A century from now, we will be appalled that we allowed abortions at all
Rod Liddle says the Commons vote securing the 24-week limit is no more than a craven politician’s fudge, designed to postpone the day when the law of the land finally catches up with the indisputable findings of science
An awful lot of people we know are being laid off at the moment, or finding their incomes substantially decreased. This is the credit crunch, the cusp of a recession and its impact was felt first and most onerously upon those hard-working and resourceful young men in the City’s banking institutions. Many are looking to ship out and find jobs elsewhere; some, suddenly stricken with the need to feel socially useful, are downsizing into strange occupations such as teaching. But others just want to carry on making money and are looking for an industry which is unlikely to be affected by the current financial crisis. But what, exactly, should it be?
The clear answer is that they should all retrain as abortionists, the abrupt termination of pregnancies being one of Britain’s most vibrant growth industries. There were a total of 193,737 abortions carried out in Britain in 2006, the latest year for which figures are available. That’s a tenfold increase on the number carried out in 1968, the first full year for which abortions were deemed legal by the state. Lately the yearly rate of increase has hovered at around 4 per cent, comfortably above the rate of inflation. It is likely to rise still more sharply in future years as Britain’s women fully embrace the notion that an unconfined number of sexual partners is the desirable norm, preferably with the act of love effected while pissed out of their skulls on Bacardi Breezers, down a fairly quiet back alley in between Budgens and that cheap, if noxious, halal fried chicken emporium. Contraception is a man’s responsibility too, of course — but in these sudden, romantically impetuous couplings such precautions are frequently, understandably, forgotten by both parties in the white heat of the moment. The average number of sexual partners enjoyed by young women continues to increase exponentially each year, in ever closer pursuit of the number of sexual partners claimed by men. There are many, many consequences of this phenomenon, of which a yearly rise in the abortion rate is just one.
More articles from: Rod Liddle | this section
Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
Advertisement
Labour’s U-turn on social housing for non-immigrants is welcome but too late
Rod LiddleRod Liddle says that metropolitan liberal ideology is too deeply ingrained in local councils, social services and the judiciary to be overturned by one panic measure driven by Labour’s sudden fear of the BNP
To become an extremist, hang around with people you agree with
Cass SunsteinCass Sunstein — co-author of the hugely influential Nudge and an adviser to President Obama — unveils his new theory of ‘group polarisation’, and explains why, when like-minded people spend time with each other, their views become not only more confident but more extreme
Who would have thought a herd could moonwalk?
Mark EarlsThe acclaimed web theorist, Mark Earls, says that the death of Michael Jackson unleashed the extremes of collective action: mass mourning and sick jokes
A splendid lunch with Jimmy McNulty
Deborah RossIn the first of an occasional series of interviews over meals, Deborah Ross talks to Dominic West about The Wire and the challenge to an Old Etonian of playing an American cop
What Jacko needed was someone to say ‘No’
Uri Geller
My defining memory of Michael Jackson — vulnerable, brilliant, otherworldly — is of watching him dance to the soundtrack of a movie.
The secret Iraq deal that bought Mandelson’s loyalty to Brown
John KampfnerJohn Kampfner unveils the ignominious truth about Sir John Chilcot’s Iraq inquiry and reveals Peter Mandelson’s demand, when Brown’s future hung in the balance in early June, that the hearings be held in private. Even now Mandelson’s priority is to protect Brand Blair
The rise of British racism may be horribly close
Fraser NelsonAs the June elections draw close, Fraser Nelson goes on the stump with the BNP and is struck by a troubling paradox: the less racist Britain is, the more popular this racist party becomes. As Westminster implodes, far Right politicians are posturing as the tribunes of working people
Labour has left Britain on the fringes of Europe
William HagueWilliam Hague responds to David Miliband’s claim in The Spectator that the Tory EU policy is suicidal and says the government’s own strategy has been an abject failure
This is a constitutional crisis. Dave dare not blow it
Fraser NelsonFraser Nelson says that the scale of public disgust at the MPs’ expenses scandal presents the next Prime Minister with a huge challenge — and a huge opportunity. If Cameron devolves power to voters, he will be rewarded. But if he fails, the punishment will be swift
Boris for Prime Minister?
