A De Ventre Inspiciendo (Latin for "of inspecting the belly") is a writ issued out of chancery to inspect the body, where a woman feigns to be pregnant, to see whether she is with child.
It lies for the heir presumptive to examine a widow suspected to be feigning pregnancy in order to enable a supposititious heir to obtain the estate.
It lay also where a woman sentenced to death pleaded pregnancy.
This writ has also been recognized in the United States.
This article related to English law is a stub.