to think older teens should be made to watch what an abortion is in PHSE. (sorry possibly triggering)

[StraightLineOfResignation]

I know this may be controversial but I have thought this for some time.
Abortion is legal in this country but still straight forward , informative talks about it are clouded by morality and judgement and at the end of the day, sometimes people need to have one in tragic circumstances i.e people who are made critically ill by pregnancy.
And are often as well as already scared and sad, i don't think most people make this decision lightly, are woefully underprepared which i'm sure must only add to emotional trauma.
and of course there are too many potential uninterested fathers who just utter 'get rid of it' at the hearing of potentially being a father, so disgustingly flippantly like throwing a crisp packet in the bin, I do think if they especially had seen a medical video of the procedure, well i think the number of people who just thrown that term around would be significantly less, if they had actually seen that image with their own eyes , and would be less detached from the idea and process.
I'm talking older teens , like 16+ here , not 11 year olds.
my mum and i have always though this, i would find it traumatising and pretty shocking, but compared to people who feel shame, go backstreet putting themselves at risk and people who go through with pregnancies they did not want/need. Surely a bit of discomfort is better then that being a legacy of another generation.

I used to be very anti abortion as a teenager young woman it was only when i matured that a realised the implications of women not having the right to do what with their own bodies showing young women mght have the opposite effect than you are after op, which to be honest i am still not sure what you mean

YABU. I think you may have an agenda. Even if you won't admit it to yourself. SMH (and thinking what business is it of yours if a sixteen year old wants to "get rid" of an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy).

I just don't see the point of showing a medical procedure to teenagers. what next tonsillectomy?

teens need straight advice on contraception, sexual health and available help in situations like an unwanted pregnancy.

I think you are over egging the emotion here op,women seek terminations because they want them. most I Susie to feel utter relief afterwards.

I must be japanese , if you say so i mean you're initial few posts adamant that I was religious was so accurate,Oh wait..

I am sure the information is in schools about boroke advisory or marie stopes girls are shown consultation videos I am sure,

I think this is an utterly bizarre idea.

As many have pointed out, late term abortions are not usually performed for 'social' reasons so showing them to teenagers would be unlikely to make any difference to the numbers of young women having unplanned pregnancies (and if it did make a difference, is that a good thing? People being essentially scared off an operation which may well be in their best interests?).

I am assuming that any person needing a late abortion (or any abortion for that matter) is given a clear explanation of what the procedure involves, in the same way that it's customary for medical practitioners to explain any procedure which is going to be carried out on a person's body.

I have never seen an abortion video but I do not believe that I would ever have an abortion. However, that is my choice for MY body, and I would never stand in the way of another woman's choice for her own body.

While many women regret they were in the circumstances which led them to have a termination, very many women do not regret the termination itself.

yes

Reading the thread title and the OP again, I'm not sure that the OP actually knows (or knew!) what was involved in the majority of terminations.

why late abortion the only type people seem to think about, where did i say only late abortion.

I just don't see the point of showing a medical procedure to teenagers. what next tonsillectomy?

most abortions now are non invasive.

teens need straight advice on contraception, sexual health and available help in situations like an unwanted pregnancy.

I think you are over egging the emotion here op,women seek terminations because they want them. most I Think feel utter relief afterwards.

Well ,OP, read your own thread title and opening post and stop being so disingenuous?

Fifi I've actually seen anonymised info on late term abortions released a few years ago, in an attempt to explain to the public why the procedure is available so late.

One woman found out that her husband had been raping her two very small daughters (he was the stepfather). She was I think 19 or 20 weeks and just couldn't bear to carry the fetus to term, given the impact on her little girls. Another girl was 13 or 14 and had been in denial about her pregancy after being raped. Her parents realised and made her see a doctor, who confirmed the pregnancy, and she then freaked and was adamant she didn't want it. Those were examples of the "social" ones. They were a minority - the overwhelming majority were on grounds of serious disability, or threat to the mother's life (cancer diagnosis requiring urgent chemo and radiotherapy, etc).

