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?

They are, but it's not like that's actually going to happen. It's just that as soon as there's discussion of raising the abortion limit, discussion inevitably turns to 39 week pregnant women who've just changed their minds, rather than the much more likely 25 or 26 weekers who are experiencing severe social problems that have delayed their ability to access abortion within the legal period. A cynic might think some posters were doing it deliberately.

Why would it have to be an abortion? Why couldn’t it be induced labour, baby taken away and adopted?

I cannot think of any reason to allow abortion at 39 weeks. Surely adoption would be easier on the mother’s mental health. The baby has to be born one way or another. Dead or alive.

Abortion to term is legal on medical grounds and you honestly can't see why anyone would need one at 38/39weeks?

Imagine they find a problem at your 20wk anomaly scan and your baby is going to live a short, painful life. Some people might want to carry the pregnancy for as long as possible before having an abortion near the end so that they can keep their child with them for a little bit longer, some may want to watch and wait to see if the prognosis improves, some may be in denial, some may wish to continue the pregnancy with a view to organ donation and then change their minds. Who knows. Either way, it is their decision.

Sorry to be replying slowly, I have a fussy 5 month old with a cold, teething and conjunctivitis (hence the lack of sleep). I'll be back, might not be for a while though!

In my opinion it would be far more cruel to the baby to be born at 22 (or even 24) weeks, yes survival is possible, but unlikely, medical intervention would have to be huge and long term issues almost certain. Awful idea for everyone involved and I'd imagine hugely traumatic for the mother, as well as the baby.

I always think as early as possible is best, but don't think anyone has a late abortion lightly. Normally where there are no physical problems it's done for mental health reasons. Most people putting themselves through a late abortion will have considered the future they can/ can't provide for their child, as well as their own future.

You honestly think it’s better for a healthy 39 week foetus to be terminated than adopted?

I'm not talking about a healthy 39 week of foetus, I'm talking about me in a situation where I found myself with an unwanted pregnancy. I would, though, maintain that you will struggle to find a woman who would abort a pregnancy who wouldn't have done it as soon as practically possible or necessary.

Do people seriously think that there are loads of women who cheerfully go through 6, 7, 8 months of pregnancy with no health issues, lovely healthy foetus and suddenly think "nah, can't be bothered with this - I fancy a late term abortion".
And if there are lots of women like that, do you really want to make them have the baby they don't want and send it home with them

As early as possible, as late as necessary, for any or no reason as well

DustyMaiden you clearly haven't lived through losing a child you grew to love to adoption.

@SpartacusAutisticusAHF .. to term????

@treaclepie19

As early as possible, as late as necessary, for any or no reason

I went to an abortion clinic just outside central London with a friend in the summer. She was only 6 weeks along but there were a lot of other women there.

I was surprised by how many were clearly over 20 weeks (based on bump) there. I saw three. They were all young and had overnight bags. I wondered if it was a clinic for other things but the nurse told me they only do terminations there.

I felt really sad for those girls, I expect they buried their head in the sand for a while and that's why it got so late.

On a practical note my friend was first offered an app 6 weeks down the line so it doesn't always happen as quick as needed. In the end she got a cancellation.

I don't think the limit should be changed. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must be and not a light decision for most.

Also, I feel like the children would be wanted if put up for adoption. I daresay a newborn with no health issues would be quite an attractive prospect to many would-be adopters.

A newborn who was delivered at 22 weeks gestation has many weeks of intensive medical care ahead of them, even in the unlikely event that the premature birth doesn't leave them with any lasting issues. The best case scenario involves watching a child suffer and fight when the odds are against them, for a long time, and when you've no way of knowing what the impact on that child will be. Because you don't actually get to know whether you're going to get one who survives and doesn't have any health problems when they've just come out. That's not how it works.

And of course this has an impact on parents. Do you know anyone who's experienced having a very premature baby? I do. It's a hugely traumatic thing to go through, and that was at a late enough gestation that there was a 50% chance of survival.

No. Yabu.

No one gets to decide that. Other than the woman and her Dr's (if medical)

Those who are anti-choice seem to imagine somewhere that mothers go with their newborns and just hand them over. Back in the real world, it doesn’t work like this.

Would I have a late term abortion? No. I’m not even sure if I could have an early one. I am still pro choice. I do not get to pass judgement on what other women choose to do with their bodies. I’m with the “as early as possible, as late as necessary” crowd.

197533 abortions performed in 2017
1895 of these were for pregnancies over 22 weeks

How can you call nearly 2000 ‘vanishingly rare’ ????

I too really don’t understand the ‘forced birth’ argument either. It is ‘vanishingly rare’ to have a termination under GA. Late stage termination almost always involve vaginally delivery of the dead foetus. There would be a queue of fantastic families wanting to adopt......

Nearly 200,000 abortions is a disgrace and shows that it has become another form of birth control. The law needs considerable ‘tightening’

Pro choice so i dont get to decide on the choices other women make or why they make them.

I m pro life so I think this is a huge problem, I had my baby 2 months ago and checked how much he grew every week on an app. At week 8 they pretty much look like a tiny baby and by week 20 ypu can usually feel flutters! How could ypu possibly abort a baby! A viable life'!

Are you really so arrogant to think that because you don’t want an abortion nobody else should have one?

If you can't handle it don't gwt pregnant, scared of getting pregnant? Don't have sex!!

Really helpful advice for people who are raped, abused, have contraception failure etc

As early as possible, as late as necessary, for any or no reason.

What would you like to see the law change to noname?

I'm pro choice 'but' isn't a thing

I think the waters have been muddied somewhat. Lots of people came on advocating abortion to term or young the current limit and lots of others have responded to that, which isn't really what the thread was about.

In my opinion it would be far more cruel to the baby to be born at 22 (or even 24) weeks, yes survival is possible, but unlikely, medical intervention would have to be huge and long term issues almost certain. Awful idea for everyone involved and I'd imagine hugely traumatic for the mother, as well as the baby.

Good point, well made. I shall mull it over.

I've done some googling and apparently abortion at 22 weeks is very similar to induction in procedure. So does that mean some are born alive, then allowed to die? Anyone with medical expertise?

There really aren't families queuing up to adopt premature, likely disabled newborns with family histories of alcohol/drug abuse, mental health issues, incest etc.

This idea that healthy full term newborns will be handed over to grateful adoptive families is a ridiculous fantasy.

How can you call nearly 2000 ‘vanishingly rare’ ????

Nearly all for significant medical reasons that often aren't discovered until the 20 week scan and may involve further testing, time for parents to make decisions. For 'non medical' reasons extremely rare and then usually due to very difficult circumstances which have been outlined upthread.

• extending the current limit. How the bloody hell autocorrect came up with young I've got no idea.