50 Questions People Ask About Abortion

The Unborn Baby

  • When does human life begin?

    Human life begins at fertilisation (also known as conception) when the sperm penetrates an ovum. The single-cell embryo created when this happens is known as a zygote. Once a zygote is present, sperm and ovum have fused together – they no longer exist. If fertilisation does not occur, then the sperm and ovum simply die.

  • Why is fertilisation so significant?

    Once fertilisation has taken place, the new cell, conceived by mother and father, is a new human being with a complete human genome. The zygote starts to divide and change very rapidly. The baby starts to grow once fertilisation has taken place and this does not stop until he or she is 18 to 20 years old!

    There is no other point during the development of a baby in the womb which marks the change between one kind of being and another – from two separate cells (like sperm and ovum) to a new human being.

  • Is there scientific evidence that human life begins at fertilisation?

    Yes. Today, science has clearly established when human life begins. Debate about when human life begins often arises when people want to justify abortion. There is no debate in medical textbooks.

  • Why does it matter when human life begins?

    It matters that human life begins at fertilisation because choosing any other point is arbitrary. Babies in the womb do not become more human when they implant in their mother’s womb, or when they grow from an embryo to a foetus or when their mother can feel them kicking or at any other developmental stage until birth.

    It also matters because we cannot decide that a baby in the womb should be protected at one stage of his or her development and not at another. In the same way, we do not think that a two-year-old is more worthy of protection than, say, a fifty-two-year-old.

  • Why should we care about a group of dividing cells?

    The “group of cells” makes up a human being. We are all made of cells, but what matters is that we are human beings.

    Many people think that a newly conceived human being is not really human because it does not look or behave like a human being. But this is what a human being behaves and looks like at this stage in his or her life. We all looked like that once.

    Some people feel that there’s no problem destroying an early embryo because there are no easily recognisable human features present: it doesn’t look like a baby, so it isn’t a baby. Yet to destroy the embryo would be like aborting an unborn baby at any other stage of life before birth or killing a human being at any stage after birth. Human beings should not be judged on their appearance.

  • Isn’t the unborn baby part of the mother’s body?

    No. From conception the baby is a distinct living being. The baby in the womb has a different genetic code from his or her mother.

    Unborn babies need the environment of their mother’s womb for the first nine months of their life. But this does not make the baby part of the mother’s body.

  • Is the embryo really human?

    Definitely. We can see this in the IVF procedure, where a human sperm and ovum are mixed in a laboratory dish, and if fertilisation occurs, a new human being comes into existence. The IVF embryo is not part of the petri dish and when placed in the mother’s womb (or the womb of another woman) can develop as a baby and be born. This will not happen if any other kind of cells are placed in the mother’s womb.

    IVF is unethical, but it shows us that a human ovum fertilised by a human sperm creates a new human being. Indeed, people who undergo IVF sometimes think of these embryos as their babies.

  • Should we treat an embryo as a person?

    There are four main reasons people often give for why we do not need to treat an unborn baby in the same way as we treat any other person. These are size, level of development, environment and degree of dependency – SLED. Let’s apply the SLED test.

    Size – Should a person’s value be based on size? An unborn baby is smaller than a baby after birth. A baby of six months is smaller than a child of six, who in turn is smaller than an adult of sixty.

    Level of development – Humans in the womb are physically and mentally less developed compared with how they are for the rest of their life. Should an unborn baby’s lower level of development disqualify them from the respect and protection we give other people? Who should set the level of development needed to qualify as a person? Any level set would be arbitrary and dismiss some human lives for being below standard and unworthy of protection.

    Environment – Unborn babies need to live in their mother’s womb for the first nine months of life. Birth is a change of location, not a change in the humanity or status of the baby. Human beings change their environment throughout life. For example, children do not become more human once they go to school. All that happens is that they have reached a level of physical and mental maturity to enable them to cope with and, hopefully, flourish in a new environment.

    Degree of dependency – A newborn baby is very dependent on his or her mother or father or an alternative carer. In an isolated area, there may be only one adult who can look after the baby; otherwise he or she will die. We are all dependent on others in different ways and for different things. A high degree of dependency on another person for the basic requirements of life does not diminish a person’s value.

    According to the SLED test, the humans who do not qualify as persons are those who are too small, not developed enough, in the wrong location and too dependent on other people. But, in a humane society, none of these are reasons to treat unborn babies differently from people at any later stage in life. The SLED test can be used to challenge people who have a negative view of unborn babies.

  • When does an unborn baby’s heart start to beat?

    People are often amazed to learn that an unborn baby has a beating heart by three to four weeks from conception.

    The presence of a heartbeat is a very powerful sign that there is a living being present.

  • Can an unborn baby feel pain?

    We know that an unborn baby will recoil from a painful stimulus as early as eight weeks. One study shows that unborn babies may be able to feel painful sensations as early as 13 weeks.

    The unborn baby can certainly detect something when sufficiently developed, although there is debate as to whether pain is experienced in the same way as a child or adult experiences pain. However, if an unborn baby is too young to feel pain this does not detract from their humanity.

    There is some discussion about anaesthetising unborn babies during abortion. A 2019 study proposed that: “Fetal analgesia and anaesthesia should … be standard for abortions in the second trimester …. .” The authors of this study also note that “Concerns about what the fetus might experience or feel have increased, and women considering an abortion express concern about the welfare of the fetus.”

