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Ministers back anti-abortion lobby's councilling reforms

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/28/anti-abortion-lobby-reforms

Personally it makes me sick. 7-14 days isn't fast considering most women may not find out that they are pregnant until they are 6 weeks, then another to get the courage and information about where to go, and another 2 weeks waiting... thats 9 weeks pregnant...

I don't think that the goverment should be talking to pro-life capaigners at all on issues such as this. Surely its like talking to drug dealers about how to give addicts effective rehab treatment? I'm all for independent councelling, but not when it adds extra time to an already time pressured situation. And who the hell has got the resources to be able to provide councelling within 48 hrs of referral?

I haven't had an abortion, but a very good friend of mine has had 2, once in oz and once over here. She said she found the process over here stressful and lengthy, as compared to oz where she was provided with a lot of support and help, and it was done within a week of her accessing a doctor...

I am staunchly pro-choice, but this isn't a matter of pro-life or pro-choice but a matter of providing the right councelling before and after, but making sure that it doesn't lengthen an already difficult to access service and process.

Discuss....

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Do you not mean you dont think they govt shouldnt be talking to "pro-lifers" im confused.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes typo made in anger...corrected now...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I can't see any problem with women being offered independant counselling, or even there being a requirement for the offer of independant counselling to be there. In fact, on the contrary, I think having independant counselling on offer is very important and a worthwhile change to the system.

    Forcing someone to have independant counselling on top of the current requirements though seems unnecessary - and a potential deterrant and process slower to those who really need it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What is meant by "independant" counselling though? I mean really?

    Given that this proposal is put forward by someone with a history of being anti-abortion, I'd say that the intention isn't to help women make a better decision but for them to make the decision that Nadine Dorries wants them to make - i.e. not to have an abortion.

    The suggestion in this amendment is that current counselling services, relating to terminations, actually encourages women to take a step which they wouldn't have taken without it. Totally bogus assumption IME.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14745675
    David Cameron "cannot support" an attempt by a Conservative MP to change the rules on the advice that can be offered to women seeking abortions.

    The PM's office said he was sympathetic to Nadine Dorries' view that women should be offered independent advice.

    But he was concerned the planned amendment to the Health Bill would prevent abortion providers like Marie Stopes from giving counselling as well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Dave's called this one right. There is absolutely no evidence that current abortion services are offering biased advice or encouraging people down a particular path. All this proposal is about is putting more obstacles in the way of women who want an abortion. Maybe we should extend this to all pregnant women to see if they've fully understood "all the options" before electing to have their baby? Or maybe we should assume that grown women are capable of making their own decisions and able to ask for advice if they feel they need it?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Where was our mandatory independent counselling when we had a miscarriage of a wanted baby?

    Dorries is a fucking lunatic and Frank Field is a bawbag and I'm pleased that iDave is distancing himself from the pair of them.

    In an ideal world we wouldn't have abortions because every baby conceived would be wanted. But as we don't live in an ideal world it should only ever be the woman's choice whether she takes a baby to term or not. Adoption is always shown as a "solution" but how many children are there already in the care system unable to cope with the fact that their parent(s) didn't want them?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The other thing that annoys me about this is that it's a proposed amendment to the Health and Socail Care Bill. That Bill is supposed to be about putting patients and clinicians in charge of deciding how services are run, in the interests of the patient.

    There is no clinical reason for this amendment, there is no clamour from patients for this amendment.This amendment is about politicians enforcing their ideology on others - or at least trying to.
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