Abortion is legal in the UK and has been since The Abortion Act was introduced in 1967. This Act allowed the legal use of an abortion in the UK so long as this procedure was done before a certain stage in the mother’s pregnancy. (Abortion Act, 1967) The Act was created with the aim of reducing risks to women of unsafe abortion practices. As the law currently stands it is legal to have an abortion in the UK as long as the process is done within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy and certain conditions are met. This 24-week period has been the subject of much debate and has been the result of a balance between several factors including the damage it will cause to the mother if done later than this, the development of the child and their right not …show more content…
(HealthCentre, 2015)
‘Abortion should be defended’. This is the statement that a pro-choice campaigner is likely to believe. There are many reasons for abortion such as abortion for the sake of the mother’s physical and mental health. Abortion is a safe medical procedure and the vast majority of women - roughly 88% who have an abortion do so in their first trimester. Medical abortions have less than 0.5% risk of serious complications and do not affect a woman's health or future ability to become pregnant or give birth and so this is would be the safer option. (Lowen, 2016) Another reason abortion may take place would be as the result of a crime from example, rape, incest, and child abuse. In this case, forcing a woman made pregnant by this violent act may cause further psychological harm to the victim. In addition to this abortion may be the choice a woman would make if the child would have an unacceptable quality of life, for example serious handicap, genetic problems or mental