The UK health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said that he backs halving the legal time limit for women to have abortions, from 24 weeks to 12.
Mr Hunt and others like him who have been advocating this change are doing so on the basis that babies are surviving at much shorter gestation periods than they were thanks to medical advances (and despite increasing evidence that such neonates will suffer a whole host of disadvantages for the rest of their lives).
Sooner or later we are going to have to create a legal definition of abortion that ignores the potential viability of the foetus or revert to not permitting abortion.
Advances in IVF techniques and in the care of premature babies mean the time is soon approaching whereby it is possible that the majority of foetuses will be viable outside of the mother's body. I foresee that there will also be the possibility to transfer a foetus form one woman's body to another successfully. Trying to set ethical abortion parameters for legality against this scientific background is going to be extremely difficult, especially if you add in the dogmatic vehemence of those who feel a woman has no right to terminate a pregnancy and muddy the debate with the views of those who do not understand the science. This combination is a sure recipe for setting impetuous legislation that may see the return of the horrors of the back street abortion and, perhaps, even violent demonstration. I am pessimistic at our avoiding this with reasoned, calm debate but I pray that we do.
Mr Hunt and others like him who have been advocating this change are doing so on the basis that babies are surviving at much shorter gestation periods than they were thanks to medical advances (and despite increasing evidence that such neonates will suffer a whole host of disadvantages for the rest of their lives).
Sooner or later we are going to have to create a legal definition of abortion that ignores the potential viability of the foetus or revert to not permitting abortion.
Advances in IVF techniques and in the care of premature babies mean the time is soon approaching whereby it is possible that the majority of foetuses will be viable outside of the mother's body. I foresee that there will also be the possibility to transfer a foetus form one woman's body to another successfully. Trying to set ethical abortion parameters for legality against this scientific background is going to be extremely difficult, especially if you add in the dogmatic vehemence of those who feel a woman has no right to terminate a pregnancy and muddy the debate with the views of those who do not understand the science. This combination is a sure recipe for setting impetuous legislation that may see the return of the horrors of the back street abortion and, perhaps, even violent demonstration. I am pessimistic at our avoiding this with reasoned, calm debate but I pray that we do.
