Howard urges limits on 'too easy' abortions
On the face of it, what Michael Howard says is not entirely unreasonable.
And he pledged to vote to cut the legal time limit for late abortions from 24 weeks - where it currently stands except in cases of serious handicap or risk to the mother's life - to 20 weeks
There are many examples of babies born at twenty-odd weeks surviving, although the proportion is still low, and many that do survive only do so with profound multiple disabilities.
But I doubt for a moment that that is really what is on Howard's mind. Once again, it's a headline grabbing attempt to solidify the reactionary vote of Middle England, whilst not alienating the majority of voters.
The article states that 0.6% of abortions are carried out between 22 and 24 weeks. That's a very tiny number ; I am sure that if they were examined on a case by case basis, there would be overwhelmingly compelling reasons for most of them.
I am Pro-Choice and feel uneasy about abortion. I'm all for greater efforts to prevent.
Someone I know had a split condom incident last year, and, sensibly, decided to seek the Morning After Pill. She walked into Boots the Chemist and asked for it, only to be refused, and lectured - can you believe it - lectured - in full view and hearing of random strangers at the Pharmacy counter of a large Boots the Chemist. She eventually got one from an independent pharmacist (yay to independent pharmacists - the one near me has a very big sign in the window stating that Emergency Contraception is available here, shouldn't those bigoted Boots the Chemist who refuse to sell it also carry big signs saying "Reactionary Bigots working here won't sell the Morning After Pill")
This woman is approaching forty, experienced in life, intelligent, articulate, educated and confident, but she found it a humiliating experience.
I would imagine that a woman of half her age and quarter her confidence would have been so intimidated by the experience that she would have just given up. But Michael 'Headline Grabbing' Howard can't or won't address the real issues when he can savour a populist headline instead.
To buy it over the counter costs about £25. I was staggered - of course, it's also available from GPs, but just hope your split condom moment doesn't come at the start of a long Bank Holiday weekend.
Update: Monday's Mirror says what I said, only much much better.
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