    In the end, anaesthetising unborn babies does not make abortion OK. No one would suggest that anaesthetising defenceless adults would make killing them more acceptable.

Abortion Numbers and Procedures

  • How many abortions have there been in England and Wales?

    Many people are surprised to learn how many abortions take place each year.

    In recent years the number of abortions in England and Wales has risen steadily. Each year the Department for Health and Social Care publishes a report on abortion.

    2017 – “There were 192,900 abortions for women resident in England and Wales in 2017 and 197,533 abortions including non-residents. This is an increase of 4% since 2016, the highest level since 2008.”

    2018 – “There were 200,608 abortions for women resident in England and Wales in 2018 and 205,295 abortions including non-residents. The figure for women resident in England and Wales is an increase of 4% since 2017.”

    2019 – “There were 207,384 abortions for women resident in England and Wales, the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced.”

    2020 – “There were 209,917 abortions for women resident in England and Wales, the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced.”

    2021 – “There were 214,256 abortions for women resident in England and Wales, the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced.”

    2022 – “There were 252,122 abortions for women resident in England and Wales, the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced”

  • How many abortions have taken place in Scotland in the past 5 years?

    Public Health Scotland publishes a report each year on abortion.

    2017 – “The number of terminations in Scotland was at a five-year high in 2017. There were 12,212 terminations of pregnancy in Scotland in 2017. This was 106 more terminations than reported in 2016; an increase of just under one percent. The number of terminations remained below the 2008 high of 13,908.”

    2018 – “The number and rate of terminations of pregnancy in Scotland in 2018 were at a ten-year high: there were 13,286 terminations which is a rate of 12.9 per 1,000 women (aged 15- 44).”

    2019 – “In 2019, the second highest number of terminations was recorded since the Regulations were introduced: 13,583 (13 per 1,000 women aged 15-44).”

    2020 – “In 2020, the second highest number of terminations and the highest termination rate were recorded since the 1991 Regulations were introduced: 13,815 terminations.”

    2021 – “The number of terminations undertaken in 2021 was 13,758.”

  • How are most abortions performed?

    Today most abortions are performed using abortion pills. These are called early medical abortions although the word “medical” is misleading as this suggests a procedure that is beneficial to health. Abortion ends a human life and carries some risks for the mother as well.

    Abortion pills can be taken up to 10 weeks’ gestation. The first drug used is Mifepristone (RU 486), which normally ends the life of the unborn baby. 24-48 hours later, a second drug, Misoprostol, is administered which expels the dead baby.

    In 2021, 99% of abortions in Scotland were performed using abortion drugs. Of these, 53% were abortions where both drugs were taken at home. In 29% of cases, the second drug only was taken at home and 18% were carried out in a clinic.

    In 2021, so-called “medical” abortions accounted for 87% of total abortions in England and Wales. In 52% of all abortions in England and Wales women self-administered both pills at home.

  • What about other abortions?

    Up to 14 or 15 weeks, babies can be aborted using vacuum aspiration, which is the most common surgical technique. In 2021, 8% of abortions were performed by this method in England and Wales.

    To perform this operation, the mother’s cervix must be stretched open. The surgeon will then insert a plastic tube into the womb. Sharp-edged openings near the tip of the tube help dismember the baby so that the parts are small enough to be sucked out. The parts of the baby are typically deposited in a jar for disposal.

    For abortions up to 24 weeks, the legal limit in Britain except when e.g. the baby has a suspected disability, the procedure is dilation and curettage. 4% of abortions were performed by this method in England and Wales during 2021. This procedure is used when the baby is too large to be sucked out by vacuum aspiration.

    In this method, the baby, who is very much alive at the start of the procedure, is literally scraped out of the mother’s womb and dies in the process. This involves the piecemeal surgical destruction of the unborn baby as the parts of the body are separated and removed.

    After the operation, a nurse has to examine the baby’s remains to ensure that no parts of the body have been left inside the mother’s womb.

    During 2021, nearly 28,000 abortions were performed in England and Wales using one or other of these methods.

  • What is DIY abortion?

    DIY abortion is when a woman performs her own abortion using abortion pills.

    In March 2020, in response to the pandemic, the “pills by post” scheme was introduced. This allowed women to have a phone consultation with an abortion provider and to receive abortion pills through the post. This was meant to be a temporary measure, but was made a permanent policy in England, Scotland and Wales in early 2022.

    Performing an abortion at home puts a huge burden on women. Kevin Duffy, a former employee of the abortion provider Marie Stopes International who now campaigns against abortion, explains why the term “DIY” accurately describes home abortion:

    • The woman self-refers to the abortion provider, she initiates the contact without needing to involve her GP.
    • The woman shares her medical history in response to a set of scripted questions from the abortion provider, which could be done using an online form just as easily as on the phone.
    • The woman self-assesses the gestation of her pregnancy based on her recall of the first day of her last period. She decides if this period was “normal”.
    • The woman self-assesses if she has any indications of an ectopic pregnancy, in response to a couple of questions from the provider.
    • The woman self-administers the abortion pills following the instructions in the treatment pack.
    • The woman self-assesses if the abortion pills are working e.g., is she bleeding enough or is she bleeding too much.
    • The woman self-manages the expulsion of the embryo/foetus and the disposal of the remains.
    • The woman self-manages her pain and discomfort during the abortion.
    • The woman is the one watching out for any indications of complications and is the one who, in up to 5% of cases, decides it is time to go to hospital for help.
    • The woman self-assesses if her pregnancy has ended by considering her symptoms and using a pregnancy test.

