A British man is on trial this week for allegedly trying to force his pregnant lover to abort her unborn baby by spiking her orange juice with an abortion drug.
The Metro reports Darren Burke, 43, of Windsor, England, urged his mistress Laura Slade to have an abortion so that they could keep their relationship secret, but she refused, prosecutors told the Isleworth Crown Court.
The case is a reminder of the prevalence of forced and coerced abortions and adds to growing concerns about the abuse of mail-order abortion drugs. The British and United States governments recently began allowing abortion businesses to sell abortion drugs through the mail without ever seeing or even talking to the customer.
According to the Express, Burke admitted that he bought abortion drugs online, but he denied attempting to force his mistress to take them.
Burke and Slade began their secret affair in 2015; both have children from other relationships and Burke is married, according to the report.
“Mr. Burke’s wife was, it seems, unaware of his relationship with Ms. Slade,” prosecutor Paul Jarvis told the court. “She found out she was pregnant on November 15, 2020 and, on November 16, she sent Mr. Burke a Whatsapp message to tell him about the news.”
Burke told Slade that he did not want the baby and asked her to have an abortion, Jarvis said.
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“Mr. Burke replied that if she went through with the pregnancy he would have to leave his wife and family and that would kill them — especially his disabled father who was in hospital,” he continued.
However, Slade refused, telling him that she wanted the baby, Jarvis told the court.
On Dec. 3, 2020, Burke sent a message to Slade asking to visit the next morning and offering to bring her a “Starbucks latte or a tea,” the court heard. Slade told investigators that his offer was unusual.
When he arrived, Slade said Burke asked her if she wanted a cup of tea but she refused; then, he went into the kitchen and brought her a cup of orange juice, according to the report. The two began to talk about the baby’s name and child support, and Burke encouraged her repeatedly to drink the juice, arousing Slade’s suspicions, prosecutors said.
Eventually, after Slade refused the drink, Burke got up, took the glass, dumped it in the kitchen sink and then left, Jarvis told the court.
He said Slade noticed a residue on the glass and contacted police. Later, a forensics investigation found traces of the abortion drug mifepristone in the glass, the prosecutor said.
“His motive was obvious,” Jarvis said. “If Ms. Slade had kept the baby, then his double life would have come crashing down around him. There is no way he could have kept the existence of that child a secret from his wife and family.”
Burke was arrested in February 2021, the report states. Burke told police he bought the abortion drug online “in case Ms. Slade decided she wanted to abort the baby,” but he was not trying to force her to take it.
Slade later had a miscarriage, but investigators do not believe her baby’s death was caused by Burke’s alleged actions.
Reports do not mention where Burke purchased the abortion drug, but, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the British government began allowing abortion businesses to sell the drugs through the mail without ever seeing the patient.
Pro-life advocates and even some abortion workers have expressed alarm about new mail-order abortion businesses and the already too prevalent problem of forced and coerced abortions.
Mothers frequently are forced or coerced to abort their unborn babies, and sometimes their decisions to protect their babies’ lives lead to more abuse. A new BBC survey found 15 percent of women of childbearing age in the UK felt pressured to have abortions that they did not want.
Often the pressure comes from an intimate partner. Another new study from Lifeway Research found that 42 percent of men whose partners had abortions said they either “strongly urged” or “suggested” that she have an abortion. In 2009, research by the Elliot Institute found 64 percent of post-abortive women said they felt pressured to have an abortion, often from a spouse or partner.
Another 2014 study found that forced abortions are common among sex trafficking victims. In “The Health Consequences of Sex Trafficking and Their Implications for Identifying Victims in Healthcare Facilities,” researchers found that 55 percent of sex trafficking victims had at least one abortion, with more than half saying they were forced to abort one or more unborn babies.
Studies also have found high rates of violent abuse among women seeking abortions and pregnant women. Often, abuse also is connected to a mother’s refusal to abort her unborn child.
