Cameron calls for abortions to be made less accessible

The UK’s Conservative Party leader David Cameron called for the time limit on abortions to be cut from 24 weeks to 20:

Cameron told the Daily Mail: “I would like to see a reduction in the current limit, as it is clear that, due to medical advancement, many babies are surviving at 24 weeks.

“If there is an opportunity in the human fertilisation and embryology bill, I will be voting to bring this limit down from 24 weeks.

So David Cameron thinks abortions should be made less accessible, despite medical opinion to the contrary.

“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.”

Interestingly,

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

That’s 0.7% of abortions carried out at 22 weeks or later — a tiny tiny fraction of all abortions. The anti-abortion lobby likes to imply that late-term abortions are common, when in fact they are extremely rare, and frequently performed in cases of medical emergency. Late term abortions are medically necessary procedures.

You can write to David Cameron here and point out to him that cutting the time limit on abortions will endanger women’s lives, and is contrary to medical opinion. For more information about the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, please go here. Please consider writing to your MP and asking them to protect access to abortion if/when ammendments are offered to the the bill.

–IP

Because kids are important

See what I did there? I gave you an answer before the question.

The other day I saw someone with a sticker that had a picture of a baby on it and “I’m not a choice, I’m a child” printed over it. And I thought about how simple that made having a kid sound. As if it’s easy, as if everyone has the practical, financial, or psychoemotional means to raise a kid. As if raising a kid is something everyone does effortlessly.

Well there’s a lie and a half. And while I wouldn’t want to pre-empt my parents or put words in their mouths, I’m reasonably certain that if I phoned my parents and said “Mami, Papi, wasn’t bringing me up effortlesly easy and cheap and utterly risk-free?” their response might be more along the lines of “Have you totally and irrevocably lost your marbles?” than “Of course it was, sweetheart.”

At some point I will probably want to have kids of my own. And if/when I do, I want to be in a position such that I can provide for them properly, and be as good a parent as possible. I take kids seriously, and in my experience, so do the vast majority of women. Seriously enough to say “I want the best for my kids, and that means a good mother capable of looking after kids.” And because I take kids that seriously, there are probably going to be times in my life when I’m not going to be in a position that I consider to be an acceptable one for raising a child. In those situations, having a child would be irresponsible both for the child and for me, if I didn’t have the resources to look after me or the kid. So it’s really no surprise that this study found that concern for future and existing children is a key reason given by women as a reason for having an abortion (hat tip: Feministe).

And hey, I’m also concerned about my own wellbeing, and I don’t think that’s selfish. Because if my health and wellbeing go to pot I’m going to have a seriously hard time taking good care of my kids, which ain’t fair on me or on the kids.

I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again: no one is better able than I am to judge whether I’d make a good parent. And no one cares whether I’d make a good parent more than I do. Because if I have kids, I have to actually be a good parent, which isn’t easy. So-called “pro-life” policies deny medically-necessary options to women, endanger their health and wellbeing, endanger the health and wellbeing of potential or existing children, and override the opinion of the people who are best placed to assess the effects of parenthood on their own or their other kids’ health and wellbeing: women. It’s that simple.

The question was: why do you vote pro-choice? Tomorrow is Blog for Choice Day, the 35th anniversary of Roe.

Image description: An image of someone typing in the background and the words ‘Blog for Choice Day January 22, 2008′”

–IP

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill does not itself deal with abortion, but is presenting an opportunity for amendments concerning abortion rights to be tabled.

From Abortion Rights UK:

the government’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is speeding through the Lords. Although the Bill itself does not address abortion, it is expected that anti-abortion Peers and/or MPs will table a number of damaging amendments to restrict women’s rights to abortion. In addition pro-choice MPs are expected to table amendments to improve the law for women.

The Bill has already had its First and Second Readings in the House of Lords on 7th and 19th November respectively.

A stream of anti-abortion Peers took part in the debate and attacked current rights with pro-choice Peers speaking in defence of the 1967 Abortion Act. Pro-choice MPs are planning to table amendments to improve the law during the course of the Bill in the Commons.

Follow the link for more info. Amendments concerning abortion that are expected to be tabled include reducing the time limit on abortions, imposing a “cooling off” period and mandatory counselling for women seeking abortions, the removal of the need for two doctors’ signatures, permitting access to abortion in Northern Ireland, and removing the need for certifications to be sent to the Department of Health for all abortions.

If you are a UK citizen, please consider writing to your MP and urging them to protect women’s health by supporting those amendments that would improve access to abortions on demand (eg, by removing the need for two doctors’ signatures), and urging them to oppose the amendments that would restrict access to abortion (eg, the “cooling off” period and mandatory counselling).  Abortion rights has a model letter and advice on writing to your MP, here.

Hat tip:  Winter at Mind the Gap.

–IP