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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:
Ormirian · 27/02/2011 10:47

What karma said.

eviscerateyourmemory · 27/02/2011 10:48

Abortion and giving birth both carry a risk of death to the mother.

The risk of death from giving birth is higher than the risk of having an abortion.

BertieBotts · 27/02/2011 10:48

Abortion can be medical though, ie not involving surgery, using drugs to facilitate a "miscarriage". (Not a miscarriage though.)

After a certain point it does become surgical but I think it is a less serious procedure than a c-section. A c-section is major surgery and is more dangerous than birth, I thought. (Barring certain situations in which the birth would be more risky)

LadyBlaBlah · 27/02/2011 10:49

I don't particuarly agree with him however I am astounded that abortion is such a hot potato that no-one talks about it anymore

That is the tragedy

Prolesworth · 27/02/2011 10:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Wook · 27/02/2011 10:50

So what was the article suggesting then? Just googled but can't find it. Seems hardly news unless there are some new/changed stats...
Anyway, I think Andrew Marr's concept was glib, but ultimately very silly and offensive- not a subject for glib quips on a serious news programme. More what I would expect from some sort of twat (male) comedian like Ricky Gervais or Frankie Boyle- except not actually funny.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 27/02/2011 11:43

I'm pro-choice but I don't agree with dressing abortion up into anything softer. It's a baby, not a foetus, not an embryo - without intervention that's what it would be.

Still a woman's choice to do what she wants with her body though. A woman has that right - and people have the right to comment on the procedure.

Rights for everybody.

Trinaluce · 27/02/2011 12:13

I've not seen him say it in context, but it sounds like an off the cuff remark to a headline, as they often do on that type of programme . I don't think he'd have given it a second's thought that what he was saying might be construed as offensive - but do we really want every last presenter on these programmes scripted down to the last breath?

zikes · 27/02/2011 12:14

Er, no, it's a foetus. The vast majority of abortions occur in the first trimester when it's just a blob of cells. A successful pregnancy is not a given from that point. It has the potential to be a baby is all. It's not pussy-footing around to use the correct terminology.

worraliberty · 27/02/2011 12:16

I'm pro choice but I agree it's a baby too.

If someone has a miscarriage they don't say "I lost the mass of cells in my womb"

They say "I lost my baby"

PepsiPopcorn · 27/02/2011 12:18

Not a good remark to make. Agree with zikes about the first trimester. Also if there are severe problems later on (e.g. genetic abnormalities which would give serious problems, a painful and short life) then abortion is "safer" IMHO. Normally I like Andrew Marr but this comment was too glib and loaded.

Georgimama · 27/02/2011 12:23

A 12 week gestation fetus is not just a blob of cells. It looks an awful lot like a baby, frankly. It has arms, and legs, and a head, organs, and a heartbeat.

nancydrewfoundaclue · 27/02/2011 12:26

A flippant comment in response to what was a stupid headline.

Had had my DH picked up the paper and made the same comment I'd probably have sniggered. Juvenile but true.

zikes · 27/02/2011 12:26

If someone has a miscarriage of a wanted pregnancy, they say that because they're mourning their potential child/their desired future. It doesn't make the terminology correct.

BuzzLiteBeer · 27/02/2011 12:27

Theres no right answer there, you can't say it is this or that, its opinion, not fact.

starkadder · 27/02/2011 12:30

I think his remark is fair enough, actually.

Am also pro-choice.

I suppose we're all just "blobs of cells" with potential, when it comes down to it.

I've had 4 miscarriages. So, sorry Zikes, but saying "just a blob of cells" about a 12 week old foetus is quite a lot more hurtful to someone like me than Marr's comments.

Huffymuffy · 27/02/2011 12:32

It was a strange programme today, he also talked about Libya and said that described Gadafi as a "homicidal maniac". Not totally left of field, but still a bit Daily Mail. He's a despot, tyrant, terrorist....kind of doesn't matter, but Andrew Marr was quite glib today in general!

Rollmops · 27/02/2011 12:33

It -IS- safer for the baby foetus, isn't it? What's the argument?

Rollmops · 27/02/2011 12:35

..."I suppose we're all just "blobs of cells" with potential, when it comes down to it."...

Well, many, many are blobs of cells, sans potential. Just read aroundHmm

Rhinestone · 27/02/2011 13:47

Well he's very pro-choice - and I suspect he puts his money where his mouth is wrt unplanned pregnancies.

privategodfrey · 27/02/2011 14:05

Childbirth is far from safe in less developed countries.

See here for what looks like an intereting programme tonight.

^In the third programme in the series where British workers accept the challenge to do their jobs in some of the toughest conditions in the world, midwife Suzanne Saunders-Blundell abandons the high tech maternity unit at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield to work in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia in West Africa.

This is the third poorest country on earth, where one in twelve women dies in childbirth^

sarahtigh · 27/02/2011 14:40

even people who have very early miscarriages well before 12 weeks will say I lost the baby, by 12 weeks although very small looks like baby has head eyes ears teeth forming toes fingers etc, in fact almost everything that is there at birth is there by week 12

calling it a baby is not a loaded term may be a tiny bit flippant but most people are flippant about serious stuff sometimes

an abortion is not a tiny non event even if it is legal and the best choice

edam · 27/02/2011 14:48

A 12 week old foetus is about 8cm long.

People say 'baby' when they are talking about wanted pregnancies, because that reflects their emotions. They are not giving anti-abortionists permission to use inaccurate language.

frgr · 27/02/2011 14:48

privategodfrey - one in twelve? good god

privategodfrey · 27/02/2011 15:27

I know, it's utterly shocking isn't it.

Makes you realise how lucky we are in the UK despite some of the horror stories about maternity hospitals here. Giving birth in the waiting room of A&E would surely pale into insignificance compared to giving birth somewhere like Liberia.

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