Joanna Jepson

Joanna Elizabeth Jepson (born 1976) is a British Anglican priest and campaigner. She is most notable for instigating a legal challenge to the late abortion of a 28-week-old foetus in 2001. The reasons given for the termination were associated with the fetus 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.

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. She was forced to wait until her late teens before she could have reconstructive surgery, as it was necessary to wait until her facial and jaw bones had stopped growing.

Between 1991 and 1993 she underwent corrective operations to correct her jaw defect. These operations involved removing bone from her upper jaw, breaking and resetting her lower jaw, and a sliding genioplasty. The process was highly traumatic and involved Intensive Care treatment in hospital, a lengthy period of swelling, and having her jaw wired.

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 in the United Kingdom, two of which are believed to have taken place after 24 weeks. and it is feared that screening for this will lead to more abortions.

Jepson expressed a desire to raise the profile of the issues associated with the case, and to see a tightening of the law so that "abortions do not take place for trivial reasons and women are not traumatised".

In 2006, Jepson was appointed 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". 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".

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 emphasise issues of sexuality and to present only a fundamentalist version of Christianity.

Calling the final cut "sensational, irresponsible 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".

Personal life Jepson married the Revd Canon Nicholas Biddle, a Canon and Precentor of Wells Cathedral; they both use the name "Jepson-Biddle". They have a son, Raphael, born in 2013. Jepson's great-great-grandmother is Dame Catherine Hunt, her great-aunt is Elizabeth Inglis, and her cousin is the actress Sigourney Weaver.