I know now of the pain of this situation and I am afraid of what your Bill might bring. Please think again.
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I write as someone related to a lady who, before the 1967 Act, died attempting an abortion at home. So, I support the present legislation which could have saved her life. While I respect your convictions and sincerity, I cannot go further than a reduction of the permitted period to 24 weeks and the setting up of a standing committee to monitor technical advances in the hope of a further reduction later. Further, when I see the young people at our local day centre for the mentally handicapped shuffling through 'life' I am sure that families should be able, if possible, to choose whether or not to take on this awful burden.
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After the death of my first child at the age of three days I went on to have two more children. After a divorce and remarriage I had another child who is very much loved by us all, you see he has muscular dystrophy, the terminal type so we do not know how much longer he will be with us. You made that statement of which you cannot begin to know the meaning or results, 'handicap is no reason to abort'. Not as your smug idealistic life may be, try mine and my husband's for a month, I guarantee your knight on white charger Bill will seem less important by the day. I thought I'd been through hell once in my life and survived, not so, it's a daily hell to my beloved child, you and your Bill will probably condemn untold hell on future families. Dear sir, I hope you continue to sleep well at night, or better still perhaps our Lord may visit your own family with a special child, as they are sometimes called; if so don't hesitate to write for tips on how to fight for your rights, such as mobility allowance, a special bus for school and lastly a bungalow. My child has special transport now, Mr Alton, after a long and bitter fight. I fought alone with no help from school or social workers or education services. The same for our bungalow - this time it was the council and housing association. The fight is never over for us. I put my child on the bus in the morning and he cannot even lift his own arm to wave back, or go to the toilet on his own or play with the toys he so dearly loves now that his disease has progressed. So you see your victory is