Doctors opposing abortion limit cut (From Bournemouth Echo)

Doctors opposing abortion limit cut

7:00pm Tuesday 6th May 2008

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DOCTORS in Dorset are against a move to cut the abortion limit from 24 to 20 weeks.

The abortion debate has been re-ignited by the tabling of an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill in parliament.

But the call has not been welcomed by the government or the British Medical Association (BMA).

Press officer for the BMA in East Dorset Dr Tom McKinstry said: "The limit has been working quite well as it is so I don't think there is any need to change it.

"It is distressing to have a termination in the last few weeks so we don't want to be doing that if we can avoid it but it is better to have the choice.

"In this area it is very rare to have an abortion up to the limit as there is good access to GPs."

He added that a study out this week would show that there has been no improvement in the survival rate of babies born at 24 weeks.

The FPA also oppose this reduction believing it has been introduced by people who are anti abortion and want to restrict women's ability to get them.

Spokesman Rebecca Findlay said: "Almost 90 per cent of abortions are carried on in the first 13 weeks so we are only talking about a small percentage of women.

"Women have an abortion after 20 weeks for various reasons: finding out they are pregnant late, which is more common in very young women or those going through the menopause, being delayed by the NHS in their attempts to get an abortion, discovering their baby is disabled or suffering some trauma in their life meaning they could not cope with a baby."

She said the organisation was committed to maintaining the right to safe, legal abortions and thinks that a lower limit would mean an increase in women obtaining illegal abortions.

However Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire Nadine Dorries said: "Britain has 600 abortions a day. That is just too many - we must slow down on abortion.

"I respect a woman's right to choose. But we are close to being the abortion capital of the world and it is now time to adopt a more moderate, common sense approach to abortion."

Jo Whittaker from Bournemouth, whose two-year-old daughter was born at 27 weeks, supports the move.

She said: "People don't realise that babies can survive at 24 weeks. I know of a couple of people who had babies then and they are doing really well. Obviously there has to be a cut off somewhere, but from my experience 24 weeks is far too late."

• In 2006, 1,066 abortions were carried out in Bournemouth and Poole and 760 in Dorset.

Seventy nine under-18s had abortions in Bournemouth and Poole and 87 in Dorset.

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