Abortion in the United Kingdom?

The topic Ive decided to talk about is abortion, I am debating this topic because it is such a
controversial subject because theyre many different opinions on weather abortion should be legal
in the United Kingdom. Also the abortion debate asks whether it can be morally right to terminate a
pregnancy before normal childbirth. Some people think that abortion is always wrong. Some think
that abortion is right when the mother's life is at risk. Others think that there is a range of
circumstances in which abortion is morally acceptable.

Topic Statistics and facts

One in three women in the UK have an abortion in their lifetime.
Around 180,000 abortions a year take place in England. About 10,000 are on women from other
parts of the world including Ireland, where it is illegal. 10,000 are performed in Scotland.
Women between 20- and 24-years-old are the largest users of abortion services.
Since being legalised under the 1967 Abortion Act, on average around one fifth of all pregnancies
in the UK have ended in abortion.
70,000 women world-wide die each year from back-street abortions.
Almost 90% of abortions take place in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Contrary to the hype, late abortions are rare. Only 1.6% of abortions in the UK happen after 20
weeks - and they need compelling reasons.
76% of adults in the UK are pro-choice.
The NHS is not required by law to perform abortions.
In England nearly a quarter of women pay for their abortions because NHS services are restricted.

Topic Research
An abortion is the medical process of ending a pregnancy so it does not result in the birth of a
baby.
It is also sometimes known as a 'termination' or a 'termination of pregnancy'.
Depending on how many weeks you have been pregnant, the pregnancy is ended either by taking
medication or by having a surgical procedure.
Reason for having an abortion;

personal circumstances including risk to the wellbeing of existing children

a health risk to the mother

a high chance the baby will have a serious abnormality either genetic or physical

Should abortion be illegal in the United Kingdom?

Sites the statement are from;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/mother/for_1.shtml
https://theweeflea.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/abortion-debate-on-bbc-radio-scotland/
http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/christian_perspectives/life/abortion/against.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2860763/Heavily-pregnant-woman-confronts-antiabortion-campaigners-outside-London-clinic-leaves-speechless.html

http://abortioncriticalthinking.blogspot.co.uk

Illegal
1. I feel particularly strongly about
abortion because there is no way of
getting any opinion from the foetus the potential 'victim' - about the issue
(as there is when considering
euthanasia), and because the foetus
can easily be portrayed as an entirely
innocent and defenceless being.

Legal
I think it should be legal because so
many teenagers party and take
illegal substances which may cause
them to sexual intercourse
unprotected a make the young
teenager pregnant. She should have
an abortion if she is pregnant
because she may have a bright
future and this may ruin it.

2. Two doctors agree that continuing

with the pregnancy would be more
harmful to the physical or mental
health of the pregnant woman or any
existing children of her family than if
the pregnancy was aborted

A pregnancy to a woman is perhaps one of

the most determinative aspects of her life.
It disrupts her body. It disrupts her
education. It disrupts her employment. And
it often disrupts her entire family life.

3. Physical health risks abortion it

No woman can call herself free until she can

choose consciously whether she will or will
not be a mother.

produces, then the mental health

problems that occur after it, and final
the immorality of this procedure is
argued from a religious and also non religious viewpoint.

4. Abortion kills living children that

could one day grow up to be an
important part of the world. What
if Abraham Lincoln's mother
decided to get an abortion?
Slavery might still be a part of our
lives. Abortion is horrible and kills
our own people. How would you
feel if you had to die without a
say or an argument. Your parents
didn't abort you, so don't abort
your child.
5. At the moment of Conception a
life is created. When a woman has
an abortion she is essentially
murdering her baby. If the child is
not wanted there are other
options such as adoption, if you
cannot love your own child there
are others than can and will love

'Many people have been abused, you don't know

what their reasons are for, and so I think this is
so wrong on so many levels.'
Referring to a recent incident in which a newborn
baby was found dead in a wheelie bin in North
Yorkshire, she adds: 'There was a baby on the
news that got found in the bin.
'Maybe if their mum didn't feel that way because
of people like you, that baby wouldn't have died.
do you think it is better for them to get rid of it
at ten weeks (in the womb) or to actually go
through with the birth and then kill the child?

There are women who are raped and become

pregnant; the problem is that they were raped,
not that they are pregnant.
There are women who are starving who become
pregnant; the problem is that they are starving,
not that they are pregnant.
There are women in abusive relationships who
become pregnant; the problem is that they are in
abusive relationships, not that they are pregnant.
Megan Clancy

them.

