Should late-term abortions for “foetal abnormalities” be banned?

chriswallace85 said:
This and @becs's earlier post are pretty scary like.
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Mackem00 said:
That is absolutely mind blowing mate.
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The really scary thing is we would never have known if the pregnancy hadn't been planned.

Loads of people don't plan to have a baby but would be over the moon to find out they were. They would have terminated a healthy child and maybe not for the first time.
 


pillars of hercules said:
The really scary thing is we would never have known if the pregnancy hadn't been planned.

Loads of people don't plan to have a baby but would be over the moon to find out they were. They would have terminated a healthy child and maybe not for the first time.
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I'd take solace in them being unaware of the fact though. You make your decision on the information given. I suppose you can also ask for a second opinion - I know I would.
 
chriswallace85 said:
I'd take solace in them being unaware of the fact though. You make your decision on the information given. I suppose you can also ask for a second opinion - I know I would.
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They take you aside in a room and tell you. If they had said it was Downs we would have continued with the pregnancy but they said there was almost no chance of the baby surviving. My son is very lucky to be alive.
 
pillars of hercules said:
They take you aside in a room and tell you. If they had said it was Downs we would have continued with the pregnancy but they said there was almost no chance of the baby surviving. My son is very lucky to be alive.
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It sounds it. Pleased it all turned out for the best anyway.


Poor bugger just has to live with being a Sunderland supporter now...
 
chriswallace85 said:
It sounds it. Pleased it all turned out for the best anyway.


Poor bugger just has to live with being a Sunderland supporter now...
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Aye poor bugger. Was going to be aborted, had major heart surgery as a baby and now been diagnosed with ADHD.

He was born in Newcastle as well. If he asks to see his birth certificate I'll tell him he was adopted to save him the embarrassment :lol:
 
chriswallace85 said:
He's advocating choice marra. No more, no less.

But you're then one misconstruing them. :neutral: And I don't think they're ill judged at all. You might not like them or agree with them but it's not his fault. He's come at them from an informed angle.
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Care to explain how he has come from an informed angle and I haven't?
 
Twenty six years ago we were told at our 20 week scan that there was a problem with the baby.
They had spotted that the baby had a congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
What was CDH we'd never heard of it.
As the diagnosis was confirmed later that week, we were asked when did we want the termination.
We said what's the chances of the baby surviving and they said 50% of babies diagnosed didn't survive.
We went ahead with the pregnancy and now have a beautiful 25 year old daughter who is one of the most determined people I have ever met.
We also started a charity to help others in the same position.
 
chunksafc said:
As the dad of a little girl with downs I feel I can comment a little on this.

We didn't find out my daughter had downs till she was born and to be honest it didn't change a thing.

My first born was still born and that's probably affected my judgement on abortion as having lost one baby I couldn't face losing another.

Having a child with downs isn't a curse, yes it's hard work at times and we signed up to potentially a life time of caring for her, but we have also discovered a huge support network of parents willing to share advice and support.

This issue goes way beyond disability but whether you as an adult are comfortable with a termination so late in pregnancy when essentially the baby is fully formed.

Ive probably not worded that correctly as it's a highly emotive subject and difficult to express as words on a page rather than if it was a conversation in real life
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My daughter is 20 now and was born with a rare chromosome disorder (not Downs, a different one). She is severely disabled and I am her carer 24/7, I do everything for her. Like you I didn't find out about her chromosome disorder until she was born and I am so thankful for that as it meant I had no decision to make. Yes she is hard work but the joy she brings is immeasurable, she finds joy in the smallest things and makes me laugh all the time. I couldn't imagine my life without her even for a second. She has taught me so much about life that a 'normal' child would never have taught me.
My daughter has gone all the way through her school life with Downs children and they are the nicest people I have ever met in my life, why anyone would want to abort a child with Downs is beyond me. And aborting at full term makes me feel ill. 24 weeks is bad enough but full term....:cry:
 
Sir Lancelot said:
Could you point out where I said the man in the street shouldn't pay for disabled kids? I think that you have completely misunderstood my posts and you are trying to take the hump with me as a result.

I do agree that parents should have the right to an abortion right up until full term as it is their choice about whether or not to have a disabled child. I don’t think it is morally wrong to believe that though, clearly some will. Thats not my problem, it is for the individual to square with their own conscience. I don’t believe, for a second, that society has the right to force anyone to have a child, disabled or not. In the case of social reasons it should be done as early as possible, in the case of disabled children it should be when the parent has had the chance to learn about their child’s disability and decide for themselves if it is asking too much from them to care for that child.
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This reply isn't a dig at you as I'm sure you have no intention to offend.

I think the real question is when does a fetus become a person and when does it have human rights. I agree that people shouldn't be forced to look after disabled kids against their will. Imagine what a sad unloved life that kid would have.

Full term termination - Is there any difference to euthanasia shortly after birth and could this be the way forward? (not a serious question but food for thought) Is termination at say 37 weeks, just a way of easing a parents guilt for not having to chuck a baby in a river or suffocating it? There really isn't a difference between a near full term pregnancy and a newborn.

Having an autistic son with learning difficulties and behavioural problems I know how difficult it can be as a parent and no one should be forced into that situation, as it can be difficult to get help. Aborting a child late term for any other reason than for the benefit of the child itself shouldn't be permitted. If you don't want the child give it up for adoption like you would any other unwanted child. Most can have a happy life even if those around them have to work harder.
 

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