Women don't get to 20 weeks and then casually decide to terminate. They have reasons. I don't think asking them to jump through hoops when determining their own bodily autonomy is really okay.

NoelOfLorst,How do you know i haven't been to an abortion clinic with a friend who had one?

assumptions...assumptions , there getting more outlandish and tedious.

Any hoo I've reported the thread, comments , I'm not feeding the frothers.

I am just thinking at 16 which was a million years ago I knew you had to go to a GP get 2 to agree to send you for a consultation I have never had a termination so the information must be out there,

A few points:

1. not all 'religious' people are anti-choice. I know nobody has said that is the case but just to be clear for everybody. I attend church every week in an evangelical church and I am firmly pro-choice. I will admit that there aren't too many people in the pews beside me who would agree with that but there's probably more than you'd think.

2. Termination of pregnancy is not de facto a tragedy. Lack of access to safe TOP is tragic as is forced TOP. A choice to terminate - even if you have regrets is not a tragedy. It's a choice. Like all the choices we make there are good things and bad things about it.

3. You can show teens as many videos as you want. Some teens will still have unwise sex and become pregnant. LOTS of adults will do the same and whether you've seen the movie, got the t-shirt or not, the response of parents, friends and partners to an unexpected pregnancy will still be 'get rid of it' . Films and videos of abortions are shown for one purpose only. To make women afraid and guilty and dissuade them from their choice. I have contempt for the people who advocate this and other services in the name of education. I don't care how you dress it up - you are displaying misogynistic tendencies and you need to stop that.

4. The majority of TOP takes place in adult women in relationships. Women in fact who may be on this site and reading this thread right now, who need support in their decisions. They are extremely vulnerable. Which is why this thread is extremely self indulgent of the OP. It has the potential to seriously upset a vulnerable person - but hey that's ok is it because it's all in the name of education and debate? I don't think so! This subject, above all, is one you do not screw around with OP because real women will get hurt. Next time you have some oh so wise thoughts on TOP please keep them to yourself.

OP, I don't normally like seeing a poster having their arse handed to them but in your case I'll make an exception.

I find myself agreeing with NearTheWindmill's post. I have a young teenage DD and the most important thing is educating teenagers about informed decisions (not just those reductive terms "pro life" or "pro choice") - all those things at the various stages of the relationship which are mentioned above.

I am pro CHOICES - plural.

How much effort do we put into telling our DDs that, in fact, you don't need to say "yes" to every scuzzy Y11 loser who comes along wanting to have sex with them? The most important choice is whether you choose to "go out with" them in the first place, and then there's knowing that, in fact, even if you do, nobody says you have to have sex... and even if you do, etc.

I don't like the way the sex education debate is sometimes framed as if it starts at a point where there's only one decision to be made.

You do realise people seeking abortions are given information about the abortions before having them, as well as counselling before and after if they want it?

Quite possibly the silliest thing I've seen on Mumsnet.

You've reported the thread because people don't agree with you?

You do understand how IABU works, don't you?

Uh huh. As I thought.

Hit a nerve.

MoominIsGoingToBeAMumWaitWHAT

sex education is pretty much non-existant in many rural areas, and lacking even in more populated areas

It sounds as though perhaps you are not in the UK. I would strongly suggest that things are not like that here.

I would always strongly advocate for good sex education in all countries.

All this makes me very cross. It's only recently that I've thought about how wrong the PSE session at school that covered abortion was. At a non-religious all girls school, pro-life groups were invited in to talk to us. No pro choice groups were invited and almost all the girls were left with the impression that abortion is wrong. Unfuckingbelievable - talk about unbalanced. No wonder teenage pregnancy has been a problem in this country.

I saw 'The Silent Scream' at school.

We saw it as the blatant scare tactic it was. Nobody changed their stance on abortion after seeing it.