have taken place after 24 weeks.
Additionally, there is no legal definition of "seriously handicapped" - it is left to the discretion of parents and medical personnel. Rev. Jepson believes that applying the above reasoning to her own situation, "the law is saying there are good reasons why I should not be alive".
The result of the legal challenge was that Jepson's complaint was not upheld, the Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
stating that the doctors involved acted in good faith and would not face criminal charges.
A spokesperson for the pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
group Abortion Rights stated that they welcomed the decision. Cleft palate can lead to severe disability and the doctors are believed to have acted on those grounds. A ProLife Alliance
ProLife Alliance
ProLife Alliance is an advocacy group in the United Kingdom, formed in October 1996. It is opposed to human cloning and abortion, opposes experiments on human embryos and also opposes any form of euthanasia. It supports anti-abortion taxation policies and guaranteed maternity and paternity leave...
spokesperson expressed concern at the verdict, commenting on the "eugenic mentality in medicine in the UK".
Jepson said that "People only see the negative side of disability".
She also expressed her difficulty dealing with the fact that pregnant mothers in the UK are screened for Down's Syndrome - a condition which Jepson's brother has. Diagnosis of Down's Syndrome in the fetus is one of the most common reason given for abortion of fetuses in the UK, and it is feared that screening
Prenatal diagnosis
Prenatal diagnosis or prenatal screening is testing for diseases or conditions in a fetus or embryo before it is born. The aim is to detect birth defects such as neural tube defects, Down syndrome, chromosome abnormalities, genetic diseases and other conditions, such as spina bifida, cleft palate,...
for this will lead to more abortions.
Jepson expressed a desire to raise the profile of the issues associated with the case, and to see a tightening of the law so that "abortions do not take place for trivial reasons and women are not traumatised".
Role at London College of Fashion
In 2006, Jepson was appointed Chaplain at The London College of FashionLondon College of Fashion
London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therapy and lifestyle industries...
, as the institution celebrated its centenary. She stated that she was looking forward to meeting the challenges associated with the role, such as the ethical and political issues associated with fashion, and its "hedonistic image
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
".
She voiced her amazement that, in view of the fashion industry's impact on society, the involvement of the Church had been so little. "It is just as important to work in a cultural community as a parish community".
Make Me A Christian
In August 2008, Jepson took part in a television series for Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
entitled Make Me A Christian, in which a panel of four Christian leaders, including Jepson, attempted to mentor volunteers who were exploring conversion to Christianity.
After being shown the final cut, Jepson took unsuccessful legal action to have her scenes removed from the programme, on the grounds that the footage had been cut in a sensationalist manner to emphasise issues of sexuality and to present only a fundamentalist version of Christianity.
Calling the final cut "sensational, irresponsible and contrived", Jepson complained "There was clearly an agenda behind making the programme designed to make Christians look obsessed with people's sex lives and intent on imposing Christian behaviour on everyone else. Christian behaviour is only possible after a spiritual transformation. We were encouraged to take part on the understanding that we were dealing with a group of people who genuinely wanted to embrace Christianity. But that was clearly not the case".
Supporters of Jepson pointed out that the Channel 4 programme devoted most of an episode to an evangelical priest's attempt to persuade a lesbian volunteer that her homosexuality was sinful, while cutting out her conversations with Jepson - who, like many in the Church of England, does not believe that homosexuality is sinful nor a bar to a fully Christian life.
External links
Archived Copy of Joanna Jepson webpage- http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8073000/8073328.stm Should abortion details be public? an interview with Joanna Jepson