Fertilisation and Embryology Bill - What sould the Abortion time limit be?

Tonight our MPs will be debating the Abortion time limit as part of the Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The debate starts at 18:30 and a free vote should take place around 22:00. Conservative MP Nadine Dorries wants the abortion laws changed. She believes the right of a woman to choose had its limits.

She said: "If a baby feels pain as part of a barbaric abortion process - which is what happens post-20 weeks - and if we know that baby could live if it was allowed to be born, then there comes the point when that baby has rights which are of equal parity to the mother's."

However, Health minister Dawn Primarolo, said: "There is no science that shows us that the survival rates have changed since we took the decision to have the time limit at 24 weeks."

I'll be voting for 20 weeks in this poll. I believe that if their is a chance of survival - then the baby must be given that chance.

Fertilisation and Embryology Bill - What sould the Abortion time limit be?
	Stay as it is - 24 weeks.
	Reduce to - 22 weeks.
	Reduce to - 20 weeks.
	Extended beyond 24 weeks.
	Lower than 20 weeks
pollcode.com free polls

Abortion is getting more common amongst the young.

Abortion is a bit of an hot topic at the moment. The main issue is whether the abortion limit should be reduced from 24 weeks due to the increased chances of survival we are seeing at that stage of pregnancy. I for one agree, it should be reduced to 22 weeks and then be assessed in twelve months time to see if 20 weeks would be more appropriate.

On the subject of abortion, I came across some quite startling figures today:

In England alone, during the period 2002-2006 there were 99,620 recorded pregnancies for under 17 year olds. Of those 50,763 (51%) were aborted. The figures show that the percentage of abortions has increased over the period: 50% were aborted in 2002 compared to 53% aborted in 2006.

We are seeing approximately 20,000 under 17 pregnancies in England each year and there seems to be no sign of that improving. What can we do to drastically cut the 10,000+/year under 17 abortions? Is sex education working?

It would be handy to give the following information to teenage girls - it may make them think twice about getting pregnant in the first place:

Types of abortion

Early medical abortion (up to nine weeks). This method involves taking two tablets, one two days after the other, and together they will induce cramping that will result in the uterus breaking down and the embryo being flushed out. This may also be called medical abortion or using the abortion pill.

Vacuum aspiration abortion (five to fifteen weeks). This method involves a tube being inserted into the vagina and using suction to remove the embryo from the uterus. This is sometimes also called the suction method.

Dilation and evacuation (fifteen to nineteen weeks). This method involves stretching the cervix open with forceps and using suction to remove the embryo from the uterus. This may also be called D&E and be considered the suction method.

Should the 24 week Abortion limit be reduced to 20 weeks?

The House of Commons science and technology committee are to look into reducing the 24 week Abortion limit to 20 weeks. Speaking on Radio 4's Today Programme, Professor Stuart Campbell, former professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at King’s College London said:

"It (the Abortion limit) should be reduced to 20 weeks. Foetuses can survive; even at 23 weeks a large American study shows over 60 per cent of babies survive. And even at 22 weeks there is a reasonable survival rate; admittedly many of these babies are handicapped. But the simple fact is that with medical advances babies between 20 and 24 weeks can survive."

I would also support this change. In my opinion it is ridiculous that you can have one Doctor trying to save premature babies at 20 weeks, while another Doctor is aborting them at 24 weeks in the next room. If life is now viable at 20 weeks, then that should be the limit.

20 weeks to live?

A bill to reduce the time limit for abortions from the current 24 weeks to 20 weeks is to be proposed by Tory MP Nadine Dorries.
Ms Dorries also calls for a one-week "cooling-off" period following an abortion request to allow sufficient time for counselling.
Announcing her proposal Ms Dorries said: "Many people are not aware that in order for a late abortion to take place for social reasons, foeticide must first take place; this process can take up to two days and involves a lethal injection being administered into the foetal heart via a cannular through the mother's abdominal wall. "When a doctor is sure the foetal heart has stopped, the dead foetus is delivered on day two using forceps. "How can it possibly be right that on one hospital ward we have doctors working to save the life of a baby born at 22 weeks, yet on another a doctor is aborting one of the same gestation?"
There were 186,400 abortions in England and Wales last year, 89% were carried out before the woman was 13 weeks pregnant, with 67% performed at under 10 weeks.
Labour MP Chris McCafferty has called the cooling-off proposal "an attack on women's reproductive rights".

Q. Should the time limit for abortions be reduced from 24 weeks to 20 weeks?

To see the results go to:

http://dailyreferendum.co.uk/