Saturday, March 01, 2008

No abortions in Oxfordshire?

We read in the Oxford Mail: "An Oxfordshire councillor has complained about women having to travel outside the county for abortions. Cllr Dave King said he felt doctors working for the National Health Service should be required to provide abortion. A spokesman for Oxford hospitals said that some doctors working for the NHS in Oxfordshire had expressed objection to carrying out abortions, and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust had contracted out abortions to the Marie Stopes organisation. The nearest clinics were in London and Reading, meaning that women travel out of the county. The latest statistics say that 80% of the abortions carried out on Oxfordshire women have taken place in Reading and London. [29 February]"

The John Radcliffe Hospital advertises its grim 'service' of 'early terminations', so the real complaint of Cllr King must be that not enough abortions are done in Oxfordshire, not that none are done here at all. Nevertheless, this is a good thing and long may it continue. The easier abortion seems, the more likely women are to resort to something which harms both them and their unborn children.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:32 am

    <span>"The easier abortion seems, the more likely women are to resort to something which harms both them and their unborn children."</span>

    Ridiculous. I live in Oxford and, if unable to get an abortion, my first course of action would be a DIY termination (not safe, but better than the alternative of childbirth) and my second woul be suicide. Removing abortion provision only harms pregnant women; it does not reduce the rate of abortion.

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  2. Joseph Shaw11:47 am

    This may be true for you, but happily not for most people. Wider provision of abortion leads to more abortion: this isn't terribly surprising. Just look at the statistics for abortion in the UK since it was legalised:
    http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_126769
    'The total number of abortions was 189,574, 0.3% more than in 2009 (189,100) and 8.0%
    more than in 2000 (175,542)..

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