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Life begins at the moment of conception. If we hadn't been conceived we simply wouldn't be here. This is a simple scientific and medical fact. If life doesn't begin at conception then when?
Abortion is the taking of a unique and unrepeatable human life. If you are pregnant,
you're having a baby. If you terminate a pregnancy (abortion), you take a baby's
life. Abortion is an irreversible decision -
Abortion has many victims. The baby is the first and most obvious victim. Its life is taken. The mother is also a victim. She is told she has the right to choose and yet women are never shown the consequences of the choice they make. Her child is spoken of as a 'foetus, embryo, nothing yet, or products of conception'. She would seldom, if ever, be shown her child on an ultrasound scan or even still pictures of the baby in the womb.
A woman often opts for abortion because she can see no way out of her crisis. She aborts for social reasons, owing to lack of support, lack of finance, worry about her relationships with the child's father or her parents or peers. If they were given real choices the majority of women would not choose abortion. There must be and are other alternatives, other choices.
Many women suffer from post abortion syndrome. They are grieving for the child they have lost and their lives, relationship and family life can be very badly affected. Abortion can also have physical consequences, including problems with future fertility and childbearing.
Abortion also affects fathers who under the present law, have no rights in an abortion decision even if they are married. It also affects other family members and siblings.
Statistically conception after rape is very rare. To abort in these circumstances
is to punish the victim, not the perpetrator -
In 2005 there were 12,603 therapeutic abortions performed compared to 12,461 in 2004.
This is consistent with the pattern seen in recent years. In 2005, the rate for every
1,000 women aged 15-
The rate of terminations for every 1,000 women aged 15-
In 2005, the rate of termination was highest in women aged 16-
In 2005, the rate of therapeutic abortions in most deprived areas was higher than in areas of low deprivation, 15.4 and 8.5 respectively.
The proportion of early terminations has been relatively stable in the last five years, with 66.5% of all terminations performed at less than 10 weeks in 2005. This compares to 55.8% of terminations performed at less than 10 weeks in 1992.
The use of medical methods continues to increase, with 58.8% of all terminations performed medically in 2005 compared to 16.4% during 1992.
In 2005, 12,095 the vast majority (96.0%) of terminations were undertaken under Ground C . There were 148 terminations carried out under Ground E of which 30 were for Downs, 65 for other chromosomal conditions, 8 for anencephaly, 11 for spina bifida and the remaining 34 for other miscellaneous conditions.
Of the 12,603 therapeutic abortions performed in Scotland during 2005, 99.1% of these were carried out in NHS premises.
Further Information
Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (John Paul II); Declaration on Procured Abortion (Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith); Catechism of the Catholic Church 2271-
Abortion