Saturday, March 02, 2013

Does abortion law discriminate against disabled unborn?

Andy Stephenson, a young Christian from Worthing in Sussex, saw his daughter "flailing around" on an ultrasound screen at 12 weeks into pregnancy. Shortly afterwards he saw a picture of an aborted child of the same age, and couldn't get the picture out of his mind.

As a result, he founded Abort67, a pro-life organisation that is making its mark in the South of England. His aim, he says, is not to harass women, but to help people understand just what abortion involves.

Last week he had a full-page interview in the Brighton Argus. An interesting read. You can see it here.

I have previously described how pro-abortion activists have forced pro-abortion positions and affiliations on student unions at the expense of pro-life students (for instance, here and here.)

Last week Edinburgh University's Life Society won their battle against a motion to renew student union policy to "support a woman's right to choose and affiliate to abortion rights." The motion was defeated after a debate.

Said Life Society president Vanessa Reith: "We at Edinburgh University Life Society would encourage other universities facing pro-choice motions to stand up and be counted. It's scary, and it's daunting, but if you take a stand (and do so with compassion and a thought for the people who are voting the other way) then you are already being a witness to the pro-life movement in the UK."

Fiona Bruce MP has launched a parliamentary inquiry into abortion, with particular reference to whether or not current abortion law discriminates against babies with disabilities.

You might well think that it does. Legal abortion is allowed in Britain up to 24 weeks - unless there is a risk that the baby may be disabled, when abortion is allowed up to birth. Should abortion be easier to obtain if a baby is thought to be disabled? Are the lives of disabled babies worth less than the lives of babies without disability?

You can make a submission to the inquiry by e-mail - but it has to be in by 5pm on March 6, so not much time. You can find details and submission form here (you don't have to answer all the questions), a Christian Medical Fellowship briefing paper here, and a longer briefing paper here.