call to make abortion easier....

[smirnoff]

what do you think?

gp practises should be "allowed" to carry out abortions?????

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6242382.stm

i dont agree with lots of what is being suggested..

[MrTempleDene]

I'm against abortions in general, but I know they will always happen, remember back street abortions and the horrific medical consequences. I believe then that there has to be a safe, legal and guilt free method of obtaining them.

I also really agree with this call

a call to scrap the need for two doctors to allow an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy.

Two doctors needed to ALLOW an abortion, how condescending is that, cannot women make up their own minds?

I also strongly feel there should be counselling before, to make sure the woman is certain, and that there is no external pressure from, say parents forcing them into something they don't really want.

There should also be decent counselling afterwards to make sure there is support for women who have a hard time coping.

But in general, I believe abortions should be a last resort, and that we need better sex education to prevent people getting pregnant in the first place!

[smirnoff]

bugger pete, i agree totally with you!

[Bear]

Don't really want to get into my views on abortions etc, but one point I really have issue is - how long it takes to get an abortion.

A woman who knows at, say, 4 weeks pregnant that she wants an abortion should not be made to wait until she is 8/9/10 weeks pregnant before she can be booked in on the NHS to have a termination. IMO that is wrong. I know a life is a life whatever stage of pregnancy it is at, but I personally know people who have been made to wait such a long time, and its not fair. If the 24 week limit is to be lowered, then this also needs to be looked at.

Ok, rant over!!!

[emmalouise]

i think the limit should be lowered, 24 weeks is too late imo. i am not anti abortion, i think that if you are made pregnant through rape or other difficult circumstanses you should be entitled to the choice,x

[smirnoff]

im not anti abortion, i believe in a womans right to choose, but i know that a lot of what is being suggested im not convinced about..

[Emsickle]

I agree with you Pete.

Abortion IS and always should be a very last resort and too often its seen as the easy way out - there is no easy way out, but theres no support afterwards either. And if you are one of those who have terminated a pregnancy, you are made to feel like an outcast and judged, so feel afraid to talk about it to anyone.

[ruthie]

I think that anything that brings the timescale down is a good thing, why is it necessary to have two doctors ok before it goes ahead?, but there should be consulling in place for women before hand in which all other options and help available are explored, this I guess would slow things up again unless enough resources where put into it. I see nothing wrong with allowing
GP's practises to carry out the procedure as if a women is going to have one what difference does it make who does it?

[MrTempleDene]

and that feeling of being outcast is the worst thing to happen, especially if the woman involved already feels guilty about it

[Emsickle]

Believe me Pete - its so frowned upon you are made to feel like a murderer.

I think the thing with 2 docs though, is that you go to your gp, then have the referral to the consultant, so how would they get around that - you would still need to see the 2 doctors in that case anyway surely??

I don't believe GP's surgerys should be performing terminations though, at least in a hospital, you have the care of the staff afterwards and are there being monitored for a bit. Walking into a GP surgery and walking out having had a termination carried out, imo, can't work. GP's are overworked and pushed enough as it is, without having this aswell.