UPDATE: An appeals court has overturned a previous decision that would have forced a pregnant woman with mental disabilities to have an abortion, according to British media outlets. The Guardian said the appeal court judges would offer their reasoning at a later date.
Original Story:
LONDON -- A British court has ordered an abortion for a woman with mental disabilities against the will of her and her mom.
The unidentified woman, who lives in London, is 22 weeks pregnant, according to the New York Times. Citing evidence presented last week in court, the newspaper said she has the mental capacity of a 6 to 9-year-old child.
Fox News reports the woman, who is in her 20s, is in the care of England's National Health Service.
A social worker affiliated with the pregnant woman argued the pregnancy shouldn't be ended, according to Fox News. But the judge disagreed -- ruling the woman didn't understand what having a baby would mean.
“I think she would like to have a baby in the same way she would like to have a nice doll,” Fox News said the judge said.
According to The Times, the judge described the situation as "heartbreaking" but said she had the woman's "best interests" at heart.
British law allows abortions to be performed up to the 24th week of pregnancy.
It was not immediately clear how the woman became pregnant. A law enforcement investigation is underway to determine how it happened.
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