General Chat

I am not meaning to be controversial and MPs will vote today on controversial proposals to reduce the upper time limit for abortion. Do you think the limit should be reduced?

The government's bill proposes no change -- but MPs have tabled amendments which would cut the current limit of 24 weeks to 20 weeks or less.

Labour leader Gordon Brown said last week that he supports the 24-week limit, while Conservative leader David Cameron has said he favours a cut.

But MPs do not divide along party lines as the issue of abortion is treated as a "conscience" one in Parliament, meaning MPs are not told how to vote by their party leadership.

Is 24 weeks too late to have an abortion? Do you think the limit should be reduced to 20 weeks or less?

Personally I think they should be reduced as technology has developed so much these days that premature babies chances of survival have increased massively!

xx

No

yes i think it should
a few babys have survived at 23 weeks , 20 weeks is better ,
........................rosexx..........

I belive it should under nornal pregency conditions where its ones choice to have the procedure,,,,,,,,no later than --8 weeks,,tough,,you defaulted,

If for health to mum or child or in abuse or rape cases, then -20 weeks is a better way to go......

,,,with all the marvelous tec there is today things are discovered at an early stage.


and survival rate just gets better,

I feel that if the "mother" doesn't want the baby, its her decision!!

bob

i feel it should be about 18-20 weeks.
My Brother was born at 22 weeks.
Hes 47 now and hes fine .
Rosex

I think Bob is right - I know it is a rarity, but sometimes there are women (maybe ones with irregular periods or something) that don't know they are pregnant until they are 8 or 10 weeks.

What worries me in this instance is that the pregnant woman only has a very short time to make that decision and what happens if an appointment to have the abortion can't be fitted in by the NHS (or a private clinic) until after the 12 week limit?

I am getting a bit worried that we seem to slowly be going back to the days when it was illegal, by making the limit earlier and earlier.

As long as tests on the NHS for abnormalities are completed well before the deadline then yes I'd be in favour of a reduction.

My mums friend's daughter had to have a termination as the prognosis was very bad for the baby.....he had at least 3 different types of syndrome and wouldn't have lived beyond a few hours had she gone full term. Sadly her tests were only returned and confirmed at week 23. I believe it would've been wrong to take the option away from her in that instance xx

yes unless drs advice for special reasons
a lot of babies can survive now with the right help
my cousins babies came very early and were very small and have turned out wonderful the girl was away doing duke of edinburghs awards this weekend

IMHO 24 weeks is too late and too close to the limit of viability.

20 weeks would be more suitable with exceptions for GENUINE medical circumstances.

The "A" word (adoption) seems to have been excluded from calculations, although I believe that there is a high unsatisfied demand (and we are importing babies to meet it) and that local authorities have targets set which encourages them to remove children from genuine parents on the slightest pretence to pass on to childless couples.

20 weeks should be the limit other than:-

cases of rape/severe abnormalities in the feotus/ metal or physical problems for the mother.

With birth control being so good these days, perhaps teaching young people to say, quite loudly...NO...that is the most effective birth control method ever divised.

I agree with Bob - whatever the limit it's the woman's decision.

I also agree with the points Kate makes about some women not being aware that they are pregnant straight away - and not having enough time to make a rational decision when they do find out.

For instance - I had a scare a couple of years ago (edited - NOT thru unprotected sex!!) - went 72 days without a show and even upto the seconds before i rang the GP surgery for my results - I still hadn't been able to make a decision one way or the other as to what I would do if it were positive ............ which it wasn't btw

The reality is that very few abortions are performed after 18 weeks except for in cases of abnormality when they can be done at any time.
I am not in favour of a law change as there are always going to be women in need of a late termination and the last thing we need is to go back to the days of women terminating themselves in the process.
There are many checks and balances in place and anyone who imagines it is really easy to get a late post 12 week abortion need to think again because it is not.
I hope they leave things as they are

I agree with every woman having a choice but surely reducing it to a more realistic timescale is essential!!!

If babies can survive outside the womb from 22 weeks then terminations at 24 weeks is just awful unless there is a real MEDICAL reason.

And I agree as to education regarding contraception. There are 5 year ones nowadays!!

I will add that I think the limit should be 20 weeks not 12

Diana
xx

Simple answer yes it should be reduced, there will always be special circumstances that it has to be carried out later for medical reasons.

Bob .....if a woman doesn't want a baby they should make sure they take precautions not use abortion as a birth control.

Val

Yes it should be reduced, I would say to even less that the 20 wk,unless there are special reasons for it.

'Most' would know if they were pregnant well before that.
I am not against abortions, but it is not a form of conrtraception either,besides you can get more than a baby if your not carefull.


I'm with Val...Bob they should be more carefull.

Marion

20 weeks limit for those who just dont want the child.

24 weeks for medical reasons,.

I miscarried my first baby at 25 weeks, this was 24 years ago. Medical advances were just being made but my little girl didn't survive the birth.
In the other room there was a a lady who for her own reasons was having a termination at 27 weeks (the cut off was 28 weeks then) That baby breathed, but they had to leave it to die as that is what the lady wanted, to terminate the pregnancy.
The lady was under anesthetic so wouldn't have known.

Off course its not any ones fault that i miscarried my daughter and its not the ladies fault for choosing a termination it was her choice to make.
However if it was to happen now she might well have lived and i would have a certificate of birth / death.
I might well have got a lot more support if it wasn't for the upper limit of the abortion limit, as for the medical staff when i fell pregnant the next year it was wrote on my notes as a spontaneous abortion, those words hurt but it was the correct medical term for my miscarriage at the time. Or so i was told.

It should be lower 20 weeks is more than enough time.