General Chat

I think it should be reduced to 20 weeks (although 18 would be better) except for when a doctor thinks the circumstances are exceptional enough
x

As a Catholic, basically I am anti abortion, but I realise sometimes it is very needed.It probaly sounds mad for a man to say this, But surely in these days of technology and medical science, that by 20 weeks a woman should know whether her baby is going to be disabled? Or whether she wants to keep it?
I have two daughters one had abortion, and she regretted it for a very long time after and was very upset. The other lost a baby miscarried and the baby looked perfect, It took her a long time to get over it.
Both I must add or not Catholics like myself.
I think 20 weeks should be the time it is 5 months!!

Davexx

Well,It being kept at 24 weeks:-(( so Ive just heard.

I really dont understand the need for it to be 24 weeks,thats 6months!! far to long in my opinion.

Dave the big problem with finding out whether your baby has any abnormalities is that the major scan is at 20 weeks. Once they've further investigated and double checked that they are correct often the pregnancy is another 2-3 weeks along.

I have no problem with the selective abortion limit being lowered to 20 weeks but I wouldn't want to see it being adherred to when there is a potential health issue for either the mother or the baby xx

Agreed Muffy like I said earlier, sometimes it is needed for health reasons.
Davex

I dont think many people would disagree that there are certain circumstances when it should be allowed just 2 In my opinion.
1,If the mothers life is in danger
2,If the Baby has severe deformities.

I'm just wondering whether this will have a knock on effect for prem babies?.

Will the fact that the abortion limit is still 24 weeks mean that Doctors will effectively *write off* a 22 week baby? How does that work? xx

Well I am glad
As I have said before only a tiny percentage of abortions are done after 18 weeks,mostly they are for abnormality and people do go through an awful lot to get them.
Dont kid yourselves it is easy because it is not.
Everybody must be certified by two doctors and they see counsellors and in cases of abnormality a genetiscist.
As for no abortion at all,what do people suggest.
women go back to aborting themselves .
I am lucky enough to have only practised in the last decade and a half, in a time when abortion is available yet I have seen young girls who have thrown themselves down stairs,drunk poison,taken tablets and done everything they can to end a pregnancy.
In the third world women die and are maimed everyday trying to end there pregnancies...and I am sure anyone over 50 on these boards remember the trauma women unexpectedly pregnant had to go through
teenage girls are notorious for delaying diagnosis as they are terrified,they usually let at least 3 if not 4 periods slip by before they say a word or there parents simply notice..
They make up most of your 12 - 18 wk figures
along with women who come from countries like Ireland.
I see someone has come up with the figure of 540 abortions per day
How many children are in care in the UK?
How many children are on at risk registers in the UK?
How many children are beaten or treated cruelly
How many are drug and alcohol affected by mums drinking in there pregnancies
How much child benefit is paid in the UK?
These are all questions you must ask yourselves ,because this is the end of the population that most of these babies would end up in.

Its not even a matter of personal belief for me because wether I would have an abortion or how I feel about abortion is irrelevant,its just such an important right for women.
And I feel that the appropriate checks and balances are already in place

Muffy all babies are assessed for there likely viability at birth.
If the baby is over 500g it has a far better prognosis than a smaller baby.
Things have changed lately not because of the abortion laws but because many practitioners think we have pushed the boat out too far.
I dont have the exact figures in my head but of all babies born under 24 weeks less than half will survive to leave the unit and that figure is significantly lower for 23 and 22 weekers .
I think 22 weekers would be lucky to be 10%
These infants suffer an enormous amount of pain over many weeks and often have to overcome fairly catastrophic infections lung collapses and other very unpleasant things.
Of the ones that survive a good half have a major or moderate disability,and these are higher at 22 23 weeks.
Its great for the parents that have a well child but at what price for all the others.
We discuss all of these things now and many people chose not to resusitate there babies,because it is simply not the kindest thing to do,particularly if the baby makes no great respiratory effort

Thanks for that Tania. Definately another way of looking at things and food for thought xx

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/health/17baby.html?em&ex=1208577600&en=ebc17f43acd2c2df&ei=5087%0A

I wonder why the girls have such a significantly better prognosis than the boys ? That's really odd.

Poor babies, poor parents and poor doctors. What an utterly heart wrenching decision to have to make xx

My personal opinion is it should be cut to 20 weeks, a baby is viable after this time even if it is only 1% survival rate.

There has to be exceptions to this for medical reasons but asides from that it should be reduced.

YES
The fewer weeks the better, unless for definate medical reasons
Janet

Tania,Some very good points you have made.

I still feel the same about abortion,and will never feel any differently,but those are my own personal feelings,nothing to do with religion I have to add.

I would never judge a woman who decides to have an abortion,thats their own choice and something they have to live with.

Here the cut-off is 20 3/7 weeks. That still allows for (deliberate or accidental) mis-calculation of dates, and thus often results in a very preemie live birth.
I won't debate the issue, except to say that 20 3/7 may already be too long a time.
It's a horrible decision for anyone to have to face, and can have long-standing effects for the potential preemie, and lifetime emotional effect for the mother.

I am not religious and just an ordinary bloke but to me abortion is murder except where pregnacy threatens the life of the mother.

Abortion is symbolic of the current 'throw away society'

I am very sad it hasnt been reduced,


Its wrong to end the life of a healthy baby at a viable stage, end off,


Caz xxxxxxx

I'm very much pro choice and I have always felt that up until life is viable outside of the womans body then the decision about whether she is equipped to be a mother........the hardest job in the world......is hers and hers alone.

The trouble is now with all the advances being made with prem babies the line is getting blurred for me xx

24 weeks is far too late......I am going to be a Gran for the first time and have just seen the pictures of the 20 week scan......THAT IS MY GRANDCHILD....fingers; toes; everything complete - if anything happened now (God forbid that it did) I would mourn

I believe that women should have every choice - it is their body - it is their choice to bear a child - 24 weeks is too late