Andrew GimsonAndrew Gimson says that David Cameron and George Osborne should prepare themselves for competition. The Mayor of London might well have his eyes on the ultimate prize.
Latest blog posts
sponsored links
BIG SAND STEEL BAND
IF YOU ARE PLANNING A CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION and looking for some light entertainment, you can now hire London's busiest steel
BOSC LEBAT, Tarn et Garonne.
BOSC LEBAT, SW France. Only 45 minutes from Toulouse Airport with daily flights from most provincial airports avoiding the horrors
ROME CENTRE
PORTA METRONIA, ROME Standing high on the top of one of the seven hills of Rome- the Coelian- this unique
Spectator Business | Apollo Magazine
Corporate | Advertising | Privacy | Terms
Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP
All Articles and Content Copyright ©2008 by The Spectator | All Rights Reserved
John Thomas
May 22nd, 2008 6:08pmIt's interesting that Rod, here, writes of future memorials and apologies for the abortion holocaust(say from the descendents of Brown and Primarola? - now there's a thought). I was thinking about such possibilities only yesterday. Of course, you could not put the names of victims on such a memorial, say like war memorials. So, I suggest listing the perpetrators ("Their Guilt Liveth for Evermore"). Perhaps in the boldest letters would be cut the name of the grand old Father of British Infanticide, M'lord Steele. Apparently, his lordship has said that he really did believe, back in 1968 (was it?) that abortion would only be for last resort, and he never, ever supposed that it would become simply a means of family planning; now it used to be said that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", but with Steele we have to substitute "extreme naivety".
Sean Dunne
May 22nd, 2008 8:06pmIt’s questionable whether any humans will even be alive on this planet in a hundreds years time. With a population figure due to reach 9 billion in a mere 50 years time, many areas of the world will have compulsory abortion laws as an attempt just to stave off unavoidable starvation.
alison weston
May 23rd, 2008 10:21amFor the life of me I can't understand unwanted pregnancies (except in case of rape) as there are all manner of devices, pills, to use and take to prevent getting pregnant. It's all become too easy, too callous. Perhaps we need to go back to love and marriage and work at them both.
Susan Grave
May 23rd, 2008 1:14pmA very serious indictment on supposed 'civilised' society that abortion is used as a method of contraception! We certainly live in a disgustingly disposable world!
Harry Osbourne
May 23rd, 2008 9:27pmWhen will the number of foetuses aborted (at the taxpayers expense),surpass the number of Jews killed by Hitler? Unlike the average Gernan then we do not have the excuse of a Totalitarian dictatorship determiming events over which we have no control.
It is even more distasteful that the missing four million have been replaced by a similar number of immigrants, encouraged, actively or otherwise, by our market forces dominated politicians.
Richard Manns
May 23rd, 2008 10:50pmYou don't define a human by pain. Indeed, we tend to define them by the capacity of our cerebral cortex "acting human". But consider this; children born without a functional cortex may not be recognised as such for a few weeks, so if you continue that logic, until the child's cortex becomes active and relevant, the baby is still just a bundle of primitive sucking reflexes with no "human brain" input.
Secondly, the argument against abortion still has trouble defining when the fetus is a fetus; perhaps the contact by the sperm? Penetration of the egg? The calcium release to prevent further penetration? Fusion of the nuclei? When the father's DNA begins to play a role? Implantation?
I build a trap here; most of these are spontaneously aborted prior to term in any case.
But realistically, I invite you to travel back to the 19th century here (backstreet abortions), the 1930s in Spain (dead babies in the river Turia) and the idea of giving birth to your rapist's child. This is madness to propose a return.
I do not say that it ought not to be modified; but to throw the baby out with the bath-water is not smart.