  • Is abortion legitimate healthcare?

    No. Abortion can never be classed as healthcare. It is different from other medical procedures because it involves killing an unborn baby, as well as subjecting women who are normally otherwise healthy to mental and/or physical health risks.

    Abortion advocates want abortion to be completely normalised and part of mainstream healthcare. This view was summed up by Professor Lesley Regan, former president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, when she said that abortions should be treated the same as other medical procedures – including “having your bunions sorted.”

Abortion Law

  • What are the abortion laws in the UK?

    Offences Against the Person Act 1861

    In England and Wales abortion remains a criminal offence under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA). The OAPA does not extend to Scotland. It no longer applies to Northern Ireland.

    Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929

    This Act makes it illegal to kill a child capable of being born alive. 28 weeks’ gestation is presented in the Act as prima facie evidence that a baby is capable of being born alive, although babies today survive at much younger ages. An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act in 1990 ensured that abortions performed under the 1967 Abortion Act were not offences under the 1929 Act.

    The 1990 Act also introduced a 24-week time limit into the Abortion Act for some cases, in particular where there is said to be a risk to the mental or physical health of the mother if she continues with the pregnancy. These are the vast majority of abortions performed under the 1967 Act. In other cases, such as disability of the fetus or where the life of the mother is at risk, abortion was made permissible up to and even during birth in 1990.

    Abortion Act 1967

    In England, Scotland and Wales abortion is primarily governed by the 1967 Abortion Act. In 2016 abortion was devolved to Scotland, but the 1967 act remains in place.

    Northern Ireland

    The 1967 Abortion Act was never extended to Northern Ireland. However, in 2020 Northern Ireland changed from being one of the safest places in the world for unborn babies to being one of the most dangerous. In July 2019 the Westminster Parliament voted, 328 to 65, to repeal section 58 and section 59 of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act which were the only safeguards protecting unborn children from the threat of abortion in Northern Ireland.

    The law now allows abortion in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy for any reason.

  • What is so bad about the 1967 Abortion Act

    The 1967 Abortion Act is a bad law. But it did not make all abortions legal, nor did it give women a right to abortion. Outside the terms of the 1967 Abortion Act, abortion is a criminal offence under OAPA. In theory, the 1967 Act set limits on the grounds under which an abortion can be performed. In practice, those limits are ignored by both doctors and the Department of Health, which has resulted effectively in abortion on demand at least below 24 weeks.

    Each year around 98% of abortions are performed under Ground C of the Abortion Act: that continuing the pregnancy and having the baby entails greater risk to the health (often seen as the mental health) of the woman than having an abortion.

    A pregnancy being “unwanted” is classed as a risk and a proper assessment of the woman’s mental health is rarely made. Women with a history of psychiatric ill health are over-represented among those who have abortions. Rubber-stamping abortion forms, particularly under the DIY abortion policy, can leave women in an even more vulnerable position regarding their mental health.

    Jade Rees, 21, committed suicide only weeks after having an abortion. Jade had a history of mental health problems and yet, under the 1967 Act, two doctors approved Jade’s abortion papers “in good faith” on the basis that abortion would pose a lesser risk to her health.

  • Why is it important that abortion is governed by criminal law?

    Abortion advocates want to take abortion out of the criminal law, that is, they want to decriminalise abortion. This is what happened in Northern Ireland when sections 58 and 59 of OAPA were repealed. The abortion lobby wants the same to happen in England and Wales.

    SPUC ran a hard-hitting campaign during 2017 and 2018 opposing attempts in the House of Commons to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales. Among the reasons for opposing decriminalisation are:

    • Keeping abortion within the criminal law is a powerful statement to society that abortion is a very serious matter, because it involves killing a defenceless unborn baby.
    • Removing criminal sanctions would, in the words of Professor John Keown, a distinguished academic lawyer, “create an abortion free-for-all.”

    Many of the dangers of decriminalisation that SPUC highlighted are the same as the dangers of the DIY abortion policy:

    • No requirement for medical supervision.
    • Anyone could supply the means for an abortion to anyone, for example, to abusive men wanting to coerce women into an abortion.
    • Downgrading abortion to a routine “health” matter, where it is like “just one aspect of … medical care, like having appendicitis, like having a headache…” [1]
    [1] Lee E, Sheldon S, Macvarish J. The 1967 Abortion Act fifty years on: Abortion, medical authority and the law revisited. Soc Sci Med. 2018 Sep;212:26-32. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.010. Epub 2018 Jul 7. PMID: 30005221.

  • Does the abortion lobby still want to decriminalise abortion?

    Yes. Despite the high numbers of abortions in Britain and the fact that it is extremely easy to get an abortion, decriminalisation is still a major goal for the abortion lobby.

    Among other things, they see the Abortion Act 1967 as irrelevant and as an impediment. In particular, they want to end the requirement for two doctors to certify an abortion because, in their view, it is:

    • Paternalistic
    • Opposed to patient autonomy
    • Medically unnecessary
    • Causes harm when conscientious objection is exercised
    • Causes harm when abortion is denied
    • Creates stigma when women are asked for a reason for their abortion
    • Unnecessarily intrusive
    • Causes delay to abortion

    In reality, the increased use of abortion pills means that doctors are less involved in abortion. Many abortions are self-referrals by the woman to an abortion provider, by-passing a visit to a GP. 77% of abortions in 2021 took place in independent abortion clinics, where the clinic staff fill out the paperwork. One of Britain’s leading abortion providers, BPAS, tells women: “Your consultation and medical assessment usually takes place with a nurse or midwife over the telephone.”

