Jeremy Hunt believes abortion limit should be 12 weeks

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Jeremy Hunt is trying to be the next Tory leader, is on national TV declaring abortion limit should be 12 weeks in his opinion. God help us if he’s elected.

Aren’t there more important things to prioritise than policing women’s bodies?

twitter.com/ridgeonsunday/status/1137648043904385025?s=12

There is nothing more important than making sure women know their place

Although he is saying it should be a free vote, I dont think it should even be discussed. These are hard won rights for women and generally the only women who get abortions this late is because of abnormalities. It's hardly a pleasant experience.

Interestingly in the states, the areas with the most draconian abortion laws also have the highest crime rates. The thought is that children who are unwanted have reluctant parenting and therefore generally aren't patented well and all the problems that brings

Yes excellent point. 75% of abortions are be for TEN weeks. I suspect by the time you get to twelve weeks you're in the high nineties. The vast majority of those tiny few who remain would probably be terminating for what even gove would consider valid reasons.

The thought is that children who are unwanted have reluctant parenting and therefore generally aren't patented well and all the problems that brings

There have been studies that show the children of women who were denied abortions are much more likely to be mentally ill, sectioned, unemployed, in prison.

Yep.

This, especially in light of cuts to sexual health services and women on MN talking about the difficulty of access timely terminations, is very worrying.

Figures are:

Under 10 weeks 80% 10-12 weeks 11% 13-18 weeks 7% 19+ weeks 2%

The 2% are the hideous edge cases that almost everyone would make an exception for.

Just to set the scene from a different perspective...

I went to the clinic for my dating scan and was 9 weeks.

I had to have a surgical abortion, next available date was 2 weeks later. Then, the day I attended to have it I was sent away due to emergencies and had to come back the next day.

What of these women? What if that extra day had tipped me to 12+1? Would I have been refused?

Regardless, I agree this shouldn't even be a discussion. I'm 100% pro choice. But I think a threshold so low doesn't leave a lot of thinking time between finding out and deciding on an abortion + wait times.

Maybe he needs to sort out the bits of the NHS (funding, etc) that force women who do not wish or are unable to remain pregnant to wait until after 12 weeks, then. If a woman could easily get treatment within the first 8 weeks, they aren't then going to be offending his delicate sensibilities by the NHS not being able to see them before 13+ 6 or even later, are they?

I don't always know I've been pregnant before 12 weeks due to long cycles - 12 weeks would just be coming up for having missed two periods for me. So how does he suppose I access an abortion before 12 weeks if I don't even know I'm pregnant at 12 weeks?

TBF dating scans have always put me back a few weeks, so presumably I'd sneak in that way

He doesn't really believe the limit should be 12 weeks, he really believes there should be no abortion at all but knows he can't get elected if he admits that now.

NHS testing and diagnostics is not even nearly complete by 12 weeks. Some people haven't even had their scan at 12 weeks.

Presumably he will bring back benefits for third children whose pregnancies were not discovered until after 12 weeks.

Oh Jeremy.

I've defended you. I said that at least you cared very deeply about the health service, even while you were fucking over the junior doctors: that you did genuinely have a passion for patient care even if I violently disagreed with how you went about your job. I've also said I thought you were the best of a diabolical bunch for Tory leader as you struck me as interested in people and reasonably rational. You appeared better than Boris.

Do you know what? I think I was wrong. You don't do this. You don't let fucking tigers out of the bag for personal gain. You think this one's a winner for the Tory party voters, and it's possible you're right. You'd never bring up hanging - much too common - and Raab and Boris have nicked no deal Brexit. This is a tiger that will never affect you or anyone you know because you will always have the resources for your family to have an abortion if someone you know needs one. I note that the truly vile Esther Mcvey didn't go with this: I hope she won't, though I wouldn't put it past her. I hope she at least knows that sometimes there aren't easy answers and the government should allow people to make tough choices about their own lives.

Fuck off Jeremy. MY body, MY life, MY right to decide. And has there ever been a more Conservative sentiment than that?

Cock off Jeremy, you dangerous, woman-hating airhead. You think it makes you more electable to campaign on this? Shame on you. The majority of the British public is tolerant of abortion. We don’t want a US-style culture war.

How the actual fuck can anyone who wants to be taken seriously as a leader of .. well... anything... propose such a ridiculous, dangerous view?

You seriously think its a selling point to condemn women to self-harm, death and lifelong injury (from trying to abort illegally), and to having children that they don’t want and can’t look after? Not a great scenario for those children either is it, Jeremy if you think about it for more than 30 seconds.

I can’t even be bothered to try and follow this horrendous reasoning, but I mean, just out of curiosity... 12 weeks.... based on what exactly?

She should have known she was pregnant earlier? She should have done something about it quicker? She should have recognised the signs? She should have got her life together quicker? Got away from that abusive boyfriend, husband, parent, quicker? Magically invented a test or scan that diagnosed that serious fetal abnormality quicker than science currently allows.. ?

Shame on you.

All these men, telling women what they can and can't do with their bodies. Such a surprise

It’s none of his business unless he can get pregnant

Until then he can shut up

TBF this is not a new view for Jeremy he has always been anti-choice but it is particularly disgusting and scheming to wheel it out in a leadership contest. Knowing that all the other candidates will now be asked to respond. This is a particularly cynical issue to campaign on.

It’s so infuriating. I wish these men would realise that no woman alive cares about what he thinks about what she should do with her body.

I also agree with poster that what he really means is that he’d rather abortion was banned.

Exactly my body mychoice not some random guy in politics who think he can tell women what to do with their bodies

Idiot

I've got a friend who tried to have a very early abortion, as soon as she found out, and was delayed by a GP who I'm sure saw himself as a highly moral man. He managed to add 5 weeks through dishonestly not declaring his antiabortion stance and prevaricating on referring to a colleague.

Friend was in her very early 20s and not able to articulate and exercise her rights. Lowering the time limit hugely increases the power of these men. She'd have been making the time limit by days if it had been 12 weeks.

I've got a friend who tried to have a very early abortion, as soon as she found out, and was delayed by a GP who I'm sure saw himself as a highly moral man. He managed to add 5 weeks through dishonestly not declaring his antiabortion stance and prevaricating on referring to a colleague

Wow. That is absolutely disgusting and horrifying. I hope she reported that piece of shit.

Ironically he’s making her abort a feutus that is much more developed which is pretty moronic in the first place.

Had an abortion as soon as I found out many years ago. It was not in the UK. They tried to convince me to 'wait' because many pregnancies 'go wrong' in the first few weeks. I went to another private clinic and got it done. I think some people believe you will form some 'attachment' with your pregnancy if they force you to wait.

And I have my personal horror story in Northern Ireland but it is too outing to explain it here.

You think it makes you more electable to campaign on this? Shame on you. The majority of the British public is tolerant of abortion. We don’t want a US-style culture war.

Idiot. It'll kill any chance he may have had of being elected and for that we have to be grateful to him for coming out with it.

I wasn't offered my first scan until almost 16 weeks. I'd have no idea of any abnormalities etc until that point.