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Abortion
A legal human right?
The UK recently voted to decriminalise abortion. According to the 1967 abortion act, abortion was a criminal act in England, Scotland and Wales. However, criminal charges could be avoided if the following requirements were met.
It must take place within 23 weeks and six days of gestation. Two doctors must agree that continuing the pregnancy would be harmful to the mother’s physical or mental health, or the foetus could be borne seriously disabled.
The only exceptions were evidence of significant risk to the mother’s life or evidence of a fatal foetal abnormality. Termination must be carried out at a hospital or licensed clinic.
Brief history
Abortion has been around forever. The ancient Egyptians were suggesting inserting plant fibres covered with honey and crushed dates into the vagina, In Ancient Greece and Rome, abortion was used to restrict the number of children. In the absence of effective methods of contraception, this may have been a frequent event. It was not considered murder, but a crime against the father for the loss of a child.
Abortion was not considered illegal provided it was performed before the first detectable movement of the foetus, usually between 13 and 25 weeks of pregnancy. From a religious point of view, this is when the soul is believed to…
