Woman waits on judges' decision over abortion ban

The woman whose husband wants to stop her having an abortion faced further uncertainty last night after three appeal judges reserved judgment on whether a temporary ban should be lifted.

Colin Sutherland QC, acting for James Kelly, 28, had spent the day seeking to persuade the judges the Court of Session in Edinburgh to make the ban permanent. The judges said there was too much evidence for them to make an immediate ruling and that the decision would be announced this morning. After an unprecedented series of legal hearings, nine days will have passed since the date originally scheduled for 21-year-old Lynn Kelly's termination. The couple separated acrimoniously a few weeks ago when Mrs Kelly was eight weeks' pregnant. Her counsel, Anne Smith QC, said Mrs Kelly could not be seen as an incubator for the child. Patricia Wynn Davies