Mr Grumpy
May 23rd, 2008 10:58pmIt gets worse: the 2006 tally of 193,737 abortions is actually just for England and Wales. There were another 13,081 in Scotland.
David Medlock
May 24th, 2008 10:06amWhen a fetus is aborted, a living organism dies. Is it a human organism? What else could it possibly be?
D Short
May 24th, 2008 4:21pmI heard a nurse on R4 the other day describing how she had to take an aborted foetus away for removal, and saw the baby gasping for breath under the amniotic fluid.
It's an image I think I shall take to the grave.
john
May 26th, 2008 3:37pmWhat intrigues me about the 'pro-choice' case is the weight given to the question of the time before or after which a foetus is able to survive independently. But of course if you do remove it before that time it will indeed not survive. That so circular a form of argument is trotted out to justify this extreme act does confirm that however fatuous one's case, the more it is parroted, the more credence it gains.
There can be grounds for abortion, but claptrap for pleasing the femino-liberal left is not one of them.
Steve Stip
May 27th, 2008 12:28amHow blase some people are about pain! How can anyone with any imagination or any knowledge of the Golden Rule countenance the painful killing of even an animal much less a human? Some people make me feel very good about myself and that ain't saying much.
Catherine Hanley
May 28th, 2008 4:10pmMy uterus is nobody's business but my own, Mr Liddle. My personal issues aside with the concept of abortion, illegalising the right of women to do what they want with their own body, also legalises my ability to say I want your heart for my sick relative in need of a transplant. Pregnancy can kill and it could well kill me if I ever chose to become pregnant because of health reasons.The question is bodily integrity and choices made because of that. Not the actions of the hypothetical woman dragging a man off behind Budgens. Finally, its amazing how the loudest voices against abortion are those with penises.
Catherine Hanley
May 28th, 2008 4:10pmMy uterus is nobody's business but my own, Mr Liddle. My personal issues aside with the concept of abortion, illegalising the right of women to do what they want with their own body, also legalises my ability to say I want your heart for my sick relative in need of a transplant. Pregnancy can kill and it could well kill me if I ever chose to become pregnant because of health reasons.The question is bodily integrity and choices made because of that. Not the actions of the hypothetical woman dragging a man off behind Budgens. Finally, its amazing how the loudest voices against abortion are those with penises.
john
May 28th, 2008 7:26pmCatherine states irrefutable particular grounds for abortion. Particular. She also generalises this so far as apparently to present abortion as an absolute good, in so far as it embodies free choice. It is as well that as moral social decisions need the best thoughts of all responsible members of society, we all get a say. That is because we are duty bound to support each other in the consideration of grave matters, not because of the narrow factionalism she perhaps assumes.
Joanna
June 7th, 2008 5:53amIf we think more about why an abortion is needed, we can conclude that it's necessary for most of the cases!
Helena Wojtczak
August 2nd, 2008 11:31amTwo thoughts:
Rather a quarter of a million abortions a year than a quarter of a million unwanted children, surely?
It isn't feminists that are thoughtlessly discharging their seed inside fertile women.
Helen Smith
September 28th, 2008 4:57amCatherine, firstly, if its YOUR body, why didn't you have the INDIVIDUAL responsibility to USE contraception in the first place? Not really a choice there. Furthermore, Liddle says a child feels pain at 8 weeks, hence, IMPLYING that it doesn't take 2 MONTHS (when the child feels pain and RESPOND to external stimuli) to have an abortion, even if you are irresponsible and an insult to any women who CAN take care of themselves indepedently. An dif you were responisble and still got pregnant (e.g. condom burst)or raped 2 months (40-50 days) is still a reasonable time to have an abortion. The model has its own fludity.
Secondly, there is NO disagreement that if the mother's life is in danger an abortion is permitted. The Catholic Church ALLOWS for abortion in such contexts!
Emma
February 5th, 2009 3:12pmAnd what about the thousands of women who are failed by their contraception each year? There are cases of women conceiving while on the pill or using condoms- neither are 100% effective.