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Tuesday 14 October 2008

THE ABORTION PILL

Most pro-lifers and pro-choice people agree on one thing; that if a woman decides to have a termination then the earlier it is carried out in the pregnancy the better for all involved.

But current government legislation on the abortion pill, taken in the first four to nine weeks of gestation, is forcing some women to terminate later in the pregnancy. And others, to suffer traumatic and unnecessary inconveniences such as bleeding on public transport on the way home and being forced to find childcare for two days.

The abortion pill is taken in two parts, two to three days apart from each other. The law insists that both parts are taken in a clinic and then the woman is free to leave. The pills are not fast acting and take a while to effect; therefore there is no perceivable benefit to the woman to take the second part in the clinic.

Forcing women to come into the clinic twice is clinically unnecessary. Women in full time jobs, with full time caring commitments, or who live in rural areas far away from clinics, may be forced to wait until they are past the 9 week gestation stage, when an abortion requires just one clinic visit. As the induced miscarriage can start an hour or so after the second pill, those with a long journey home could suffer the pain and public humiliation of bleeding whilst travelling home.

This is one of the only laws in health that works against the interests of the patient and is yet a further example of how abortion regulations severely patronise women.

Chris McCafferty MP is tabling an amendment that will remove the requirement for two clinic visits. This will have a two-fold benefit of increasing capacity for early abortion treatment appointments and helping to reduce distressing delays for women.

Please email or write to your MP today to ask them to support this amendment.

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