Anne Robinson and the law on abortion

I'm with bibbity on this...if you don't want an abortion, don't have one. I, personally, would not, and have had to think about that choice, but I would defend any woman's choice to do what they feel they should with their body. You will always get people who abuse the system, but I believe most women give the problem great thought.

My mother had tremendous difficulties giving birth to my sister who is five years' my senior. Both of them came close to death. She miscarried a son a couple of years after my sister's birth – a cause of great grief to both my mother and father. Both parents were thrilled when I was expected in 1950. Everything started to go wrong as the due date approached and an emergency C-section was the plan. Before it happened, my father was called into a private room and asked which one of he wanted saved – his wife or his child – as it seemed likely that one of us would die. I do not know his answer, although I hope it was his wife, but no man should be presented with such a terrible decision at such a time or, indeed, any time.

My parents wanted another child – even it it turned out to be me – but they did use contraception the rest of the time. Contraception was fairly unreliable and fairly unpleasant to use in those days. If my parents had been told of the terrible risks in advance – which were known and in her medical records following the immensely long labour and traumatic birth five years earlier, they would have avoided another pregnancy. If it had happened inadvertently and legal abortion was available, I think they would jointly and sadly have chosen that route and I would never have been born. They would have been absolutely right.

Completely agree with you grannytotwins.

Really .eleothan, to me it was a man struggling with the death of his child,

anniebach You commented that the man in the programme simply wanted to save the life of his baby.

I was suspicious of his reasoning in this matter and his motivation.

Firstly, he said that he had been pro-choice but when it came to HIS baby he changed his mind.

He then elaborated on his idea as to how such a contentious situation might be dealt with. He suggested some sort of panel be appointed to listen to the views of the man and the woman in dispute regarding a pregnancy and then decide whether they would allow the woman to have an abortion. When questioned, he said that the same process should apply if the man did not wish to be a father and therefore did not wish to pregnancy to continue. Some shock was naturally expressed at his view which seemed to advocate that a woman should, in such circumstances, be actually forced to have an abortion.

That didn't sound much to me like a man who believes in the sanctity of life or even in the sanctity of his own child's life, but just a man who was annoyed at being unable to impose his wishes on his partner - whatever those wishes might be.

Just asking the question; it's been stated that in law we don't have abortion on demand, but I have never, ever heard of a woman whose request for an abortion has been denied, has anyone?
I do know, both personally and professionally, of women who have had a surprising (to me) number of successive abortions. The latest figures say thirty eight per cent of abortions in 2016 were to women who had had one or more previous abortions.

Sparkle my understanding is that annie thinks all abortion is wrong. I think you could conclude that those of us that think it’s a personal choice would be very sad about your dd’s particular circumstances but would support her right to make such a devastating decision - unlike people like JRM and a whole swathe of so called Christians

Ilovecheese, I'll just put the link stating that teenage pregnancies are at their lowest recorded level.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35761826

I fully support the woman's right to choose - isn't that one of the things we women have been fighting centuries for? Banning abortion would drive it underground and we would be back to non-sterile conditions/back street abortions. An ancestor of mine was desperate not to have more children as they had no money. She bled to death, her family was destroyed. Please do not let us go back there.
Morgana I quite agree with what you said above. There has been abortion since ancient times and banning it would drive it underground.

Quite agree Sparklefizz. It must be very hard to decide to have an abortion. My first baby was initially not wanted, I was devastated to find I was pregnant (contraception failed), but that baby was the best thing to ever happen to me. I fully support the woman's right to choose - isn't that one of the things we women have been fighting centuries for? Banning abortion would drive it underground and we would be back to non-sterile conditions/back street abortions. An ancestor of mine was desperate not to have more children as they had no money. She bled to death, her family was destroyed. Please do not let us go back there.

suedonin Could you just repeat your last post for Grandmama regarding the number of teenage pregnancies "these days"

Just seen your post Sparklefizz Your poor daughter.
There does seem to be such a lack of compassion in the people that are against abortion.

I'm pro choice all the way.
If you don't want an abortion don't get one.

Thank you Anniebach for your compassion regarding my daughter's situation. Interesting that no one else has mentioned it. Sigh. By the way, she did go on to have a healthy pregnancy thankfully, although it was an extremely worrying 9 months. I don't believe people can make these black and white pronouncements without having walked in someone else's shoes. Every case is different.

The media seems to see the anniversary of the passing of the Abortion Act as a great step forward and that it is intolerable that in some countries abortion is not freely available. For me the right to life is sacred. Recently some friends of mine lost their unborn baby at just before the limit for abortion. This was a perfectly formed baby that could have been killed legally.

DD2 was an unexpected teenage mother. Our lovely GD1 could have finished up as a dead foetus in a sluice room.

The Abortion Act has been abused. Accidents happen but there is no excuse for such a huge number of unwanted pregnancies these days.

I suppose it depends on one's definition of young people but if we're talking about teenagers, then you're wrong Valeriej43. Teenage pregnancies are at their lowest since records began and are less than half the rates they were in 1971.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35761826

I didnt see whichever progamme this was, but i do think 24 weeks is very late unless the baby is badly deformed or some other genuine health problem
There is no need whatsoever for anyone to get pregnant these days,i know accidents can happen sometimes ,but there are too many young girls getting pregnant these days
I know one who recently had a second baby ,now the couple have split up,
Poor babies, no settled family for them,
I dont agree with Jacob ReeS Mogg who says there should be no abortion even for rape victims, but i believe people just accept it these days,if you want an abortion go and get one
There is not always a health reason why someone doesnt want the baby, but at 24 weeks its wrong in my opinion
There are lots of people im sure who would love to adopt a baby,
In the old days you had to marry the father or go into a mother and baby home then the baby would be adopted,
Not suggesting at all we go back to that, but young people especially are too free and easy, and should make sure they have some contraception , rather than abortion or an unwanted baby,which wasnt available then like today
I think if any abortion at all it should be in the very early stages,

Sparkle, how tragic, no one would want that for a woman , I hope your daughter had a healthy pregnancy after that heartache

I’m sure everyone would rather live in a world where abortions were never necessary for whatever reason - that world never has and never will exist. Calling it a good deed is a silly phrase but it’s better than the alternative

Seerkeen your message at 02.50 this morning made me angry so I have not read further on, but what would you have said to my poor daughter who had to terminate her much-wanted pregnancy at 12 weeks because the baby was developing a rare and horrific form of dwarfism which would kill her in carrying to term? Would you deny her a termination and say she had to die? It happened 12 years ago and she is still upset. She and her husband, and in fact our whole family along with her, agonised over it. Not everything is as black and white as you seem to imagine. Have some compassion.

And taking the life of an unborn child is a good deed regardless of reason for doing so

Those who believe an unborn child has a right to life are entitled to that POV. How far do you take that, though? Does its right to life supersede that of the mother's? What about if the mother drinks, takes drugs, smokes, engages in other risky behaviour? In America women have been imprisoned for having acted in ways which could be perceived as leading to miscarriage.

Yes I know that and they are wrong - forcing a woman to carry to term and give birth is utterly wicked and hateful.

And some believe an unborn child has a right to life .

1 Corinthians 13:13

I absolutely understand that Christians are individuals - some are loving and non judgemental like my friend and others are harsh, authoritarian, judgemental, think women should be denied choice even if the pregnancy is the result of rape and incest. What I do know about Christisnity is that it is supposed to be about love above all - forcing a woman to be an incubator regardless of her wishes is about hate