BTW did you watch the film 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days? You’ll like it.

I do not CARE about a woman’s ‘whims’, that is not the issue.

Why all the talk about convenience, then? I’m sure you know that a late-term abortion is not undertaken for the sake of “convenience.” Either the fetus is not viable, it has already died and may become septic, or the mother’s life or health is in danger.

Are you FOR or AGAINST abortion up-to the moment of birth?
Yes or No?

That is the crux of the debate.

I’m absolutely all for it, if it’s warranted. See above.

As for foetal deformities: who are you Adolf Hitler? Are you suggesting that eugenics is acceptable, provided we mix it in with feminism?

Some deformities are so severe that the child will not live after birth for very long, perhaps dying an agonizing death. And in many cases, these deformities are undetectable until late in a wanted pregnancy.

Really, Geoff, you’ve been spending too much time looking at photos of 8-month-old infants and telling yourself that’s what a four-week embryo looks like.

What about just aborting a baby because its a girl? Surely thats okay too and you have nothing against Chinese or Indian culture where they view being a woman as being practically deformed?

The problem there is with the culture’s preference for boys, not with abortion in itself.

I do not CARE about a woman’s ‘whims’, that is not the issue.

Are you FOR or AGAINST abortion up-to the moment of birth?
Yes or No?

That is the crux of the debate.

As for 1% – well thats about 4000 people we are talking about every year.

As for foetal deformities: who are you Adolf Hitler? Are you suggesting that eugenics is acceptable, provided we mix it in with feminism? What about just aborting a baby because its a girl? Surely thats okay too and you have nothing against Chinese or Indian culture where they view being a woman as being practically deformed?

Hmm – maybe you should think carefully about why you are in favour of one form of eugenics (physically/mentally handicapped) and not another (gender).

I will concur, that if the abortion is genuinely for the well-being of the mother’s health then that is a different matter. I remind you that the UK is not the USA and we introduced abortion in a controlled manner. And frankly it is not something I generally support. Moralities, ethics, religion are all stupid arguments for/against, as are ‘rights’. Countries and people operate under the legal framework. The law has legitimised abortion but it also regulates it. And even though I am against abortion, I am not loony to think it is murder (to a point) or think it should not be an option (to a point).

But in any event my personal view on abortion is not to be a cloud on the issue. The issue is simple and I will reiterate it again…

Are you FOR or AGAINST abortion up-to the moment of birth?
Yes or No?
If no – then where do YOU draw the line?

This doesnt get into the woman having full and complete bodily autonomy but if women currently don’t have that, the 24-week limit and all, I can see the pro-lifers using this argument very effectively as its logical on its face based on our current laws. Damn it.

Mr Cameron is suggesting that ethically 24 weeks may be too late. The baby has developed into a recognisable human form and in many respects is fully functioning. The medical viewpoint is not really important, as laws should not be created around emotive bias

Why listen to medical professionals opinion on whether a fetus can survive, when you can just ask a politician? Note, the end of the article:

“For example, both the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have said they do not believe there is a case for changing the time limits for abortion.”

He said that the government had “no plans” to change the law on abortion.

When abortion was first legalised in 1967, abortions were allowed up to 28 weeks. In 1990 MPs voted to cut the limit to 24 weeks.

In 2006, 1,262 abortions were carried out at 22 weeks or later. Around 194,000 abortions were carried out altogether.

That is less than 1% of abortions this would prevent. Most of those are likely to be for health/emergency reasons.

If it takes you 21 weeks into the term to realise you are pregnant and do not want the child, then something is wrong

I had one friend who didn’t realise until 7 months in (periods kept coming, was on the contraceptive pill, had never had penetrative sex, and no weight gain until right at the end). I had another who got to the 6 month mark for similar reasons. Both of these were well-educated, intelligent women – who had no symptoms!

Similar things often happen to older women – mistaking the symptoms of pregnancy for those of menopause until it is too late.

denying women the right to have an abortion. If it takes you 21 weeks into the term to realise you are pregnant and do not want the child, then something is wrong

Oh, goody. Another one who thinks that women schedule late-term abortions on a whim because it interferes with their pedicures.