Anne Robinson and the law on abortion

I believe really strongly that it is the woman's right to choose. As PA says contraception is unreliable and there are many, many reasons why a woman might get pregnant without really wanting to be pregnant or be able to bring a child into a satisfactory environment. I had my own termination when doctors in France where I was living said a pregnancy would affect my health negatively and I would possibly be less able to look after the much loved child I had. Contrary to most people's assertions, I hardly ever think of it. I am happy to be well and to have been able to care for my child as well as possible.

Thankfully the programme didn't get into the debate about abortion. As has been said before women have always had abortions. There was a woman on the programme who had a safe one before the abortion act by paying £90. She knew another woman who died after a back street abortion, as she said the only difference was that she had a cheque book and could afford to pay. This idea that changing the law will make any difference is totally wrong. It will just bring back the risk of women dying.

Abortion is not available on demand in the U.K. After seeing a GP you have to have a consultation with an independent Doctor. The patient has to go to hospital/clinic in the morning to take medication in front of a medical,practioner, they are then sent away for 8 hours. When they return they are given another dose of the medication, then it's off home to suffer the painful ordeal. No pain killers are provided, so only over the counter generics available.

If you think anyone would go through this without hours of deliberation, if they are lucky they'll have supportive partner/family/parents by their side.

Please fellow grans netters we are better than this, I was brought up,not to judge others unless you have walked in their shoes!!!!

I had an abortion at 20 weeks due to foetal abnormality; the midwife cocked up so instead of knowing at 12 weeks there was something wrong the results were delayed. If I had taken the tablets home, I would not have been here to tell the tale. I only just made it being in hospital. Abortion can kill, take the tablets in hospital and thank your lucky stars that this country allows it.

Yes maryeliza, you share the views of the woman who had three abortions

"I will not have someone tell me I have to play host to something when I don't want to. My body is my body, my womb is my womb, my vagina is my vagina which I have to push that giant f*****g baby out of "

damewithaname are you suggesting that women who have unwanted pregnancies should become enforced surrogates to provide babies for couples who can't have children?

I wondered about the risk of the non-surgical abortions icanhandthemback but the 2 young women who talked quite graphically about what happened were given the pill and then sent home. Apparently you have to go on 2 consecutive days and are given one pill each day.

I had severe post natal depression after the birth of our second child, spent some time in hospital. Advised not to have more pregnancies.

Failed contraception resulted in two more pregnancies, I refused abortions, both babies dead at birth. We were devasted and I do wonder now how they would have lived their lives. The grief was hard to bear but we gave them the chance of life.

sticheroo, you see it as enforced surrogency to provide babies for woman who cannot conceive. I see it as giving the babies a right to life .

Serkeen I totally agree with you, abortion is NOT ok

All these things need intervention. Abortion, sex change, IVF. Boob jobs. The list is very long. Just think about life without the medical profession not invented ways of accommodating people's wants and needs. This is where the opinions come in. There wouldn't be a conversation without invention. So have people got the right to demand these things at the expense of everyone else. Should we consider their mental health? I don't know what the answer is but I am inclined to think you can't change people. I don't agree with using abortion as a contraceptive but we all make decisions we feel, guilty or entitled or make a mistake about.

I support the right to choose, regardless of whether I agree with how some people use that right.

Not a safe practice in my opinion especially with hospitals closing and the nearest hospital an hour or more away.

A friend's daughter was given the abortion pill after a 'missed abortion'. It had been discovered at the 20 week scan that the foetus had died. She was given the pill and sent home and after hours of awful pain haemorrhaged. Rather than wait for an ambulance she was literally wrapped in a sheet of plastic, loaded in their car and rushed to hospital in the nick of time for immediate surgery. Doctors told them she was close to being too late.

Having an unwanted pregnancy does not mean the child won’t be loved. I know from experience.

Well when you talk about babies having the right to life and giving them up to couples who want children you don't even mention the welfare of the mother involved. What about her physical and mental health? If you think that women should have unwanted pregnancies and then give them up you need to face the reality of what that actually means.

It means forcing a woman, against her wishes, to gestate a pregnancy to term. Taking on the risks of pregnancy related illness, long lasting birth injury, and the undoubted toll on her mental health. Then giving her baby away and the associated trauma that involves.

I struggle to understand how people who believe in the 'right to life' could be willing to be so barbaric to an already born person.

And speaking of giving birth as pushing a giant f*****g baby from my vagina is a woman who would be traumatised giving a baby up for adoption? Not forgetting she has had avoided pushing three giant f*****g babies , so far , killing three babies isn't barbaric? And she referred to them as babies

FFS it doesn't matter what you do women WILL have abortions and HAVE had abortions since time immemorial. We should be pleased that it is now done in a safe environment and isn't someone using a coat hanger or laying on a dirty table in a back street

And so it is in all things, people will do what they have always done regardless of public approval or disapproval, legal or illegal

damewithaname and there are tens of thousands of children in care because NOBODY wants to adopt them...what do we do with those children...just add thousands more every year ...that makes sense!!Abortion is a necessary evil ,MOST women who have one do so with regret and a lifetime of guilt ,sure there will be the odd one who abuses the system as there are in every walk of life .You cant punish everyone because of a few.Not all are feckless or careless ,I can assure you .You do still need two doctors to sign off an abortion ...at least here in Scotland you do ,though we haven't devolved power over abortion,so there has to be a good reason why they will sign off 8 abortions.....even if that reason was the woman wasn't capable of taking care of herself never mind a child.So much judgement of others on here ...how clever of you all to have never made a mistake .

I didn't watch this as I knew it would upset or anger me. I've never had an abortion but I know two girls who have and they both found it very upsetting - it wasn't like having a tooth out.
This sounds like a non sequitur but have any of you visited Haddon Hall? In one of the display cases there are small glass phials (dug up in the grounds) which are believed to have been filled with herbs and used as abortifacients - they date from the Middle Ages. This problem has been with us for hundreds of years. We're supposed to be civilised, it is after all the 21st century. Why are we still arguing about this?

It’s worth noting that the requirement to have abortion signed off by two doctors delays the time it is carried out, and I’m sure we all agree the earlier the better for the procedure. Women go to their GP, get agreement, then are referred to a hospital doctor (a gynaecologist) for the second opinion. It takes several weeks until that appointment. Abortions would be carried out earlier if we had abortion on demand.

Interesting, here in South Africa, where the private health care is of a very high standard, they give you a pill to take at home, no fussing. My friend did this with no complications . Of course she was in the very early stages of pregnancy. They also give the morning after pill too, with no problem.

I might add that you only need to see a GP, no seeing other doctors to prolong the ordeal.

I didn't see the programme but I agree with others that abortion will always be with us, irrespective of whether it's legal or not.

Adoption is always thrown in as an easy solution, but it's not. Many adoptions break down and the child always has to live with the knowledge that they were initially unwanted.

People who disagree with abortion need never undergo one. However, I believe they do not have any right to tell anyone else what they must or must not do.

The problem I have with the argument- you have no right to tell anyone what to do , why is it so wrong to want an unborn to have a right to life , yet so wrong not to report a neglected baby ?