    SPUC’s position is that whether a doctor is involved in an abortion referral or not, an unborn baby dies and a woman is scarred in some way. However, removing doctors from the process sends a message that abortion is a safe procedure that can be easily managed by any woman.

Women

  • Shouldn’t a woman be able to choose what she does with her own body?

    The first point to make here is that an unborn baby is not part of his or her mother’s body. The unborn baby is a unique human being, who needs the environment of the womb, as we all did, for the first nine months of life.

    Even if the law permits abortion, a woman does not have the right to decide to end her baby’s life. Nor does she have the right to deprive her baby deliberately of the very basic bodily support that the baby is receiving.

    The second point is that a woman does not have a complete “right” to do what she wants even with her body. We rightly condemn other decisions people make regarding their bodies; for example, drug abuse or self-mutilation. Society aims to protect people from self-harm, not to enable self-harm.

    The idea that abortion is a woman’s “right to choose” is deeply embedded in society. The pro-abortion lobby has hi-jacked the word “choice” to hide the reality that abortion kills an unborn baby.

    Yet many women suffer emotionally after an abortion precisely because it involves the death of their baby.

    The factual evidence shows us that an unborn baby is a very young human being. So abortion involves two human beings – the woman and her baby. The future of both the mother and the baby matters. Both lives must be respected.

  • Why should a woman have a baby she doesn’t want?

    Here is it important to distinguish between not wanting to be pregnant and not wanting a baby. Research has shown that women with an unintended pregnancy rarely see their unborn baby as the problem. Women seek an abortion because of all the problems which come with an unplanned pregnancy: financial worries, feeling unable to cope with parenthood, losing educational or career opportunities. These are very real problems and women think that abortion will solve them.

    Abortion may seem a quick solution, but women are often left with the problems they had before they became pregnant. When a woman decides to keep her baby, this can be the start of a better life for her. With help, she can address some of the issues in her life and make a success of being a mum.

    SPUC campaigns for a society in which every unborn baby is welcomed and every pregnant woman is supported through her pregnancy and beyond.

  • Don’t women suffer more if they are forced to have a baby they don’t want?

    Surprisingly, no. In an American study, researchers tracked women who had planned to abort their baby, but were turned away from the abortion clinic because their pregnancy was beyond the prescribed time limit. They found that the women who couldn’t have the abortion they wanted had “comparatively few negative psychological outcomes.”

    The women in this study spoke about how they were glad that they did not abort their baby and said that the baby had a positive effect on their life. This is what some of the women said:

    Julia, aged 26, said: “I bring down tears sometimes when I see him, oh my God, how could it pass my head to have an abortion, and now I have a lovely son, you know, I adore so much, that I love so much.”

    Camilla, aged 22, said: “It’s just something that opens you up and changes you when you find out that you’re going to be [a mother] … and that there’s nothing you can do about it. You know, this is your new life, and this is just what’s going to happen. And a sense of peace came over me.”

    Jenny, aged 20, said: “… once it was reality, like I’m having this baby, I’m going to be a mom, it was like a kick in my butt to get me motivated to do something, to further my career so that I could support her.” Jenny reported that she now works as a dental nurse.

  • How many abortions are performed in a medical emergency?

    Very few abortions are performed where the mother’s life is at risk. In 2021, only two abortions were performed in England and Wales in order to save the life of the pregnant woman (ground F of the 1967 Abortion Act) or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the mother (ground G of the 1967 Abortion Act). See Table 2 in Abortion Statistics 2021: data tables.

    By contrast, in the same year in England and Wales, 99.9% of abortions that were carried out underground C, were reported as being due to a risk to the woman’s mental health.

    In Scotland, no abortions were performed under either ground F or G.

  • Can a woman die from abortion?

    It is rare for a woman to die directly from complications arising from abortion. However, an important question is whether women are more likely to die from any cause after having an abortion compared with giving birth to a baby.

    In 2017 researchers found that “women experiencing a pregnancy loss [abortion or miscarriage] are over twice as likely to die compared to women giving birth.” Most deaths are likely related to negative mental health outcomes following abortion which can lead to increased suicides, accidents and homicide from increased risk-taking behaviours.

    It is important to note that it is difficult to do research into abortion-related deaths. This can be because doctors are unwilling to take part in research. In addition, abortion deaths can be misclassified because of similarities to other pregnancy-related complications such as miscarriage, haemorrhage or sepsis. This can lead to abortion appearing safer than it really is.

  • Are there any circumstances where it is acceptable to end the life of an unborn baby?

    Traditional medical ethics will allow certain life-saving procedures which have the foreseen but unintended consequence of ending, or harming, an unborn baby’s life, for example in the case of an ectopic pregnancy Just as a cancerous womb may be removed even if it contains a living unborn baby, similarly a damaged fallopian tube may be removed even if it contains an embryo who is still alive.

    Critically, the intention is to save the mother’s life, not to kill or assault the unborn baby. The focus is the body of the woman, not the body of the baby. This is not an abortion, even if the result of the procedure is that the unborn baby dies.

