Letter to my MP

If you are based in the UK, I urge you to write to your own MP about this Bill. If not, please keep it in your prayers. See Alive and Kicking and the Christian Institute for more information.

Dear [my MP],

I am writing to you with regard to the upcoming Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. I am aware that you are a member of a group which is against any violence against children. I hope that this view extends to the protection of unborn children. I would urge you to support amendments to reduce the 24-week upper time limit for abortion, end discriminatory abortion of disabled babies up to birth and require doctors to provide women seeking abortion with comprehensive information on the risks and the alternatives to abortion.

Before 24 weeks, the unborn baby is very well developed. The latest research has shown that these babies can feel pain (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/magazine/10Fetal-t.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin) yet they are usually suctioned out of the womb by a pipe with blades on the end intended to cut the baby into (more convenient) small pieces. Babies born at 20 to 24 weeks are now surviving at much higher rates than when the previous legislation was passed. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article547524.ece) Remember that a baby who has been born so early is usually born because there is some medical problem with either themself or their mother. This means that babies aborted at this stage (the majority of whom are healthy) would have a much higher chance of survival than those naturally born at this stage if they were born instead of aborted. Indeed a number of babies do survive abortions in the UK only to be left to die (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23435549-details/66+babies+in+a+year+left+to+die+after+NHS+abortions+that+go+wrong/article.do and http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article597136.ece) and some babies who have been aborted have survived longer (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/146/146098_miracle_baby_survived_abortion_bids.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianna_Jessen).

Disabled people are protected against discrimination by law yet for some reason this is not extended to disabled people who have not yet been born. The current law is worded in such a way that late abortions have been carried out for minor disabilities such as cleft lip and palate, webbed fingers and club foot. In addition, prenatal screening is not necessarily accurate meaning babies are sometimes not as disabled (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=504784&in_page_id=1770) as the doctors thought and in some cases have turned out to be completely healthy.

I am amazed that it is necessary to make a law to require doctors to provide women seeking abortion with comprehensive information on the risks and the alternatives to abortion as I would have expected that this would be standard for any medical procedure. I do hope that you will support this amendment.

I also urge you to vote against amendments aimed at making abortion more readily available and easily accessible. Almost 7 million abortions have been carried out in Britain since 1967 and annual numbers are increasing. Opinion polls show that the public is in support of ways being found to reduce the number of abortions which will not be possible if abortion law is liberalised.
I hope you will take my concerns into consideration when voting on this Bill.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Susan Xxx.