The BBC ”Have Your Say” question for the day was this :

“ Is the limit for abortion correct? Should the law be changed? Do you think there is a need for better sex education?”

A report this week by the Commons Science & Technology committee suggested a couple of key changes that should be made around abortion laws:

• Women should not need two doctor’s approval.
• The 24 week legal limit should remain unchanged.

Conservative MPs Nadine Dorries and Bob Spink were not happy with these conclusions though and has published their own separate report which claims there is more credible and recent data on foetal survival rates which should have been considered.

This issue is not something that you can say is right or wrong.  I argue that termination is something undesirable and should be avoided at all costs.  I would hope that those women which have undergone this procedure have looked at and considered all the possible alternatives before choosing abortion as their only available avenue.

It would seem reasonable that some circumstances could justify abortion, such as a rape victim being traumatised or a women who is at significant medical risk if the pregnancy were allowed to continue.  In cases such as these I would not condemn anyone, and I would even understand someone who terminated because they knew a child would suffer some disability if they developed naturally.  All of these issues I understand, and tolerate, but they would not be my personal choice. 

My conscience would not tell me to terminate a child because it might be born with downs syndrome for example.  However I feel that this choice of conscience should not be mandated by anyone other than the two people which conceived the potential child.

I say “two people” because I am concerned that fathers or potential fathers have to be given some say as to what happens to their potential offspring.  The law in this country gives actual fathers a pretty raw deal as it is, but as it stands the woman in an abortion situation never has to tell the father what he’s missed out on, or that he even had any responsibility to his sexual partner and potential child.

I know if my wife had ever come to me and said they’d terminated a pregnancy for any reason I would be absolutely devastated at an emotional level.  I could probably rationalise the decision made, and talk it through, but it would make me feel like my role in the conception was irrelevant and my feelings did not matter.  I would never advocate that a man can override the right of a woman to choose the fate of her body, but men should have the right to know about, face up to, and live with the outcome.

I am 100% against abortion as a method of retrospective contraception.  I would not ever advocate this as a solution, as there are options such as adoption.   My argument in this case is that you use proper contraception, 100% of the time if you and your partner do not wish to have a baby, and if you fail to do so then you must both live with the consequences.

As far as the limit goes, I would argue that 24 weeks is probably the longest I would allow, and this should be kept under constant review.  I would not agree that one doctor is appropriate, I suggest that the a medical doctor and a psychological counsellor should discuss all the ramifications with the woman (and the man if possible) at length.  I also feel from a moral standpoint that there should be some record, as to the consenting status of the man, so if the man agrees with the abortion or not should be formally recorded.  It will not change the outcome, but at least it does not denigrate the man to the status of a walking sperm sack with no feelings or rights.