It’s apparent that the US isn’t alone in its pursuit of complete female subjugation. Recent reports have revealed that new national guidance is now advising police officers in the UK to search women’s homes for abortion drugs and check their phones to look for menstrual cycle tracking apps following unexpected pregnancy loss.

According to The Observer, “new guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on ‘child death investigation’ advises officers to search for ‘drugs that can terminate pregnancy’ in cases involving stillbirths.”

Further guidance also encourages officers to seize and search women’s digital devices in order to gain access to any menstrual apps or fertility trackers.

But it’s not just a woman’s physical belongings that will now be under examination. The NPCC has also instructed detectives to assess an individual’s knowledge of the pregnancy. Indeed, The Times reported that another note in the guidance stated that “her intentions regarding the pregnancy may be demonstrated through disclosures or admissions by the woman herself.” The severe implications of this instruction in particular are truly terrifying.

This news has been met with immediate criticism, from campaigners and the general public. One netizen shared on X: “Having experienced more than one miscarriage in the past—once when I didn’t even know I was pregnant—this is a diabolical intrusion on women’s autonomy.”

Having experienced more than one miscarriage in the past – once when I didn’t even know I was pregnant – this is a diabolical intrusion on women’s autonomy.
Decriminalise abortion now

Police could search homes and phones after pregnancy loss https://t.co/9427BxWKJU

— Catherine Taylor (@KatyaTaylor) May 18, 2025

Police told to seize phones of women who miscarry a baby https://t.co/lW7TgWcl9R surely it is time for this misogynistic Victorian law to be scrapped. Their bodies, their choice. pic.twitter.com/dOIVvKjrkY

— Paul Lewis (@paullewismoney) May 19, 2025

This guidance is harrowing. Telling police to use menstrual tracking apps to investigate women for illegal abortion reads like something you get out of Texas, not the UK. There’s only one way to protect women – #SupportNC1 to change abortion law. https://t.co/nhhPws1ptT

— BPAS (@BPAS1968) May 18, 2025

On average, symptoms do not begin until an individual is approximately four to six weeks pregnant. Therefore, it’s strictly common sense to realise that there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of women walking around with absolutely no clue that they’re carrying a child.

For context, the legal limit for taking medication at home to terminate a pregnancy is ten weeks and the maximum limit for abortions in England and Wales and Scotland. Under the supervision of medical professionals, the limit is 24 weeks in most circumstances.

Is unexpected pregnancy loss now going to become a political football in the UK? Witch-hunts for women who have miscarried are already rife in certain states in the US, with government officials searching high and low, finding any excuse to accuse someone of carrying out an illegal abortion.

Dear god.

There really is an attack on women from all angles.

Imagine suffering a miscarriage and then having your phone and/or ipad taken as evidence while some policeman reads through all your personal text conversations, photos and your period tracking app! FFS.

— Abigail McGyn (@AbsMcFabs) May 19, 2025

Now it seems as though this accusatory and archaic mindset is officially making its way across the pond.

Harriet Wistrich, founder of the Centre for Women’s Justice, told The Times: “The experience of late termination is often traumatic and to compound this with an intrusive investigation into the woman concerned is an outrageous waste of the limited resources available to criminal justice agencies, who should be focussing on protecting the public from real crime.”

Sue Khan, Vice President of Privacy at Flo Health, the UK’s most popular women’s health app, made this statement in response to the recent news: “Women deserve to be able to use technology to learn more about their bodies and their personal health, without fearing their data will be unjustly used or taken in a way they have not agreed upon. Not only do these actions breed fear and hostility for women who are already going through an undoubtedly traumatic medical experience, they set a dangerous precedent for weaponising technology built to serve women’s needs.”

“There is a best in class option for going one step further in protecting your privacy by implementing Anonymous Mode, a first-of-its-kind technology that gives you the option to access the Flo Health app without your name, email address, or any technical identifiers being associated with your health data. This means nobody, not even Flo, could identify you if pressed,” Khan advised.

While the NPCC has attempted to assure the public that unexpected pregnancy loss is not something routinely investigated by authorities as a potential illegal abortion, these new guidelines definitely infer that women’s private lives will be subject to greater scrutiny—an unfortunate reality we’ve become accustomed to.