    Giving cancer treatment to a pregnant woman is another example in which an unborn baby may die as a result of treatment intended to save the mother’s life. However, chemotherapy is safer than many assume and many babies have been born unharmed whose mothers were treated for cancer during pregnancy.

  • What about rape?

    Questions about rape invariably come up in discussions about abortion. This is a very serious matter and one that the pro-life movement has never treated lightly.

    Rape is a violent act against a woman: a grave wrong committed against her. The pro-life position is that abortion is a violent, lethal act against an unborn baby. And for a woman who has been raped, an abortion is a further physical assault on her body.

    Abortion is not a solution to rape. It will not erase the memory of the rape. It cannot undo the rape and it does not punish the rapist who has committed this criminal act. Abortion effectively punishes unborn babies conceived in rape by taking their lives.

    There are many men and women conceived through rape who are alive today because their mother rejected abortion. Ryan Bomberger was conceived through rape. His mother chose life for him and Ryan was adopted at six weeks into a multi-racial Christian family, where 10 of the 13 children were adopted. Ryan said: “My biological mother was strength personified. She chose to be stronger than her circumstances. I am beyond grateful for her courage and the incredible gift of life and love she gave to me, especially through adoption.”

    Rape is a highly emotive issue and often cited by abortion advocates as a bulletproof reason why abortion should be legal and freely available. The pro-abortion lobby uses rape victims to champion abortion rights. But not every woman who has been raped wants her rape experience to be used in this way. Kathleen DeZeeuw, who was raped and kept her baby, has spoken out about how it feels to be used as a mascot for the abortion rights movement: “I, having lived through rape, and also having raised a child ‘conceived in rape,’ feel personally assaulted and insulted every time I hear that abortion should be legal because of rape and incest. I feel that we’re being used to further the abortion issue, even though we’ve not been asked to tell our side of the story.”

    Abortion may seem to be the only humane option for a woman who conceives through an unimaginably awful act of violence. But abortion results in a dead baby and a woman who has been further physically and/or emotionally scarred. Is this really a humane response to rape?

    For many women giving birth to their baby after being raped is part of the healing process. “Abortion does not help or solve a problem – it only compounds and creates another trauma for the already grieving victim by taking away the one thing that can bring joy.” – Helene Evans.

    When she was 18-year-old Rebecca Kiessling discovered she was conceived in rape. She has founded an organisation dedicated to supporting and protecting women who become pregnant by rape and children conceived in rape.

    The circumstances of a child’s conception should not dictate whether he or she lives or dies. Babies conceived in rape are not responsible for the circumstances of their conception. Rebecca Kiessling explains why every life, including those conceived in rape, matters:

    “It’s like the old saying: ‘If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?’ Well, yeah! And if a baby is aborted, and no one else is around to know about it, does it matter? The answer is, YES! Their lives matter. My life matters. Your life matters and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

  • Are women ever coerced into abortion?

    Yes. Abortion coercion is a serious issue that is more widespread than many people realise. Women can be coerced into abortion in many ways. There can be pressure from a partner or a husband who doesn’t want a child. Parents, often with the best intentions, can pressure a girl or woman into an abortion. This might be because their daughter is still in education, or because she is not financially secure. Employers can make women feel irresponsible for becoming pregnant and exert pressure on a woman by complaining that she will be taking maternity leave.

    These are typical comments from women who have been coerced:

    • “It wasn’t my choice.”
    • “My ‘choice’ for abortion wasn’t really a choice at all.”
    • “I was only offered one choice.”
    • “[I believed] I had no other choice”
    • “I felt had no choice”

    These comments make the slogan “A woman’s right to choose” sound very hollow.

    You can read more about abortion coercion here.

  • Aren’t pro-lifers forcing women to have babies they don’t want?

    Often the opposite is true: pro-lifers work to protect women from being forced to have abortions they don’t want. Abortion coercion is one of the hidden aspects of abortion that SPUC is campaigning to uncover and redress. Abortion coercion is abuse and SPUC is working to make the Department of Health and Social Care recognise coerced abortion as a priority for health and social policy moving forward.

    SPUC has long campaigned for the right of pro-lifers to hold peaceful vigils outside abortion facilities so that they can pray for an end to abortion and offer loving help to women. Hundreds of children are alive today because their mother met a compassionate pro-lifer outside an abortion clinic.

Mental Health Risk for Women

  • Can women experience mental health problems after an abortion?

    BPAS, a leading abortion provider in Britain, tells women that “occasionally”, after an abortion, “it’s a bit of a struggle emotionally.” This is very far from the truth.

    Sadly, abortion can affect a woman’s mental health and it’s more than “a bit of a struggle.” Women can experience a range of emotions after an abortion, including sadness, loneliness, shame, guilt, grief, doubt and regret.

    There are now many academic studies to show that abortion does have an impact on women’s mental health. For example, in a study of Canadian university students, all those who took part described significant grief three years after the abortion.

    A 2017 study revealed that women experienced “deep feelings of loss, existential concerns, and reduced quality of life, with heart-wrenching clarity.” The study also found that for many women, “the abortion experience became a pivotal point in their lives, impacting their self-image, their personality, and their connectivity to others.”

    One rigorously conducted study estimated that approximately 10% of the prevalence of mental health disorders in the community comes from induced abortion – a staggering indictment of the abortion industry.

