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Sunday 4 September 2011

Abortion Access

It's rare that I have reason to write to my MP on a national issue. But the current debate on changes to how women access abortions has got me really fired up. They propose some 'simple' changes to the way women considering abortion are counselled. The simple change may include anti-abortion groups providing that counselling. It's another hurdle women will have to jump to have the right to choose whether or not they keep their unborn child.


Suzanne Moore wrote a great piece in the Guardian, it's worth a read (if you are pro-choice).
I have always believed in a woman's right to choose what to do with her unborn child.  I was happy in the knowledge that if I was ever in a situation where I was pregnant with a child I couldn't support or didn't want, living in the UK I would have the right to choose and the medical support to back that up. Obviously I prefer contraception as the best approach - but not all women have that option. 


The idea of an unwanted child being born into an unhappy life, upsets me more than the abortion itself.


Now I've got kids, I admit that's changed. I'm in a stable relationship, we are financially secure. If I got pregnant 'by mistake' then I don't think I could have an abortion anymore. I'd be too emotionally attached to that bunch of cells already, I've seen what it grows into.


But that doesn't mean I've forgotten how I used to feel and what I used to want. We should never let go of the people we used to be and the rights that were important to us at different stages in our lives. We could be in that position again in the future.


You don't have to agree, the great thing is, it's up to us individually how we'd deal with that situation. I respect everyone's opinion on this issue because we are all different. This isn't about politics, or the way you vote, for me this is about respecting a woman's ability to make decisions (without having to question, question, question...)


That's why I followed this link and emailed my MP to oppose the new restrictions on abortion access. 
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1 comment:

  1. I'm with you on this.

    It is such an emotive and life changing decision that it should ONLY ever be made by the "parnets" involved or by doctors if relevant.
    Too many people think that they have the right to impose their opinions on to people they have never met and whose situations they could never understand.
    Our opinions do change as we grow, but they are only ever relevant to ourselves.

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