Abortion

Question 1

When was the abortion act amended and what was it amended to?

Answer 1

amended by section 37 Human fertilisation and embryology act 1990

Question 2

What is the offences against person’s act 1861?

Answer 2

Section 58
applicable to abortions performed outside of legal provisions - buying online abortion pills
Punishable by life imprisonment

Question 3

What are the sections required by 2 doctors to sign off for an abortion?

Answer 3

sections 1(1) a-d

Question 4

What is section 1(1)a?

Answer 4

Pregnancy has not exceeded week 24
Continuation of the pregnancy would cause risk, greater than if it was terminated - injury to mental or physical health of pregnant woman or any existing children of the pregnant woman

Question 5

What is section 1(1)b?

Answer 5

Termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to physical or mental health of the pregnant woman
- no time limit

Question 6

What is section 1(1)c?

Answer 6

Continuation of the pregnancy would cause risk of life to the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy was terminated
- no time limits

Question 7

What is section 1(1)d?

Answer 7

Substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped

• no definition of what seriously handicapped entails
• no time limits

Question 8

What does section 1(1)d do?

Answer 8

it forces you to look into the future and predict the severity of the handicap, with the only information you know being the chromosomal anomaly
There is huge variation in the severity of Down’s syndrome - termination due to Down’s syndrome are under-reported- it is thought be as much as 54%

Question 9

What section does conscientious objection fall under?

Answer 9

section 4

Question 10

When is a doctor allowed to conscientiously object to abortion and when are they not allowed to?

Answer 10

No duty to participate in any part of the treatment if the abortion falls under sections 1(1) a or 1(1) d

They don’t have any conscientious objection if the abortion falls under sections 1(1)b or 1(1)c

Question 11

What are some pro-abortion arguments for allowing abortion based on genetic reasons?

Answer 11

• some genetic conditions have a very poor prognosis
• genetics abortions are no different to terminating any of other pregnancy
• woman’s body therefore her decision
• personal choice based on their own circumstances

Question 12

What are some anti-abortion arguments for allowing abortion based on genetic reasons?

Answer 12

• abortion due to genetics is the same as eugenics
• devalues the lives of people with disabilities
• right to life of all foetus’
• fear people are not actually terminating it due to the genetic condition - may be based on the sex of the foetus