    Ellie said this after her abortion: “In the days afterwards I wished I was dead; it was all I could think about. I took pills and drove over the Erskine Bridge many times – I drove at high speeds and took lots of risks. I didn’t care if I died. I also wanted to get pregnant again. I wasn’t coping.”

    You can read more about abortion and mental health risks here.

  • What are among the highest mental health risks for women after abortion?

    Suicidal ideation. This has been identified as a particularly high risk for women after they have had an abortion.

    A 2019 study, using a very large sample, looked at outcomes for women who had aborted an unwanted pregnancy compared with women who aborted a wanted pregnancy and both were compared to women who gave birth to their baby. The researchers found that the risk of having suicidal thoughts, which is a serious mental health problem, was increased by 138% for all abortions in the sample, with an increased risk of 94% for unwanted pregnancies and 244% for wanted pregnancies.

    Of course not every woman who has an abortion will have suicidal ideation afterwards. But it is important to dispel the myth that women are only experiencing “a bit of a struggle” after an abortion.

    Substance abuse. The same 2019 study found that substance abuse was another high risk for women following an abortion, second only to suicide ideation.

    Other studies have found that:

    • Women who decide to give birth to their baby are at less risk of substance abuse than those who abort their baby.
    • Among pregnant women who had previously lost a baby by abortion, stillbirth or miscarriage, only abortion was associated with an increased risk of substance abuse during their current pregnancy.

  • Can taking abortion pills affect a woman’s mental health?

    Taking abortion pills can be traumatic, particularly when a woman performs her own abortion at home. The physical pain can be difficult for some women to cope with. However, seeing the recognisable form of a dead baby is devastating for many women.

    This is how one woman described her experience: ‘It was very hard when a big lump came out when I was in the shower. I had not understood that it would be so obvious when the embryo came, had a shock. Felt like pushing. Did not know what to do with the lump, would have wanted information before about how it can be and what to do with the embryo. The pain, you can take, the hard part was to see the embryo.”

    In a Scottish study of women’s experiences of medical abortion, some women returned home immediately after taking the second abortion pill, rather than staying in the clinic.

    Different women spoke of:

    • “agony”
    • “such a physical and emotional process”
    • “day was absolutely horrific”
    • “I bled so much … it’s pouring out”
    • “in hindsight I wished I hadn’t looked but I did, and that was probably the most traumatic thing I’ve ever seen or done”
    • “if [my friend had] been there and seen me screaming like that…”

  • Where can women share their abortion experience?

    SPUC is promoting safe spaces for women to come forward to talk about their abortion experiences. Her Voice is a response to the way in which abortion keeps women imprisoned in silence and suffering.

    For women who feel invisible and unheard, Her Voice enables them to give a voice to the real impact of abortion. The moving and powerful stories shared on Her Voice can be shared by others to break the silence around abortion.

  • Where can women get help and healing after an abortion?

    Help is available from SPUC care initiatives such as the Alma Mater Fund and ARCH.

    The Alma Mater Fund provides financial grants to pregnant students facing difficulties at universities across the UK.  ARCH services are offered confidentially, compassionately, without judgement and free of charge for those struggling in the aftermath of an abortion.

    When we can’t support you, we will find someone who can. Visit our Support Hub to find out more.

Physical Health Risks for Women

  • Aren’t abortion pills safe and easy to use at home?

    No. The drugs are never safe for unborn babies who, in most cases, die when their mother takes these drugs. Allowing women to perform their own abortion at home, with no in-person medical supervision, gives the impression that taking abortion pills is a simple and easy procedure.

    Here are some of the dangers for women:

    • Women may take the abortion pills past the 10-week limit. There have been reports of women in England taking abortion pills past the 10-week limit including some past the legal 24-week limit.
    • The timing between taking Mifepristone (the first pill) and taking Misoprostol (the second dose) is critically important. Taking the second dose incorrectly increases complications for the woman and she may require surgery. As many as half of all recommended protocols for prescription drug use are not followed, or not followed correctly.
    • If a woman is only having a consultation over the phone, an ectopic pregnancy can be missed. Ectopic pregnancy is life-threatening and women affected should not take abortion pills. In a report from the American Food and Drug Administration, 97 ectopic pregnancies were reported after women took Mifepristone. The initial consultation had missed the ectopic pregnancy.

  • What are the side-effects of taking abortion pills?

    Abortion pills – Mifepristone and Misoprostol – are powerful drugs designed to kill a growing baby and expel it from the mother’s body.

    MSI Reproductive Choices UK, a leading abortion provider, tells women that: “Strong cramping and bleeding are to be expected.” But that’s not the whole story.

    Taking abortion pills involves high rates of the following unpleasant side effects:

    • nausea (30.7 – 69.2%)
    • vomiting (22.3 – 34.1%),
    • diarrhoea (31.8 – 58.6%)
    • pain (91.6%)
    • fever (21.3 – 44.3%)
    • chills (36.5 – 44.3%)
    • headache (12.3 – 42%)
    • dizziness (13.1 – 45.5%)
    • weakness (19.2 – 56.6%).

    62% of women taking Mifepristone (RU486) and Misoprostol and 48% of those taking Misoprostol alone experienced pain they described as severe.

