Latest Abortion Act

'Abortion is a criminal offence under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. The 1967 Abortion Act carves out an exception to that, subject to conditions, generally up to 24 weeks. That criminal framework applies to doctors, to third parties, and to the woman herself. What Clause 208 does is abolish this last element.
What now protects the life of a baby at 30 weeks gestation? At 34? Before last Wednesday, the answer was the criminal law. After Royal Assent, the answer will be nothing.

The pills-by-post scheme gives this reality teeth. Since 2020, women have been able to have mifepristone and misoprostol posted to them after a phone call in which they state how far along they are. No scan. No examination. Nobody checks. The pills are approved for home use up to 10 weeks. When a woman takes them further along in her pregnancy, she faces delivering her baby, either stillborn or alive, alone at home with heightened risk of serious complication.

None of this is speculative. Carla Foster got pills by post by saying she was 7 weeks pregnant. She was over 32 weeks. She delivered a dead baby at home. This isn’t just bad for babies, it’s bad for women. FOI data from six ambulance services showed a 64% rise in emergency call-outs linked to abortion pills. Separate research projected over 10,000 women needed hospital treatment after taking pills at home in a single year.And yet Baroness Stroud’s amendment to bring back in-person consultations for abortion pillswas voted down 191 to 119.
Pills by post was supposed to be a temporary Covid measure.'
Quoted from Robert Clarke a barrister.
Perhaps Clause 208 needs further consideration rather than just 46 minutes of Commons debate?

Cold

89% of abortions are before week 9
93% by week 12

Around 1% are performed after week 20 - usually after a severe anomaly is discovered and investigated after the 20 scan - abortions after 22 weeks are very rare and are only allowed in very limited circumstances of severe disability/life of mother at risk

I knew someone who had a late abortion in the 1980s baby had very severe abnormalities incompatible with life - no separate legs and part of skull missing. Are people really suggesting that she should have been forced to carry the baby to term?

Thank you Cold for the statistics and for the late abortion.
I’m relieved that women have choice. Late abortion are rare

There is also the question as to what protects women in cases of coercion due to the decriminalisation. I have always had concerns about the 'pills by post' without medical oversight, I think it was only meant to be a temporary measure during Covid.

Sex selection is also a real problem. Tends to be girls that are unwanted.

I’ve always been very much pro choice, and still am, but was still pretty much appalled at the friend of a dd who aborted a 3rd baby, once she’d found out at a scan that it was a 3rd boy. 😰
She’d have kept a girl.
Yes, I know, her choice and all that, but….

As mentioned in my previous post, pills by post were only meant to be used during covid. Another concern is the danger to the mother if aborting at home, especially if for whatever reason, in the last 3 months of the pregnancy. Though rare, there is greater risk of hemorrhage than with a
procedural abortion. Also will the mother be medically checked to ascertain if the abortion is complete or infection could occur I believe?

There are always going to be exceptions, resulting in awful events, however medical science has to look at the bigger picture and the rights and protection of the majority of women, most of whom wouldn’t lie about their pregnancy progressions, who wouldn’t abort based on sex, who wouldn’t obtain pills by post by deception.

The exceptions can always be quoted and everything possible should be done to safeguard and prevent situations like this recurring.

However, imo, this should never ever be done to the detriment of the majority of responsible women.

I’d far rather see the same attention given to those families where children are neglected, damaged, hurt or killed on a weekly basis.

I’ve never terminated a pregnancy, I don’t know if I ever would have done, but I’d never let my own personal experiences or feelings prevent another woman making a different choice.

I am able to pay attention to a wide range of issues, I can think about the situation in Iran and what to have for tea, people asking questions about a change in regard to decriminalisation does not make things worse for children who are neglected. In fact many of the people raising concerns are those who have been involved in safeguarding all their lives.

Galaxy

I am able to pay attention to a wide range of issues, I can think about the situation in Iran and what to have for tea, people asking questions about a change in regard to decriminalisation does not make things worse for children who are neglected. In fact many of the people raising concerns are those who have been involved in safeguarding all their lives.

No I meant in general, within society, not here Galaxy

You disagree with women not being arrested and sent to prison? You think they should be?

If they have committed a crime, yes of course. I don't believe in creating 'special' categories of people who are immune from safeguarding, etc.