Abortion rate highest ever - I'm sorry I just don't buy the reason suggested for this...

[CountessDracula]

"But pregnancy advice groups said the figures probably reflected poor access to contraceptive services"

What utter tosh

You can buy condoms in many loos in clubs and pubs. In any chemist or 24hour shop.

You have access to family planning clinics and doctors with free contraception

You can buy the morning after pill over the counter ffs

Shouldn't people take a bit more responsibility and get themselves to these places and get some bloody contraception?

of course not and of course you are right Sally Strawberry but not to the ridiculous levels marie stopes is reporting

That is simply not so

6000 failed morning after pills in january hmmmmmm

Everyone knows I have had one, and the problems that brought so I won't go through that all again BUT...

I did find it stupidly easy to "get". I went to the GP as a scared mum to be, I asked about a few options including adoption. I feel there was no proper couselling, that it was actually a viable "normal" option. I remember when the MAP was pretty unheard of, it was so much more unusual to take one, now you get just go and get one. I think peoples attitudes are changing, very esay come easy go. I feel, if abortions were harder to get, better education (including Catholic schools, I had never heard of the pill until I was 18!) it would make a difference, but... at the end of the day it is down to the 2 people who are having the sexual relationship. I know others around me on the ward had had more than one, and used it the way the MAP used to be used, in an emergency. The same way people might now take the MAP more than a few times over their life, people have abortions. As I said, I went in as a scared girl and it was easy to become "not pregnant" again which was how it was almost sold to me. Yes, I can't blame the GP, it was my decision, but a small chat to set my mind at ease would have prevented one more statistic. I got pregnant, I hate to say it, in a more responsable manner than some. I was in a long term relationship, we had discussed before ever having sex what would happen if I did become pregnant - it wasn't sleeping around not being careful. It really is too easy. I will copy and paste the law on abortion, and to be honest, I think they broke it with me. And I daresay many other women.

Taken together, the two Acts provide that abortion is legal on the following grounds:

the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.

the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

the pregnancy has not exceeded 24 weeks and the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

the pregnancy has not exceeded 24 weeks and the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of any existing child(ren) of the family of the pregnant woman.

there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.

All I said was I was worried about college, what my mum would say and my DHs parents.

Well imo the law is crap on this anyway.

I don't think women should have to jump through hoops to get an abortion, I think they should be treated as adults.

I think it's to their credit that most doctors treat women like adults nowadays and don't insist that one of these conditions apply.

I'm sure most people who have abortions don't fit those descriptions. There is almost no pyscjhological assesment involved when women get an abortion. You all seem to think that people don't mentally scare, well you are wrong I speak to several a week who have been. Its awful for them. These clinics fail to check up on these womens after. All they care about is the money.

How can you say that? You are taking a life.That is shameful.

eh up paula! thou hast said what few other have dared.

OK, Paula, so you believe abortion is murder. Lots of us don't. A number of us have had abortions and feel - shock horror - no shame or guilt; and, yes, go on to choose to conceive and/or carry a conception to term and love the child they bore very much.

It doesn't have to be unwanted. There are options. There are loads of people who are gagging for a baby.

< gets popcorn in leui of balls>

Oh yes, bring back the Magdalene laundries. Let's all be baby-machines for Real Couples, eh.

Adoption is now understood to be a damn sight more complex an issue than people thought in the days when one could just 'pick' a baby. As a number of Mumsnetters who have adopted will tell you.

Oh thats right, its just all to difficult lets just kill it instead

Like I've said, some of us don't believe abortion is murder.

Um, okay, paula.

Sorry, but it's not as simple as, 'Oh, I'll just hand over my baby after going through the whole pregnancy and childbirth to strangers and hope for the best.'

I know people who were adopted themselves, who did NOT have a pleasant upbringing and who chose to abort when they fell accidentally pregnant.

Was it so bad for them that they wish they had been aborted. Most adopted children go to wonderful loving homes. I know lots of people who have adopted and they are wonderful people.

You're not going to convince us, you know. You think it's murder, we don't. You can go on and on and on all day, if you like, but it won't work.

Can I also say how offensive it is when you have lost some of your babies to hear people who treat the termination of their's in such a flippant manner.

annnyway,

i think the 'message' from this thread has been lost.

abortions are being used in leui of contraception in some cases. i dont knwo what the answer is but returning to the OPs message - i personally think that one abortion may be a mistake but 2? 3? more?

i also think that this number of women making a mistake either says a lot about how nonchelant some women feel about it or the lack of education with regards tocontraception.

now, i personally feel that contraception is very easy to get hold of, i have never had an issue, and i know of no one who has ever had an issue getting hold of contraeption.

condoms are freely available in most towns. if not we all know where to get them.

go to the doctors /nurse/family planning /chemist.

i think the excuse - cant get contraception is bullshit. pure bullshit.

there may be cases where conraception isn't suited - but that many that require such a high volume of abortions? nah.

its clear. abortion is seen as contraception.
that is shameful.

That's a red herring. There are plenty of MNers who are having fertility problems.

I think the basis of this arguemnt is whether you think there is a problm with abortion or not.

If you don't, what does it matter if the rate goes up, or if it is used as contraception. Doesn't matter.

On the other hand if you think there is a problem with abortion, either because it's morally wrong or psychologically bad for the mother, then the rate of increase is a problem.

Personally I think the increase is a problem, and I agree with Aloha's earlier pos on the reasons for the increase.

I think it is morally wrong (I don't say that out aloud in RL as most of my closest friends have had one) and I think it is damaging for the women. I would also suggest there is a link between the two issues..

It isn't to all of us, paula.

I have miscarried.

I am in NO position to judge for every single woman why she had an abortion.

That is her decision to live with, not mine.