[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

The problem with this is the tests you mentioned above. The original downs/spina bifada tests are done between 10-14 weeks. They cant be done earlier than that, nothing would show up. If you are considered 'high risk' (under 1/100 chance I *think*) you are offered more tests..this is after waiting a week/fortnight for the results of the first one (so you could be16 weeks gone by the time you got the results). No idea how long the other tests take as I had a 1/70,000 chance so they didnt even discuss that with me.

90% of abortions are carried out in the first trimester anyway, I would imagine this is most of those who are doing it for anything other than medical reasons (excluding those who do not realise until late on that they are pregnant). Reducing the limit to 12 weeks would only force people to carry on with pregnancies where there are 'problems' (I say problems like that as not everyone would see having a severely disabled child as a 'problem', but some would)


I guess it could be a 8/12 week limit unless there is a valid medical reason (not including cleft lip etc that are classed as reasons to get late abortions now ) but this still has the problem of those who dont even realise they are pregnant until they are quite late on :/

..that's interesting, I can understand that people may have there own reasons for not wishing the pregnancy to go ahead and those reasons are for nobody else to judge but I guess, I don't understand how they couldn't know this from an earlier stage in the pregnancy..but I suppose circumstances could change during the course of ther pregnancy as well....it's good that they have all of the emotional counselling too...I would have thought that their body and emotions almost go into shock when they're suddenly not pregnant...I don't know if it's different with a miscarriage because the body has rejected the pregnancy or the baby hasn't survived....it's important that they feel certain they're making the right choice for them...