Can I be a feminist and not be fully pro-choice until term?

[Moonfishstar]

As in to think there should be some restrictions on stopping a mother aborting their foetus very close to term if there is no reason other than the mother has decided not to proceed?

There should not be any legal restrictions. As pp said we need to focus on getting abortion out of the criminal framework altogether.

If anything, there should be more support for women so they truly have choices about having children.

Tough.

I have a right to my opinion and that's my opinion.

Whether you agree or not is of no consequence to me.

But the woman would have to give birth regardless? It's just that one would be a live birth and the other wouldn't

I thought termination as a choice ( not medical ) was 22 weeks max but usually less than 12

It's 24 weeks not 22, and allowed after that for medical reasons.

You can be a feminist and hold non feminist views, so long as you acknowledge and understand that they are non feminist and why.

Do mentally-well women ever ask to do that?

Where in the world are there no restrictions on abortion close to term?

Can someone please explain why having a live birth at 38 weeks is a forced birth but giving birth to a dead baby is not a forced birth?
It doesn't get reabsorbed at that stage nor is a cesarean carried out. The mother has to give birth at that stage in pregnancy be the baby dead or alive.

I like this in principle, but on the other hand it feels a bit arrogant (and reminiscent of the trans debate) to dismiss a line of argument with 'that never happened/will never happen and you're a misogynist for saying it'. Are we absolutely sure?

I also think about the fact that it's not just one woman's choice, there needs to be HCPs willing to carry out the procedure - I wouldn't want to see them compelled to do so.

Sorry the max legal time is 24 weeks after that it's illegal in the uk unless there is a severe threat to the Mothers life or very severe disability for the child.

@baileybrosbuildingandloan

Where is that legal?

It's not, but a significant number of feminists seem to think it should be based on the posts on this thread.

Agree. Me too.

I agree with you op.

Of course there are very, very few ultra late term abortions for anything other than very serious medical reasons, but just because there are very, very few doesn't mean it should be allowed.

There is equally (in this country at least) very, very little infanticide, but we don't say "let's allow it to be legal because so it happens so infrequently"?

Besides, very late term abortion for anything other than extreme reasons is illegal, and if it was made legal, the numbers might increase.

You are conflating two issues. MPs could decide to lower the limit at which abortions take place because more 22 to 24 week babies are surviving. The decriminalisation relates to what happens to someone who causes herself to abort at any stage. Ie if a woman is so desperate as to terminate a pregnancy so late, that the last thing she needs is a criminal investigation, trial and possible prison sentence. A case last year or possibly 2022 made a lot of people question what should happen in such cases.

Really, do you think that there would be a meaningful increase in late term abortions? That there are women now who are pregnant who want to abort at late term, and the only reason they continue with the pregnancy is that they cannot access a legal abortion?

@HemlockSoup

That's as anti-feminist as it gets.

That's one of the most hyperbolic statements I've ever read! Move over Taliban, @ZebraPensAreLife is far more misogynistic because she allows a little bit of nuance in to the abortion debate!

What, even after her water's have broken?

'Move over Taliban, @ZebraPensAreLife is far more misogynistic because she allows a little bit of nuance in to the abortion debate!'

And I'm the hyperbolic one?

You are obviously not pro choice if you are putting a limit on women's choices.

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

A woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy should be made with her doctors and is nobody else's business.

I just squeaked in at the 12 week mark. It wasn’t choice - I’d had a NIPT screening that I’d paid for privately that showed a 99% risk of Down’s syndrome. I didn’t want to wait for the amniocentesis because that would involve me giving birth at 20 weeks if I then chose not to proceed. It was put down as mental health rather than medical reasons because I didn’t wait for further invasive tests (99%) was enough for me. I don’t believe women have later terminations on a whim.

Sorry to be crass but if you decided to terminate after 24 weeks (viability) you are forced to give birth by nature?

I'm not against late abortions for all sorts of reasons but I fully assumed you would have to go through labour etc at that stage regardless if you are birthing a deceased foetus or live baby

Yes this pretty much sums up my stance, no woman should be forced to remain pregnant but I don’t think any woman should be able to demand the baby’s life be terminated either. Although also think the idea a woman be punished for ‘negligence’ with her own body which resulted in loss of foetus is wrong too, whether that’s woman who too abortion pills or carried on with dangerous sports and had an accident. I also think abhorrent abortion forced on women in any circumstances whatsoever (for whatever reason, age, disability etc)