| More science, more choices |
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| Written by Steve Bettison | |
| Tuesday, 30 October 2007 | |
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It is 40 years since the introduction of legalized abortion to the UK
and the Science & Technology Select Committee have recently begun
an inquiry into the science of abortion, not the ethical or moral issues relating to it. Their investigations include the upper time limit of 24 weeks on legal abortions with regard to predicting foetal viability, and whether a medical or scientific definition of abnormality is required post 24 weeks. In the UK the majority of abortions (around 90 percent) occur in the first trimester. Currently there is a requirement for two GPs signatures, something that both women and doctors wish to see reduced to one. This might be introduced in conjunction with greater access and wider availability of treatments. The contentious point is foetal viability after 20 weeks (and the definition of viability). Whilst it is rare for women to undertake an abortion after this time (only 1.6 percent in 2006) it is also unlikely that the foetus can survive a premature birth between weeks 20 and 24, especially weeks 20 through 23. In a study from 1995 of the 761 births up to week 24 of the pregnancy, only 17 percent survived to discharge from hospital and, of the subsequent numbers assessed at six years old, only 13 percent had no impairments. A review of the law is entirely sensible - it is the nature of science to advance and it helps life as it does so. But it is still some way from giving a viable life to those born before 24 weeks, so there is not as yet a convincing case for lowering that current limit.
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