In The News Forum

Posted: 20 May 2008 at 8:09pm | IP Logged

I was wondering what your thoughts are on this they are voting tonight i think to change the current law on the length of time you have to decide on abortions from 24 weeks to anywhere between 12 and 22 .

I personally disagree with the current time limit i think it should be 12 weeks at the latest , many women generally know within 4 weeks of a bfp whether they are going to continue with the pregnancy . Also at 24 weeks it is a baby and could survive being born this early , i also read that a baby of 24 weeks gestation could feel the pain of being aborted .

What are your views on this ?

Posted: 20 May 2008 at 8:39pm | IP Logged

Personally I would never have an abortion but I can understand why women do.  I think it's not as simple as just lowering the gestational period to allow abortions.  It needs to be looked at on an individual basis.  I know people that have had abortions as late as 22 weeks because at their 20 week scan huge abnormalities were found with their babies that weren't compatible with life.  For myself I would still proceed with the pregnancy until the baby was born even knowing that the baby wouldn't live.  Equally I can understand why someone wouldn't and their reasons aren't always wrong.  If a baby was born with a lot of problems and was going to need a lot of medical intervention to live for a few days I can see why someone would want to stop the pregnancy.

What I don't agree with is someone deciding to have an abortion so far into pregnancy just because they don't want a baby.  There are thousands of women that do want babies and would give a baby a loving home.  In this day and age there is so much choice for contreception there really isn't any excuse for someone having an unwanted pregnancy, especially with the morning after pill being available in every chemist.

The abortion law was bought in 1968 if it had been bought in a year earlier then Keith quite possibly would never have been born but instead his biological mother had no choice other than to have him and he was then adopted by his parents that could not have children themselves.  It is a selfless person that can give a child to a couple that are desperate for one but can not have one themselves, what a brilliant thing his biological mother did.  Unfortunately a lot of people are selfish now adays and only think of themselves instead of helping others.

There are several different methods of abortion now adays in late gestation one method that used to be used was the severence of the umbilical cord whilst the baby was in the womb.  Labour was then induced and yes the babies did feel the pain as scans showed them opening their mouths and almost screaming.  Sorry if that is graphic but it is well documented.

Posted: 20 May 2008 at 8:52pm | IP Logged

I was thinking about aborting my pregnancy when i fell pg with Jaimee.. I had only just given birth to Sophie and i felt i couldn't handle another pregnancy so soon, both physically and mentally. The sickness was hurendous and i just wanted it to be over.

I had a mooch on the net for articles about abortion, i stumbled across one web site, and once i had finished watching some videos, i vowed never ever to have an abortion. At 24 weeks, the baby is basically sucked apart to extract it from the womb.. i could never do that to my child.

I agree with Sam, each abortion should be looked at on a individual basis. Some women don't find out the baby is very ill untill the 20 week scan, but if the woman does decide to abort at that gestation, i think a new way of aborting should be introduced, something more humane. They put ppl to sleep first when they are having the lethal injection so they dont feel pain, why cant something like that be done to the baby??

If someone decides to have an abortion due to not taking proper precautions, then its their own fault in my view. have the baby, and if they still dont want it, put it up for adoption. There are many couples who are unable to have babies who would love and treat them as their own.

I think the limit should be 12 weeks, unless its a medical complication.

Edit: just read all of what sam put, i have basically repeated what she has put..

Posted: 20 May 2008 at 8:54pm | IP Logged

Sam, I agree with your views on if a baby was to be born terminally ill but like you i would like to think i would continue with the pregnancy . Its also what i meant about disagreeing with current tim limit for those just not wanting the baby ...i hope this is coming across as im thinking it ... i dont want to cause offence to anyone here .

