Why the abortion time limit will soon come down
James Forsyth 5:59pm
Sadly, the abortion vote last night pretty much split down party lines with 83 percent of Tories in favour of a lower limit and 80 percent of Labour MPs supported the 24 week status quo. It would be a disaster for British politics if abortion was to become a partisan issue—imagine the Commons continually changing the time limit after an election in much the way that US administrations suspend or enact the Mexico City policy. Indeed, my one criticism of the campaign against the 24 week timeframe for so-called ‘social abortions’ is that some of its advocates veered too quickly into partisan language.
But I am hopeful the time limit for ‘social abortions’ will soon come down regardless of which party has a majority in Parliament. Looking at the pictures in the papers today of foetuses—The Mail’s front-page photo of a 23 week old one is particularly arresting—and the medical evidence on both viability and when foetuses begin to feel pain it is hard not to think that the law is going to have to be reformed. Considering that is also what the public appears to want, one feels justified in thinking that this will happen sooner rather than later.
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Comments
Ian C
May 21st, 2008 6:13pmAnother glaring example of politicians being out of touch with the country.
Tanuki
May 21st, 2008 7:51pmI'm glad that parliament threw out the proposed changes to the abortion time-limit; for me it would be a disastrous waste of parliamentary time for an incoming Conservative government to waste further time discussing the issue when there are matters like the excess taxation/regulation resultant on 15 years of Labour misrule that would be a far better and productive use of their time.
People in the pub don't fret about abortion time-limits; they worry about petrol at £1.20/litre and whether their rubbish gets collected weekly or fortnightly.
Pete, Scotland
May 21st, 2008 8:45pmI viewed the pictures in the paper.
I heard the testimony of the nurse where she was handed an aborted baby struggling for breath.
Anne Widecombe was right, how can we come to such a conclusion in the 21st century.
Ben Stevenson
May 21st, 2008 9:33pmI voted Labour in 2005. I have since voted Conservative in this years local council elections, and plan to vote Conservative in the next general election.
My dislike of Labour's positions on issues like abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and IVF, are a major reason why I have switched allegience - even if these are not officially party political issues. I would welcome the chance to vote for a party that took a pro-life position.
(My economic views have also changed in recent years.)
Ray
May 22nd, 2008 9:06amPersonally, I'd question Tanuki's assertion that the British people care little about abortion.
However, if he is right then we are no different to those wartime Germans who were not unduly worried about trainloads of Jews heading east.
authenticdasein
May 22nd, 2008 2:35pm"Looking at the pictures in the papers today of foetuses—The Mail’s front-page photo of a 23 week old one is particularly arresting—" time to stop reading the Daily Hatemail perhaps.
@Pete: I heard the testimony also; but I wonder how many testimonies of women who needed to make this difficult decision you listened to, and heeded their particular circumstances. No one, incl. Labour Party MPs, takes abortions lightly.
Tiberius
May 22nd, 2008 3:04pmI really would like to repeat my post from the earlier thread on this subject, which I believe was censored for being too offensive against Dawn Primarolo.
So I won't, but would say that the general ad hominem attacks allowed on the DT comment boards are just as bad if not worse.
Ben Stevenson
May 22nd, 2008 5:14pmTanuki,
Excess regulation may be a problem, but there is no way that it is a bigger issue than 200,000 deaths a year.
Puncheon
May 22nd, 2008 8:55pmOh! God spare us the boring sentimentality - like all animals we are programmed to be nice to wee, small thingies. Who cares abour 200,000 useless and unwanted mouthes. Babies and children have no economic value. They are parasites with nothing to offer but charm and egotism, and who have only have the value of the opportunity cost of a pregnant women, ie practically zero. It is no business of politicians, religious maniacs or other busy bodies what a mother or father decides to do with their offspring.