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Original poster

Andrew Marr says "abortion safer then birth, but obviously not for babies"

135 replies

darleneconnor · 27/02/2011 09:22

I'm Shock to have just heard this on his BBC1 show this morning.

He was reading out the newspaper headlines. One was "abortion safer than birth", which he quoted then quipped "but obviously not for babies".

Now I'm not what I'd call pro-abortion but I still think this was a very inappropriate thing for him to say. Firstly using the terminology 'baby' instead of 'foetus' or 'embryo' is very loaded. He is taking a very biased stance on a sensitive political topic- I thought the BBC were supposed to be neutral????

OP posts:
mousesma · 27/02/2011 09:32

Very glib comment, but maybe an unsuccessful attempt to be balanced Or just a silly joke? I'm pro-choice but I don't see this as a pro-life statement as such.

ivykaty44 · 27/02/2011 09:34

rather stupid comment Hmm I am pro choice

PatientGriselda · 27/02/2011 09:35

Apart from the loaded terminology, is there any other reason you think it's biased, darlene? Seems pretty unarguable to me.

kaj32 · 27/02/2011 09:49

The BBC have not been neutral for quite some time!

GlynisIsFixed · 27/02/2011 09:51

even less so in the future since the appointment of Chris Patten as chair

Northernlurker · 27/02/2011 09:53

I'm pro choice but I think we're kidding ourselves if we don't recognise that abortion ends something that has the potential to become a baby. If we don't acknowledge that we diminish it's importance.

In this case I think it's rather a dim remark because flippancy has no place here. But there again it's a stupid headline as it isn't clear on the meaning.

ichweissnicht · 27/02/2011 09:56

I thought it was funny. Was impressed at his forthrightness. Usually the BBC is a bit namby-pamby but it's good to see some have retained the ability to talk off-script!

GiddyPickle · 27/02/2011 10:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Wook · 27/02/2011 10:17

Shock at stupid comment from Marr but even more Shock Shock Shock at the fact that abortion is safer than birth, that's really shocking.

GiddyPickle · 27/02/2011 10:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

meadowlarks · 27/02/2011 10:23

I'm with ichweissnicht

LadyBiscuit · 27/02/2011 10:24

I thought that was a well-known fact? Pregnancy and childbirth are one of the most dangerous things women can do.

EdgarAleNPie · 27/02/2011 10:26

abortion probably is safer than birth. makes sense to me. for the woman anyway.

just think about it - taking a pg to term with all the risks that entails, and then birth ...

instead of stopping it all at (in 89% of cases) less than 13weeks.

ultimately when the beeb discuss bigtopics in little sections it always gets a bit tabloid. nature, beast?

eviscerateyourmemory · 27/02/2011 10:30

It sounds like a one-off comment. Probably a bit flippant given the topic, but it isnt as if no-one knows that pregnancy often results in a 'baby'.

Why was 'abortion safer than birth' a headline though?

I thought that was already well known, and the basis of the current legal right to abortion before 24 weeks.

allsquareknickersnofurcoat · 27/02/2011 10:35

Apart from the word "baby", (though as a man (?) maybe the loaded term matters less to him as its not something he'll ever have to do? I honestly dont think he will have thought that inappropriate) I dont see the problem.

Childbirth can be bloody dangerous!

Wook · 27/02/2011 10:35

Giddypickle yes, I think I had heard that- but I think the tendency for everyone (well, I'm thinking in my case dh and everyone at work) to expect you to just get on and do everything you did before for the whole nine months had kind of made me forget.
I suppose I took it to mean just birth itself, which I am sort of surprised to hear is more dangerous than an operation. Especially because people give birth alone sometimes with no intervention, and people say that that is safe to do.
Should have read the article Blush but what does it mean that abortion is safer than birth? Why link the two? Is it suggesting that more people are having complications/ deaths from birth these days???

allsquareknickersnofurcoat · 27/02/2011 10:36

Does anyone know the statistics of death from pregnancy/childbirth and death from termination??

Sounds a bit "no shit sherlock" to me...?

Wook · 27/02/2011 10:37

Was the article suggesting that childbirth has become more dangerous??
Think I still (wrongly) think of abortion as a terrible backstreet thing, when fortunately that is no longer the case.

Wook · 27/02/2011 10:38

Oh dear, my brain is not in gear this morning.. is abortion an operation? and obviously birth can be by operation sometimes... being v sunday morning dense today....

fedupofnamechanging · 27/02/2011 10:39

He has a point.

An abortion is the deliberate ending of a human life and people shouldn't attempt to negate its significance by pretending its just a bunch of cells. The word 'baby' might be emotive, but that is what it is, or will, be if allowed to continue growing. It's disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

I'm pro choice, but I'm against treating abortion as if it is a little thing, of no consequence. I think some people would feel better if it was, but it isn't

BuzzLiteBeer · 27/02/2011 10:39

Pregnancy can be fucking dangerous, never mind birth! Do you know how many illnesses and so on that can be triggereted by pregnancy?

And he's a twat.

Wook · 27/02/2011 10:39

Was the article suggesting that lack of midwives/ increased intervention/ maternal age/obesity etc have made birth more dnagerous these days or something??
(Confused and dense emoticon)

Georgimama · 27/02/2011 10:42

I am if anything pro-life (although I don't think abortion should be illegal) but even I think that was a stupid thing to say.

Renniehorta · 27/02/2011 10:43

He is definitely not a twat. I'm with ichweissnicht too!

GiddyPickle · 27/02/2011 10:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.