    This is one woman’s experience: “I understood I was going to have cramps, but I didn’t realise just how bad it was going to be. Two hours after I took the tablets, I started bleeding. I didn’t look because I knew it would really upset me. About six hours later the pain was unbearable. I was lying on my bathroom floor, curled in a ball. I was sweating, my temperature was 39.8, I couldn’t move. I had diarrhoea, I was being sick, I was shivering, shaking, sweating. I thought I was going to die.”

  • Are there any complications with taking abortion pills?

    Yes. Complications after so-called medical abortion are four times higher than after surgical abortion: 20% compared with 5%.

    Bleeding is necessary for a medical abortion and this can be a cause of complications. A Finnish study found that 15.6% of women who had a medical abortion went to hospital for care because of bleeding, one-fifth of whom required intervention.

    DIY abortions, where a woman self-administers both pills at home, can be dangerous. Following the introduction of DIY abortion in Britain at the start of the pandemic, ambulance calls for abortion complications rose by 54% during 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.

  • What do doctors think about DIY abortion?

    Doctors are concerned about at-home abortions. The majority of GPs in the UK (57%) say they are concerned about women having a medical abortion at home after a phone or video consultation with a doctor. GPs have also shown that they have other concerns about DIY abortion.

  • Does abortion affect other pregnancies?

    Yes, future pregnancies can be affected, particularly after surgical abortions. One of the main risks is premature birth of subsequent babies.

    There are numerous studies that show that there is an increased risk of premature delivery after an abortion. The two main causes of prematurity are infection caused by the abortion and damage to the cervix caused by the instruments used in the procedure.

    You can read more about this in SPUC’s publication “Abortion and Women’s Health.”

  • Is abortion healthier for women than giving birth?

    No. This misinformation has been in circulation for a long time and we must be quick to refute it.

    A misleading study published in 2019 stated that there are no adverse effects on women from abortion and that women who give birth have worse health.

    However, this study is deeply flawed. The women in this study who gave birth were all turned away from the abortion clinic because their pregnancy was beyond the prescribed limit. So these women were likely to be in a difficult situation from the outset. They probably had difficult and complex circumstances surrounding their abortion decision such as a troubled relationship, concealing their pregnancy till very late, or being abandoned by a partner or family after initially planning to have the baby. They were vulnerable and not typical of women who give birth. Yet, this study gives the impression that any woman giving birth would have poorer physical health than a woman who aborts her baby and this is simply not the case.

    A 2012 study produced the startling finding that the risk of death from childbirth was 14 times higher than from “legal induced abortion.” This claim was blown right out of the water by Dr David Reardon, founder of the pro-life Elliot Institute, who stated that it is an “indisputable fact”, shown by robust studies, that “mortality rates associated with childbirth are significantly lower than those associated with abortion.” In other words, women are much less likely to die from childbirth than abortion.

    In addition, having a baby has a protective effect on a woman’s health. Becoming a mother often leads to a healthier lifestyle and a reduction in risky behaviours.

Abortion and Disability

  • Isn’t abortion the right thing to do if a baby is going to be born with a disability?

    Disabled unborn babies have a right to life, the same as any other baby, born or unborn. The Equality Act 2010 protects the rights of disabled people after they have been born, but the 1967 Abortion Act allows them to be killed before they are born. Indeed, under the 1967 Abortion Act, disabled babies can be aborted right up to birth.

    Parents can be put under severe pressure by healthcare professionals to abort an unborn baby who has been given a prenatal diagnosis of a disability or a genetic anomaly. Common experiences include being told that their child “was incompatible with life”, “would live a life of suffering”, “would be a vegetable”, or “would ruin their family”. This can make parents feel that abortion is the only thing to do.

  • Isn’t aborting a disabled baby much better for the parents?

    Sadly no. Many people think that abortion is necessary to solve problems; whether they are problems surrounding an unplanned pregnancy or the “problem” of disability. But in trying to solve one problem, abortion creates others. And this is true of abortion for disability.

    Studies show that the after-effects on parents when a baby is aborted because of a diagnosis of disability are particularly traumatic. You can read more about the impact of aborting a disabled baby here.

  • Isn’t it kinder to abort disabled than inflict a poor quality of life on them?

    Killing is never kind. Disabled unborn babies are among the most vulnerable members of society who need our particular care and respect.

    There are many testimonies to the dignity and value of disabled lives:

    Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx  paid tribute to his sister DeOndra Dixon who had Down’s syndrome. DeOndra, who often shared a stage with her brother at music events, once said:

    “Lots of kids with Down syndrome never get a chance to shine or chase their dreams… Each one has something to offer and each one has a dream. Please help me and my family to advocate for so many beautiful and brilliant children with Down syndrome who’ve been neglected. Together we will make dreams come true.”

    US schoolgirl Marin Carter thanked her mother for not giving in to pressure from doctors to abort her because she has a hand missing: “I’ve been on this earth for 17 years. I enjoy every day that I’m alive, and sometimes I get caught up in the emotions, but I’m happy to be alive, and I’m glad that I was born this way. I’m glad that God made me this way and gives me challenges, gives me things that I have to face. Every day is a gift from God and it just pains me that some people will take that away from their children and take their children’s lives.”

    In 2016 a pregnant mother who discovered her unborn child had Down’s syndrome was worried about what kind of future her baby could have. In response, 15 young adults with Down’s syndrome, got together to produce a heart-warming video reassuring the mum that her baby would have a great life ahead of her. You can watch the video here.