Posted: 20 May 2008 at 9:22pm | IP Logged

It was my understanding that choosing an abortion because it was an unwanted pregnancy meant it had to be carried out before 12 weeks, and in exceptional circumstances 16 weeks. I thought the later terminations were offered due to medical complications to mother or unborn. I also thought this case was to with increasing the time frame, not reducing it, I must go check what Ive read. (checked and it was about increasing it to 13 weeks and it went on about in just double that time, 26 weeks blah blah.. sorry knew I read something the other day lol)

I am not against abortion, nor am I for it as a method of contaception. I do believe the woman has the right to choose, 'accidents' do happen and sometimes its too late for the morning after pill by the time they find out. I had a termination in 2004, contraception failed and I was not in a position where I could emotionally, physically and financially bring a child into the world. I do understand some peoples opinion on adoption but sometimes its not that easy, to carry a child biologically your own and then give it away has got to be a terribley hard decision to make. I would also imagine some of them unwanted children were kept just because they couldnt give them away, and then they have a poor standard of life.

There does need to be a line on when terminations are carried out. I personally think 12 weeks is acceptable, and anything later that is on a case by case basis at the discretion of the consultant IMHO.

Posted: 20 May 2008 at 10:53pm | IP Logged

I watched a program recently on this and was upset by the lack of concern that some showed in making such a decision, some looked as though they used this as contraception rather than a last resort.

I personally thought you couldn't abort after 16 weeks unless there was a medical need, but was horrified to learn it is 24 weeks, i think that most people would know what they want by 16 weeks at the very latest, unless there is a medical need, i think that this is long enough.

Posted: 21 May 2008 at 1:04am | IP Logged

I didn't realise how much of a closed mind I had towards abortion until about 3 years ago. I totally disagreed with abortion under any circumstances... I didn't have any children at the time and couldn't wait until i fell pregnant so I couldn't imagine getting rid of any child at all. I can honestly say that at the time I seriously thought abortion should be banned.

However, it was my first OU course which opened my eyes and this was one of the topics raised. It changed my mind and did make me think about it in very much a different way. It wasn't the fact that women fought long and hard for the right to choose it was the fact that women who really didn't want children would just get rid of them anyway in the most horrendous methods which really upset me to think what some of those babies must have gone through and obviously the risk and even some death to the mothers. I then realised the importance of having the choice.

I do however feel that 24 weeks is far too late and this should be reduced to no later than 16 obviously the earlier the better. There is also the issue, which has already been raised, over abortions due to problems with the child. I personally couldn't say for sure whether I could carry a baby to full term knowing that it would die at birth. I remember reading on bounty when I was pregnant with Cerys about a woman who was doing that and she was going into hospital and her baby's birthday would also be the day it died. I was in absolute bits just at the thought of what they were having to go through and couldn't imagine personally being able to go through with a situation like that.

I'm not sure whether it is offered in the UK but I do know that here in Germany in the first few weeks of pregnancy when obviously the morning after pill is too late they do have a pill you can take which terminates the pregnancy, think it's probably to be used within the first 4 - 6 weeks but not entirely sure.

Posted: 21 May 2008 at 3:01pm | IP Logged

They have a similar thing here, where in the first 9 weeks you can have a termination of pregnancy by pill,I think its 2 stages. I always thought this was the safest method of termination, but having this same discussion on a non parenting board I learnt that this method is not completely supported by all midwives due to the risks it carries.

I really dont think any termination should be carried out so late in pregnancy because its not wanted. As said in most cases the woman knows she is pregnant within the first 3 months. At 24 weeks the unborn has a chance of survival, and with modern day technology that survival rate is on the up. A termination should not be allowed (non medical reasons) if there is a chance it can survive outside the womb IMO. At 12 weeks, and even 16 weeks if granted, the foetus has no chance of survival!

Posted: 21 May 2008 at 8:43pm | IP Logged

A baby can survive outside the womb from 23 weeks none so far have survived at 22 weeks.  It is up to the descretion of the doctors whether they resuscitate a baby born at 22 weeks or 23 weeks before that the guide lines are not to resuscitate at 24 weeks the baby is considered viable.  By not lowering the gestational age they have left it in the hands of the doctors to decide themselves.  There are very few doctors that will perform late stage abortion but if they can justify it and can perform it they are allowed to. 

I knew that they wouldn't alter the gestational age, personally I think they should of at least lowered it by 2 weeks.  Women will find ways of destroying their baby whether abortion is legal or not they always have done, whether it's a hot bath and gin or a knitting needle.  It's a sad fact of life and like I said before you have to be a selfless person to carry a baby full term and then allow it to be adopted and there aren't many of those people left around today.