LifeNews has been keeping track of reports of forced and coerced abortions as well as abuse when women refuse to abort their unborn babies. They include:
Scotland – When She Refused Abortion, Her Boyfriend Threatened to Kill Their Unborn Baby With a Coat Hanger
India – Doctors, Family Members Forced Woman to Have Abortion, Killed Her 5-Month-Old Unborn Baby
Washington, D.C. – Washington D.C. Assistant Police Chief Was Told to Kill Her Baby in an Abortion or be Fired
Kentucky – Man Charged with Murdering His Pregnant Wife and Injuring Her Unborn Baby
England – Nurse Fired, Jailed for Helping Man Force Girlfriend to Abort Unborn Baby with Abortion Pills
Ohio – Doctor Pleads Guilty after Attempting to Murder Unborn Son after Wife Refused an Abortion (Canton Repository)
New York – Woman Says R. Kelly Forced Her to Get an Abortion Against Her Will
Brazil – Pregnant Woman Set on Fire, Killed After She Refused Boyfriend’s Demand to Get Abortion
Michigan – Man Convicted of Assaulting His Pregnant Girlfriend, Trying to Abort Her Baby
India – 15-Year-Old Girl Brutally Raped and Then Forced to Have Abortion
Canada – Man accused of killing toddler tried to force abortion on mother, court records show (CBC)
Minnesota – Man Charged for Allegedly Kicking Pregnant Woman in Stomach after She Refused an Abortion (Star Tribune)
Michigan – Man Charged With Raping Teen, Choking Her Until She Blacked Out Because She Refused Abortion
India – Parents Force Their Daughter to Have an Abortion Because Her Husband Was From the Wrong Caste
India – Abortion Pills Kill Woman 5 Months Pregnant After Partner Forced Her to Take Them
Brazil – Man Kills His Girlfriend’s Unborn Baby By Putting Abortion Pills in Her Vagina During Sex
Pakistan – 14-Year-Old Girl Dies After Rapist Allegedly Forced Her to Have Abortion
Tennessee – Man Kills His Pregnant Girlfriend and Her Baby After She Refuses to Have Abortion
England – Man Threatens to Slit His Baby’s Throat if His Ex-Girlfriend Didn’t Have Abortion
England – Husband Orders His Wife to Kill Their Unborn Baby in an Abortion
India – Police: Former Officer Rapes Teen Girl, Then Forces Her to Kill Her Baby in an Abortion
Florida – Jeffrey Epstein Rape Victim Says She Was Pressured to Have Abortion
California – U.S. Swim Coach Accused of Sexual Abuse, Pressuring Girl into Abortion
Pennsylvania – Man Allegedly Used Abortion Pills to Hide Sexual Abuse of Daughter and Stepdaughter When They Got Pregnant
India – Woman’s Parents Allegedly Strangle Her to Death After She Refuses to Kill Her Baby in an Abortion
Philippines – Police Officer Charged with Raping Intern, Forcing Her to Abort Her Unborn Child
Uganda – Man Stabs 18 Year-Old Girlfriend to Death After She Refuses to Have Abortion
India – Teacher Rapes 13-Year-Old Student, Then Forces Her to Have Abortion
England – Pastor Raped Multiple Women and Children From His Congregation, Forced Them to Have Abortions
Wales – Man Accused of Brutally Strangling His Pregnant Girlfriend, Demanding She Get an Abortion
Texas – Man Jailed for Life After Killing His Pregnant Girlfriend Because She Wouldn’t Abort Their Baby
California – Man Reportedly Forced His Girlfriend at Gunpoint at Take Drugs to Kill Her Baby in Abortion
Wisconsin – Man Allegedly Slipped Abortion Drugs into Pregnant Girlfriend’s Drink
England – Man Allegedly Tries to Force Girlfriend to Abort Their Disabled Baby: “It Would be Cruel to Have a Baby Like That”
Indiana – Teen Kills Pregnant Girlfriend After She Waited Too Long to Get Abortion: “I Took Action, I Took Her Life”
Tennessee – Man Kills Girlfriend and 4-Month Old Baby, She Refused to Abort So He Could Escape Child Support
New York – Attacker Kills Woman 5 Months Pregnant, New York’s New Abortion Law Says Her Baby Isn’t a Human Being
Utah – Man Reportedly Killed His Pregnant Ex-Girlfriend Because She Refused to Have Abortion
Virginia – Doctor Convicted of Spiking Pregnant Girlfriend’s Drink with Abortion Drugs
Hawaii – Man Stabs His Girlfriend More Than Two Dozen Times Because She Refused an Abortion
California – Man Hired Hitman to Kill His Girlfriend and Unborn Son Because She Refused Abortion
Florida – Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Tricking Pregnant Girlfriend into Taking Abortion Drugs
Norway – Man Convicted of Killing Unborn Baby after Slipping Abortion Drugs into Girlfriend’s Drink
Indiana – Man Charged with Attempted Feticide for Allegedly Spiking Girlfriend’s Drink with Abortion Herbs
New York – Man Convicted of Attempted Murder after Secretly Giving Girlfriend Abortion Drugs
Pennsylvania – Abortion Doc Allegedly Tried to Force His Girlfriend to Abort Their Baby, Then Beat Her When She Refused
Colorado – Man Uses a Skewer to Force His Girlfriend to Abort After She Refuses Demand to Have an Abortion
Indiana – Man Tries to Force Pregnant Girlfriend to Have Abortion By Poisoning Her Drink
England – Man Jailed for Tying Up His Girlfriend, Forcing Abortion Drugs Into Her Vagina
