Whose Choice Anyway

frequent sequel to induced abortion', and point to religious devotions as an important element.

The purely physical complications, already discussed in the previous chapter, are not surprising in the light of the doctor's perspective on the techniques of abortion.

How many women would want to be operated on by the doctor who said: 'I thought I was an expert, but by the time I had done 5,000 (abortions) I realised I was learning a lot. At this point having done around 12,000 procedures I am beginning to think I am reasonably competent.'

Our opponents were quick to emphasise delay as a major reason for late abortions and continually misquoted the findings of a RCOG survey (Late Abortions in England and Wales, 1987) by claiming that one in five women aborted after twenty weeks had been referred eight weeks before, but had been subjected to medical delays which they claimed were either the fault of an increasingly underfunded Health Service or of secretly pro-life doctors imposing a delay to make it more difficult for the woman concerned.

The evidence indicates an entirely different interpretation. The figure quoted above is taken, not from the whole sample of the RCOG study, but from a small subgroup. The same study recorded that 'Failure by a doctor to refer the patient to the NHS was given as a reason for difficulty in access in less than 2% overall.' Or again: 'Difficulty of access due to the presence of a waiting-list for out-patient appointments was reported very rarely, in less than 3% for any of the gestational age groups.' In fact the report listed the main reasons for delay and late presentation as denial, apprehension, indecision, financial difficulty and relationship change.

One of the most distressing features of late abortions is those performed on very young girls. They carry greater risks of medical complication. But how does a twelve-, thirteen- or fourteen-year-old decide to have an abortion? The truth is that others decide for her, particularly parents. The wishes of parents, however wellintentioned, is nowhere mentioned in the Abortion Act and the sad fact is that many late abortions are performed on young girls and women who disguised and hid their pregnancies in the knowledge that when others discovered them they would be pressurised into abortion.

We are at an important cross-roads for the medical professions. We know more about the nature of the unborn child, its remarkable development, its ability to sense, hear and feel pain. 90% of the current body of medical knowledge has been learned over the last twenty-five years. Ethical practices have not kept pace with technological advances. Our medical techniques allow us to operate inside the womb on the unborn baby after fifteen weeks' gestation. In film and photography we have the confirmation of what doctors have always known, that the unborn child is alive and has undoubted humanity. There is massive pressure, both