    Domenica Lawson is a young adult with Down’s syndrome who works in a café in Brighton: something she very much enjoys. Her father, the journalist Dominic Lawson, has been a vocal advocate for the right to life of people with Down’s syndrome.

Abortion and Religion

  • Isn’t opposition to abortion a religious view?

    No. Killing unborn babies before they are born is a human rights issue. The UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child (1959) states that “the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.”

    The right to life of every human person from conception to natural death lies at the foundation of all authentic human rights. There is no such thing as a right to abortion anywhere in international law. On the contrary, all UN foundational documents uphold the dignity of every human life, no matter how young or old.

    However, many people who are opposed to abortion, just like those opposed to other human rights abuses, do have a religious belief which underpins their conviction that abortion is wrong.

  • Aren’t pro-lifers imposing their religion on others?

    When citizens, whether they hold a religious belief or not, campaign for laws and social policies to prevent injustice towards innocent and defenceless people, they are not imposing their religion on others, even though their convictions may form part of their religious belief.

    Nobody is saying that campaigners for racial justice are imposing their religious views on others, yet racial prejudice is condemned by all major Christian denominations.

    Pro-lifers are not imposing religious beliefs on others, but engaging in reasonable actions as citizens to uphold the dignity of every human being.

Men

  • Should men speak out about abortion?

    Definitely. Pro-life advocate and medical doctor Calum Miller says that “by making abortion a ‘women’s issue’ only, you create fertile ground for men to abandon women whom they have put in that position. By excluding men from the debate, you are also excluding them from their responsibility, effectively telling them: you may have sex with whomever you want, and if anything happens, it’s nothing to do with you.”

    Calum gives other key reasons why men should be active in the pro-life movement. He says that abortion is “ultimately a question about justice, and all of us have a responsibility to help redress injustice.”

    He also says that there’s nothing wrong with men speaking on behalf of women who feel they would otherwise not be heard: “For my own part, I can say that countless women have asked me to keep speaking about abortion, knowing that I can represent their voices to a wider audience than they have access to. It seems perverse to take away the megaphone those women have in the name of ‘giving them a voice’.” In addition, Calum says: “Pro-choice men are rarely, if ever, asked to stay out of the conversation – their views about the morality of abortion are perfectly well tolerated.”

    Damian J. Geminder, the editor of WomenDeserveBetter.com, asks the question: “How often have you been told that your opinion on abortion doesn’t matter because you’re a man?” He describes himself as a “pro-life feminist” and says that men can and should take that position.

  • Does abortion affect men?

    Yes. There are comparatively fewer studies that look at the impact of abortion on men, but it would be wrong to think that only women suffer after an abortion.

    A 2015 study found the following reactions in men:

    · loss and grief including loss of the child and fatherhood, loss or deterioration of the intimate relationship, loss of trust in the partner and feelings of abandonment, loss of self-esteem resulting from personal failure, and sadness accompanying guilt or regret.

    · feelings of helplessness and/or victimhood due to the lack of control over the outcome of pregnancy: helplessness entails a sense of vulnerability and incompetence, while victimhood entails weakness and humiliation, and these negative attributes undermine the positive experience of masculinity.

    · spiritual healing experience associated with forgiving the partner and them- selves or with being forgiven by a higher power.

    A 2019 overview of the studies about men and abortion concludes that: “This review of psychosocial aspects of induced abortion from a men’s perspective underlines the importance of designating a separate research field for studying the decision-making process leading to induced abortion, the psychological impact of abortion, and the methods efficiently supporting coping and grieving losses, rather than treating the related issues as subjects of a special line of research on women.”

    In extreme cases, the grief at losing a child to abortion can cause some men to commit suicide.

Contraception

  • Is contraception the solution to abortion?

    No. Many people think that if women used contraception then there would be no need for them to have abortions. This seems logical, but it is not the case.

    In 2017, BPAS published a report stating that 51.2% of women who terminated pregnancies at their clinics in 2016 were using at least one type of contraception. One in four were using the supposedly more reliable hormonal contraception or a long-acting reversible contraceptive method (LARC), such as the inter-uterine coil. Anne Furedi, one time chief executive of BPAS has also stated that abortion should be regarded as “just another type of birth control.”

    In the US, just before the overturn of Roe v Wade, commentators asked: Has modern birth control made abortion a thing of the past? They concluded that even though Americans can choose from “16 forms of birth control, two types of emergency contraception or ‘morning-after pills’, and three methods of sterilization” there will always be a need for abortion, because contraception can fail.

    Abortion has its roots in contraception in that both instil in women the idea that they have complete control over their bodies and over whether they have a baby or not. Indeed, abortion advocates see abortion as on a continuum with contraception in controlling unintended pregnancies. This can involve:

    1. Preventing ovulation by use of hormonal contraception.
    2. Where an egg has been released, using barrier methods of contraception and hormonal methods aimed at preventing fertilisation.
    3. Emergency contraception to prevent implantation of any embryo conceived.
    4. Medical or surgical abortion when conception has taken place.

    Few people would equate using contraception with having an abortion. Yet many are unaware of the abortifacient nature of some contraception which may work either before or after fertilisation.

What can I do?

  • What can I do to join the pro-life movement?

    Become a member of SPUC. There are lots of ways to get involved from joining a local branch and fundraising to attending out national events and campaigning alongside us. Find out how to get involved today.

  • How can I support SPUC?

    Your support means everything to us and drives our work forward. Find out how you can support us today