Having an overview at all these opinions I can see that every statements that are made
from these individuals are fairly biased, because each one is going to follow their
beliefs whatever the situation is.
Firstly, I am going to talk about the opinions of abortion being illegal. We can see in box 1 that the
individual feels strongly that abortion should not be legal because it is like killing a human, and the
baby has no choice on his/her life. I do agree that this is true but it is such a biased view because
he isnt thinking about the mother because if the mother did not want the baby and she did give
birth to it could potentially cause more harm than good for the baby. This statement is also a claim
because it may not be the accurate truth but another reason is because this person has concluded
his own personal views and not taken into count any other persons views.
Similar we see in box two that is against abortion but its not so much a biased statement
comparing to the first because its from doctors and there are much more reliable than an opinion
because they have to tell the truth to help others. So they believe that a baby should not be born
into a family where its not wanted, and I do agree with this because it is a statement that has
common sense and is correct but more importantly it is reliable, but for other people they might
not see it in the way I do because they are against abortion so they dont want to even consider
the statement.
In the third box we see another statement that has come from health advisors, which does give us
the feeling that the source is reliable, but not only because its from specialist, but because its
from a both viewpoints; a non-religious, and a religious, so this isnt such a biased opinion but the
viewpoints coming from many different beliefs. However, sometimes an argument can be formed
that results in little or no disagreement. This is still defined as an argument as it consists of reasons
and conclusions. And in this situation it can happen.
In box 4 we see that this statement is 100% against abortion because she is stating the truth, it is
a living thing so what is the difference of killing a foetus and a baby. She is using rhetorical
questions to make the readers think about what shes saying and trying to get them on her side.
Although she is stating many credible facts we cannot say she is a reliable source because she is
only giving us her opinion therefore, its not totally credible because is it a biased view- a one sided
view. But here we can say that she/he does not have vested interest because she is not going to
gain anything from saying this so it does make her more credible in some lights.
And in the last box for illegalize abortion we see that this individual also has a biased opinion and is
not a neutral source. She is highlighting the fact that its exactly the same as killing another
person. We see that this statement is a claim because she has quickly came to a conclusion that in
any circumstance abortion is wrong. But this individual has not given any evidence showing how
wrong it is so we cannot call her a credible source because we have no prove to be persuaded.

Conversely on the other side we see that these opinions are from individuals that feel strongly
about the legalization of abortion. Firstly we see an individual explaining a circumstance that may
have happened. Personally I believe this evidence is weak because she hasnt gave any proof
about the situation so we cannot say this evidence is credible. I do believe that this statement is
biased because its only one sided meaning she/he hasnt considered the thought of what abortion
really means and what the risks are. They are just assuming that abortion should be legal because
pf mistakes from some teenagers.

Also in the second box we see that this individual thinks some people do not even like the thought
of having a child, although this may be true, she cant just assume this because there is no
evidence to support the claim. This is also a biased view because the individual is not considering
the benefits of the illegalization of abortions.
Similarly we see in the third box that another person believes that abortion should be legal
because No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously
whether she will or will not be a mother. I believe this statement could be true to some
but may not for others therefore it is a biased view because she/he is not taking into count the
other sides point of view. This claim is not reliable because there is no evidence to proof the
credibility. But I do believe this statement will make people think because it is highlighting the fact
of the situation because it does it does make sense about how women should be able to control
their own body.
The next statement we see is from the news, personally I believe this evidence is fairly credible
because the news should be presenting to the viewers/readers correct information. Although this
may not be the case therefore, we cannot call this source a credible source because there might be
a few white lies and there is no evidence to support this claim. This statement is also shocking, is
showing the viewers that this awful circumstance could have been prevented if abortion was
offered to her and the child wouldnt have to have been through such a horrible situation.
The final legalization statement is a very touchy subject but we have to highlight how true this
situation is. But as we can see there are many different occasions where the baby can be at risk or
that the baby was forced upon the individual meaning the best thing for the baby or the female
could be abortion. In the circumstance of rape I believe that abortion should be an option because
there was no choice for the female and having the baby may remind her of the circumstance every
time she looks at her own child which may be horrific. I do believe this statement is biased but it
makes the readers know more about the things that could make people want to take the option of
abortion and that its not only because of silly mistakes when they are under the influence.
I personally believe that abortion should be legal in the United Kingdom, there are many reasons
for this. Firstly, facts state that Almost 90% of abortions take place in the first 12 weeks of
pregnancy so this shows how much we rely on abortions, and if one individual does not want the
child in the first place and abortion was illegal and they would be forced to proceed with the
pregnancy because abortion is there is another choice and this means that there is a higher chance
of the child being miss treated by the parent.
Secondly, if the individual does make a silly mistake when shes young and falls pregnant, and she
does have the baby but she knows undoubtedly that she will give the baby up for adoption, in the
future she has another child and the adopted child find her/his birth mother, the child will feel
extremely upset and disheartened because the mother could look after another child but not her
first.
Thirdly, there could be very horrific reasons the individual might want an abortion for reasons such
as Rape, and maybe the victim does not want to proceed with the pregnancy. Personally I believe in
such circumstances as this, abortion should be legal because the female cannot prevent what
happened to her and she does not want to be reminded every single day about what happened to
be.
I do understand that 70,000 women world-wide die each year from back-street
abortions, but if you got the correct care, which we do in the UK there wouldnt be this problem,
so personally I believe if the law were to change there would be stricter rules that there are now.
Although it might seem heartless, abortion can be a positive things in some situations, such as; we
can use the embryonic stem cells to improve our understanding of how the body develops from a
fertilized egg; this can also provide insights into how our adult tissues are maintained and repaired
in health. Also it can prevent any individual into being forced into having a child which will help
many people in though circumstances.
To conclude, I believe that abortion should be legalized in the UK in some circumstances, such as
rape and abuse, but also if the female is under danger or the child. Although I dont think its
humane for someone to have one but, if theyve made a mistake I believe it should be legal
because a woman should feel like they have control over their own body and nobody should be
allowed to stop that, not even doctors, governors or family members. Furthermore I think that if

someone makes a mistake, they should be allowed to have an abortion even though it may not be
right.
Although I am taking in consideration the fact that it still is murder, but personally I believe it will
help the baby as well as the mother. Because no baby wants to be born into a world where its not
wanted.

Catrin Williams