To think late-term abortion rules may need tightening up?

[FestiveNut]

Should people be able to abort healthy fetuses in a low risk pregnancy past 20 weeks gestation?

I read a very sad story concerning this earlier. I considered myself pro-choice in all circumstances but this thread has caused me to question that.

Should the threshold be lowered?

I wouldn’t choose a late termination for myself but I understand that occasionally a woman may need to, for often deeply complex reasons. I don’t believe it’s a decision any woman would take lightly. If you’re pro-choice, then I think it’s a dangerous path to go down to start adding stipulations based on your own beliefs and boundaries.

For those saying late abortions are extremely rare how do you know this? Are there any figures which show this? Genuine question as I am interested to know this for professional reasons.

I recently spent time on a gynae ward and within one week I knew of a 20 week abortion and a 19 week. Both were carried out elsewhere. Both low risk pregnancies and neither for medical reasons. This led me to think it is not as rare as I previously thought.

Cranky17, there's people who abort because the Baby isn't the wanted Sex.
How many?
You can find out the sex of your baby at 12 week/16 weeks so why would you wait to 20 weeks.
Can you link please?

Absolutely wholeheartedly agree with as early as possible as late as necessary.

No. I am pro choice 100%. Every child has the right to be a wanted child.

All of these pro lifers, will they step in to help women who have to give birth to babies they don't actually want?? To help those women raise those children?

No one has an abortion on a whim, it is one of the shittest decisions to have to make in life.

How many women get to 20+ weeks and think 'I can't be arsed with this pregnancy anymore, time to get an abortion'?

The only person I know who’s had a late abortion was in a very abusive relationship, prevented by him from leaving the house. When she did the GP was obstructive and delayed the process immensely (many many weeks), and she was caught back in being trapped in the house and had to change GP.

She would be one of the 43 mentioned above

I find the idea of late abortion very upsetting but the idea of forced birth is abhorrent

Absolutely.

The question is at what point do the feotus’ interests have equal value to the pregnant woman’s.

At birth, no one is legally a person until they are born.

But it is incredibly naive to use women’s good judgement to justify abortion to term because sadly not everyone is a good person and not everyone will make a good decision.

But then one could argue would you want women like that raising a child, particularly a child they didn't want in the first place? If only there was a way for them to end the pregnancy...

IIRC the stats for 2017 were in the region of 9 out of 10 abortions were done under 13 weeks and 4 out of 5 were carried out under 10 weeks.

I agree with Gingerivy. I'm pro-choice and believe that every woman has the right to make her own choices regarding her body. I may not always agree but I think it's very important to give women control over their own bodies.

“You can't be pro choice and then put restrictions on it like this.”

This.

I might not choose to have a late abortion but I don’t have to have one. It’s the same as people who would never choose to have an abortion themselves dictating that no one else can have one either.

Whether it ‘looks’ like a baby or not is neither here nor there. I have a scan picture of my child at 8 weeks where you can see a head and a body. So what.

The laws are fine imo and as fair as can be.

I doubt there are many late term abortions post 20 weeks for social rather than medical reasons anyway.

Even if late term abortions carry risks, well so does giving birth.

I really do believe people should think a little less about the pregnancy in this type of circumstance and think a bit more about what the woman is going through emotionally, physically and health-wise to feel like she has to make a decision like this. An abortion is not an easy way out and no one truly, really wants to have one. It's simply a choice they make at that time and it's horrifying how unsupportive and uneducated some people can be and feel the need to shed an unwanted opinion. It's an incredibly hard thing no matter what.

As early as possible, as late as necessary.

It’s pretty rare that someone does abort past 20 weeks, when they do there is usually a pretty good reason (health reasons). I don’t think it should change, it’s a awful choice to have to make and a awful procedure so I’m sure it’s not taken lightly. Most abortions are done very early.

I had an abortion a while ago (not late term) and there was a young girl who looked around 15/16 who was called in before me. Around five minutes after she was called in we heard hysterical shouting and crying coming from the room she had gone in. It was really quite awful to hear.

I later found out from another patient who spoke to her that the scan had shown her to be slightly over the 24 week limit so she was not able to abort the pregnancy.

I often think of her and wonder how things are going, the choice between raising a child you don't really want to have or having it adopted is not much of a choice.

Not your body, not your business.

Monr0e
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/763174/2017-abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-revised.pdf

197533 abortions performed in 2017
1895 of these were for pregnancies over 22 weeks
This represents 0.1% of abortions last year.

They are rare. 9/10 abortions are performed at less than 13 weeks.

@gingerivy the limitation of abortion is legislated on the basis of protecting rights (of feotuses) not enforcing beliefs. In the same way lifting limitations of abortions isn’t about legislating personal beliefs but rather protecting women’s rights. Abortion laws should always be seen as a balance of competing rights and never a moral judgement.

As early as possible, as late as necessary for whatever reason.
Not my body not my business.

People saying, ‘As early as possible, as late as necessary’, do you mean as late as necessary up to the current legal limit, or as late as necessary in general?

I would consider myself to be pro choice, but I personally think there still needs to be some sort of upper limit in place?

In the case the OP is talking about, the woman has an appointment for termination at 22 weeks. She's had other termination appointments, but couldn't go through with it. It will be done under a GA, so she won't go through labour.

It was suggested she gives the baby up for adoption, outside the family, but she said she'd want to see the baby and maybe play a role in it's life. She's asked her SIL if she will adopt the baby.

It makes me uncomfortable to allow abortions at that late stage (unless medically required), especially when you consider that pre-term babies born at that stage have all the care needed to try to keep them alive.

Whether or not you agree with it, late abortions will still happen and I'd rather that women have a right to safe and legal procedure. If you wanted to end abortions you would need to tackle the huge range of social, emotional, financial and medical issues behind them.