Joanna Jepson

Joanna Jepson is a Church of England curate most notable for instigating a legal challenge into the late abortion of a 28 week-old fetus in 2001. The reasons given for the termination were associated with the foetus 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.cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/4354469.stm |title='No charges in late abortion case' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=BBC News, England, Hereford/Worcs]

Joanna 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.cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/4354469.stm |title='No charges in late abortion case' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=BBC News, England, Hereford/Worcs]

Childhood

Jepson was born with a congenital 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" cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/nclef123.xml |title='The law is saying there are reasons why I shouldn't be alive. I look at my life and think: That's rubbish' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=The Daily Telegraph ] . She was forced to wait until her late teens before she could have constructive 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.cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/nclef123.xml |title='The law is saying there are reasons why I shouldn't be alive. I look at my life and think: That's rubbish' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=The Daily Telegraph ]

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"cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/nclef123.xml |title='The law is saying there are reasons why I shouldn't be alive. I look at my life and think: That's rubbish' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=The Daily Telegraph ] 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 surgerycite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/nclef123.xml |title='The law is saying there are reasons why I shouldn't be alive. I look at my life and think: That's rubbish' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=The Daily Telegraph ] , 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 Herefordshire 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". cite web |url=http://www.efc.org.uk/Foryoungpeople/Factsaboutabortion/MoreonUKabortionlaw#1
title='Education for choice: More about UK abortion law' |accessdate=2007-05-29 |format= |work=Education For Choice, UK]

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, two of which are believed to have taken place after 24 weeks.cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/nclef123.xml |title='The law is saying there are reasons why I shouldn't be alive. I look at my life and think: That's rubbish' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=The Daily Telegraph ]

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".cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/nclef123.xml |title='The law is saying there are reasons why I shouldn't be alive. I look at my life and think: That's rubbish' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=The Daily Telegraph ]

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.cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/4354469.stm |title='No charges in late abortion case' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=BBC News, England, Hereford/Worcs]

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.cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/4354469.stm |title='No charges in late abortion case' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=BBC News, England, Hereford/Worcs] A ProLife Alliance spokesperson expressed concern at the verdict, commenting on the "eugenic mentality in medicine in the UK".cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/4354469.stm |title='No charges in late abortion case' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=BBC News, England, Hereford/Worcs]

Jepson said that "People only see the negative side of disability".cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/nclef123.xml |title='The law is saying there are reasons why I shouldn't be alive. I look at my life and think: That's rubbish' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=The Daily Telegraph ] 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 the most common reason given for abortion of fetuses in the UK,cite web |url=http://www.lifeissues.org/connector/2007/Jan_DownsAbortion.htm
title='Down Syndrome and Abortion' |accessdate=2007-05-29 |format= |work=Life Issues Institute, UK] and it is feared that screening for this will lead to more abortions.

Jepson stated a desire to raise the profile of the issues associated with this case, and would like to see a tightening of the law so that "abortions do not take place for trivial reasons and women are not traumatised".cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/nclef123.xml |title='The law is saying there are reasons why I shouldn't be alive. I look at my life and think: That's rubbish' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=The Daily Telegraph ]

Role at London College of Fashion

Jepson later worked in another area where physical perfection and attractiveness are often seen to be very important.cite web |url=http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/28227.htm |title='London College of Fashion > Current Students > Chaplain' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=London School of Fashion]

In 2006, Jepson was appointed as Chaplain at The London College of Fashion, 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".cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/5187076.stm |title='Curate fashions a catwalk pulpit' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=BBC News, England, Merseyside]

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".cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/5187076.stm |title='Curate fashions a catwalk pulpit' |accessdate=2007-05-24 |format= |work=BBC News, England, Merseyside]

Make Me A Christian

In August 2008, Jepson took part in a television series for Channel 4 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 emphasize issues of sexuality and to present only a fundamentalist versions of Christianity.

Calling the final cut "sensational, irresponsable 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". [ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/2570769/Channel-Four-vicar-says-her-show-makes-Christianity-look-sex-obsessed.html]

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. [www.ship-of-fools.com]

References

External links

*cite web
title =jjepson.org | Archived Copy of Joanna Jepson webpage
work =jjepson.org
url =http://web.archive.org/web/20060424043912/http://www.jjepson.org/ "Archived Copy of Joanna Jepson webpage"
*http://www.stpetersfulham.co.uk