WHILE the abortion debate rages on in the US and indeed across the globe, perhaps we can be reassured that in Britain, a woman’s right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy still exits.

Since the 1967 Abortion Act, a termination can be performed in any case up to twenty-four weeks. This date is seen as being around the time of viability, that being where a foetus could survive on their own, outside the womb. With advancing medical techniques, babies are surviving after being born earlier than this. A termination can be performed up to term, ie, 40 weeks, albeit in exceptional circumstances. Over 90 per cent of terminations take place before 13 weeks, and less than two in every hundred occur after 20 weeks.

Although it is a difficult topic to discuss, shrouded in secrecy, misunderstanding and stigma, abortions are not uncommon. Across the globe, one in four pregnancies end in abortion.

Human behaviour does not change whether abortion is legalised or it is made a criminal offence. In countries where it is allowed under law, the rate of abortion is 37 per 1,000 people, yet where it is illegal or severely restricted, the rate is still 34 per 1,000 people.

What does change is the outcome. Performed by competent, trained individuals in an appropriate, hygienic service, the risks are low, indeed lower than pregnancy and childbirth. Yet in a “backstreet clinic” the outcomes are often catastrophic.

A staggering 40per cent of women of reproductive age, mostly in the developing nations, do not have access to suitable termination facilities. As a consequence, unsafe abortion practices have the dubious distinction of being the third highest cause of maternal deaths. It is estimated there are 25 million unsafe abortions conducted world-wide every year.

The decision to terminate a pregnancy is a very personal one. A woman can self-refer for the procedure without the need to approach her GP. It is a woman’s prerogative to make decisions regarding her own body, including her reproductive rights. After being seen by a practitioner in a clinic facility, the individual should be offered a procedure, be that medical or surgical, within five working days. The clinic will not automatically inform the GP, unless the patient consents.

There are multiple arguments against termination, or severely restricting it. These include it being sinful, that life begins at conception, and that the unborn child is able to feel pain.

Yet rarely are religion and medicine compatible, and although no practitioner has to consent to referring a woman for a termination, they must signpost them to another healthcare professional who can. This is now largely obsolete as you do not need a GP to refer you. Not all women’s health specialists perform terminations. There is the ability to opt out.

While for some life may begin at conception, for others it is seen to start at viability. Yet in the eyes of the law, the unborn foetus has no rights. A woman is free to choose whatever decisions she makes, even if these may seem unwise or indeed unpalatable to others.

While the argument for the unborn child feeling pain is perhaps the strongest, this cannot be placed above the physical and psychological wellbeing of the woman. Abortion should not need to be guarded by clandestine rules that only allow for exceptional circumstances such as rape or incest.

There are numerous myths that abound regarding the consequences of abortion. It does not make you infertile. It does not make you likely to suffer miscarriage in subsequent pregnancies. It does not cause mental ill health, although understandably women may need some psychological support after what is often a difficult decision. Carrying an unwanted child to term is likely to result in greater mental illness, which has the very real potential to affect the child as well.

An elucidating statistic is that by their 45th birthday, one in three women in the UK will have had an abortion, and according to polls 95per cent do not regret it.

Abortion should never be treated as a throwaway subject. Ensuring women’s rights across the world, including sex education, access to contraception, and importantly the right to say no to unwanted advances, may all help to reduce the rates of abortion.

Yet none of these can and should ever be a reason for denying a woman a basic human right, to be able to make choices and govern her own body.

* Useful websites:

www.bpas.org

www.nupas.co.uk