To this that the abortion age should be lowered

[Hai1988]

Hi all i just wanted to know what peoples thoughts were on this?

At the moment the cut off time to have an abortion is 24 weeks, but on here there has just been a story about twins born at 23 weeks!!

I think the cut off time should go right down to 12 weeks.

What do you lot think??

Hai1998
you dont need to apologise for having views that differ to many others, but maybe accept and learn from the arguments against your point that this is a very emotive and complex issue which is best left to medical professionals to provide guidance on. All we can hope is that the women who make a decision to terminate do so in the best frame of mind, with all the support they need and armed with all the information they want.

Don't worry too much about it Hai1988 - once a thread like this gets started, the "discussion" tends to take on a life of its own, quite separate from you.

You could try just shouting from time to time -

HAI1988 HAS LEARNED LOTS ABOUT ABORTION AND CHANGED HER MIND!!!!!

• which might get through eventually, but you're still likely to get posters saying "I've only read the OP and....." then slate your opinion again.

The joys of internet forums!

I work in a termination service. (i have changed my name)
I have not yet met a girl/woman who is not deeply upset by having a termination. Just about all of them cry or well up, and expect to be shouted at for being naughty (when of course we do not shout, we are sympathetic).

1 in 3 women under 45 in the UK has had a termination at some point in their life.

The reason (as I understand it) for the dropping of termination to 24 weeks is that somewhere between 22-24 weeks babies lungs mature. Before that point there is very little point in debating about the fetus - it could not survive. by 24 weeks, almost all babies have developed lungs. (this is why you have steroid injections if you have a threatened early labour).

I do not enjoy my work, I see it as helpign women in a difficult situation, and I consider it my primary function to get them on effective contraception, either before the termination or asap after.

in Holland anyone can get an abortion up to 12 weeks without seeing a dr.

And as to 'when do you know' it is very difficult for young girls with irregular periods, who may not want to 'acknowledge' the problem. I have seen several 15 yr olds who tell me they are 8 weeks, and when i examine them they are 16 weeks or so - their faces make me believe they suspected as much, but just didn't want to face it.

Abortion should be legal safe and rare, in my opinion.

ok lol porca and novice.

No i have not changed my mind i would never have a abortion (unless for medical reasons i may add)

slushy I am really sorry to hear about your experience and of course you are entitled to your opinion.

It's still not anyone else's business what a woman chooses to do.

scotland i may try that !!

'for you to blithely say "it's something i could never do"'

I agree. I used to say that about more than one thing, and really believed it, and guess what, when i was (unfortunatly) in that position i did the opposite. You can only guess when you have had the luxury of never being told your baby has no brain/serious disorders etc or were raped.

I agree that viability is the best link really. It's not a nice thing but neither are unwanted babies, babies who will die etc etc.

Oh Hai - nobody expects you to have an abortion!!

But can you not see why others might need to, and why their right to do so should be protected?

HAI1988 HAS LEARNED LOTS ABOUT ABORTION AND CHANGED HER MIND!!!!!

Thanks for the tip Amuminscotland

YANBU. I know a young boy who was born at 22 weeks. He is now 8 years old.healthy and doing well at school.

I am not sure about dropping the limit, part of me says 20 weeks but no real rationale other than 23 weekers surviving.

What i would far rather do is make it much easier to get a termination before 12 weeks so that less women feel they had to draw out decision making or scared to ask, which would IMO be far more proactive (in a village like ours for instance everyone knows the GP both medically and socially- doubly ahrd to ask- and not everyone has cash for private)

Also want to add that it should stay where it bloody is as i now realise that every1 has different reasons for having an abortion and some times it is needed.

How i should of started this thread is AIBU In thinking it is horrible that some women use abortion and a type of contraceptive!

agree with sancti

Novicemama I have supported a friend through a late term abortion, due to medical defects so I do not judge I know there is always a reaon I was just stating my opinion and what I personally feel for me.

Oh and it is possible to say it's something I would never do and be right

I know I woudln't have a termination as I know I could not cope with it, it's not becuase of judging others but knwoing myself. I've ahd high risk pregnancies and now have disabled kids so if that didn't sway me then what would? I;ve been totally financially stuffed (DH redundant when I was 38 weeks and boss refuisng to cough up, had to take him to tribunal) adn didn't want one.

Could quite understand why someone else might howefver and that's fine. For them.

The only thing that would make me have a termination would be a non viable baby now my eldest child is of an age to udnerstand; i'd have ahd a non viable child before becuase I would ahve wanted to do it that way, but my decisions shouldn't directly harm my exisitng children. And that won't happen as I am not having any more babaies and had all 4 of mine before the boys were old enough to truly understand.

YADBU

I'm am very pro-choice.

For women that choose to have a termination, it is one of the hardest descisions of their lives, and to have the added pressure of a low time frame will not help that choice. Especially if they did not realise they were pregnant straight away.

I speak from experience, because I had to make this choice, I did not set out to get pregnant, contraception does not alway work.
I stuggled for quite a while with my descision and I can not bare to think what it would have been like if I had the "tick tocking" of a 12 week time limit (the 'ideal' cut off period in your mind) as I did not find out I was pregnant until I was 10 weeks.

In your mind people continuing with an unplanned pregnancy, having no way to provide for the child, or in the terms of a late termination carrying a baby that you know will not survive out of the womb is 'better' than having a termination.

I find you very offensive, and your opinion comes across that a termination is an easy answer, you could not be more wrong!

Also want to add that it should stay where it bloody is as i now realise that every1 has different reasons for having an abortion and some times it is needed.

How i should of started this thread is AIBU In thinking it is horrible that some women use abortion and a type of contraceptive!

The doctors have reviewed this extensively recently because there have been cases of 24 week births suviving. They concluded that there was no need for change.

I'm not medically qualified and therefore have less information but I would have thought the rational move would be to reduce the limit to 22 weeks and keep it under review.

I can't think of a single reason to reduce the limit to 12 weeks. That sounds like one person forcing their moral values on another to me.

Yes that would have been a better title
But i cant ignore your comment about people posting "shit about you" hai as the op was provocative and offensive to many.

And I can't say I am sorry if you are upset as i suspect it doesn't touch the emotions it aers off in made people like me who have terminated
Late for reasons that you were too ignorant to think of in your original post.

In all fairness i didnt directly say anything to you to intentionally offend you.

I have apologijed,bollocks i give up i cant fricken spell and i have said many times i am sorry i worded it wrong and that i didnt think of other people when i posted.

But i dont no what more i can say on the matter

Ok fair enough but think you probably realise now that abortion bit like politics or religion in terms of things that can upset people so best tiptoed round.

Maybe could take a bit of time out and post on bf v. Ff for light relief

"bf v. Ff for light relief" HUH??

test

It worked, good.

No, I don't agree with reducing the time length for abortions. I was raped. I buried my head in the sands for weeks and was past the 12 week mark when I went for tests etc. I had an abortion. Women do not use abortion as birth control.

BTW discussing abortion is impossible, those pro abortion see the fetus as a fetus those against see the a fetus as an unborn child. The 2 views aren't in any way bridgeable to find common ground.

There can be some common ground - reasonable people who would never have an abortion themselves but who would never deign to dictate what other women should do with their own bodies....