Are early abortions any more justifiable than later ones?

[Gangle]

I know this is a really emotive subject and don't want to be massively criticised for opening a heated debate but just wondered what others thought on very very early abortions, i.e. less than 5/6 weeks. I have just found out I am pregnant and contemplating whether or not I can go through with an abortion. I know I just couldn't do it after about 8/9 weeks as it starts to look like a baby then, and certainly not at 12 weeks when it's fully formed. Does having it earlier make any difference? I think I am 2 weeks max and if I did want to go ahead would want to have it asap (via the abortion pill as I understand that surgical abortions aren't available until 8 weeks). Just trying to get it clear in my head.

it was only 5 weeks ago, so I still have strong feelings about it, but no, I dont for one minute, I did it for the right reasons, and I was completley aware of the enormity of my decision, I have 2 dc I knew what I was doing. But from what I can gather from this thread your dh is a bit of an arse, as is mine, infact mine is known to be abusive and can use his hands as well as his mouth.

I did the right thing, the wrong thing would have been to carry on with the pregnancy.

I still think of it every day, but not in a regretful way, but in a way that I mourn what was, I am a mother, I understand what I took away, I didnt do it lightly, but I did it quickly, I owed that much.

Flamminhell and Wilts, do you mind me asking what your reasons were? I am struggling with it because I do want more children eventually, just not now. I worry that I would always think what if?

i dont want more children, I feel as if I have done my share, I was also pretty poorly when I was pregnant the last time, and my dp became abusive when I was pregnant, because of this I became ill with an auto immune disease that I felt could worsen if I was under more stress.

Unfortunatley another child would have been too hard for me to deal with, especially if all the other parts of my life had gone pear shaped, which they would have done, I had to save myself.

I was just about to start a degree I worked extremely hard to get onto ( battling pnd). I had already deferred a year to be with Ds2 . I am not a natural earth mother, I could not just 'get on with it'. If I had given up going to university it would have killed me.

We are desperately trying to provide a better life for our two children and it would have set us back to have another at that time.

We do want another child and know roughly in the future when this is planned for.

I do not for one minute regret my decision.

A very close friend of mine had a termination using hormone pills. She must have been about 6 weeks pregnant at the time. She went to Marie Stopes.

Maybe you need to bear in mind that a huge number of pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion/miscarriage anyway- and yet most women don't know about it.

It must be your decision- if you are sure you don't want another child, then the earlier the better for your health and your state of mind.

I wanted my termination asap but the doctors told me they couldn't do it before 12 weeks as they might miss it as it was so small.

I was a naive teenagers but found it worse that I was (quite) far along and they also scanned the baby first - showing me.

I found it very tough but had no option at the time.

Thanks both. Still mulling it over but moving increasingly towards keeping it, despite all the problems. Spoke to my mum last night who was very very positive about it, even though she knows all about problems with DH, which helped a lot. DH is also saying he will help more (he won;t of course but at least he is making an effort). Have booked an early pregnancy scan for tomorrow am so will hopefully be able to make a decision after that.

Glad you are coming to a decision that's right for you.
I don't know the background and haven't read your other posts, but it doesn't sound as though your DH should be relied on.
Thinking of you tomorrow x

Gangle, I am pleased your Mum is being positive about it. I think you would regret having a termination, from your posts.