the legalisation of abortion Flashcards
until 1967
abortion (except on strictly medical grounds) was illegal
only way of terminating a pregnancy
-to find a private clinic, if you could afford fees
-if you could not search out backstreet abortionist
how many illegal abortions were performed each year?
100,000 and 200,000 illegal abortions were performed
how many women were admitted to hospitals with complications as a result of illegal abortions
around 35,000 women
who had campaigned for a reform in the law from 1945?
the abortion law reform association
what did The Abortion Law Reform Association argue
argued that legal obstacles to abortion ought to be removed to end these problems
what was the key factor in swaying public opinion on the legalisation of abortion?
the thalidomide disaster of 1959 to 1962
in 1966 the society for the protection of the unborn child set up to
oppose any liberalisation of the law - feared that any extension of abortion beyond strict medical grounds would lead to abortion on demand
What liberal MP led the reform campaign in parliament supported by the labour government
David steel
The Thalidomide disaster
During the 1960s- the drug thalidomide which was prescribed for pregnant women with morning sickness + found to produce congenital deformities in children in early pregnancy
- born with no arms and/or legs
- poll showed majority in favour of abortion when an abnormality had been detected in a foetus
The abortion act
Permitted the legal termination of a pregnancy within the first 28 weeks under medical supervision + consent of 2 doctors
Justification for abortion
Only justification needed was the ‘mental suffering ‘ of the pregnant women, not her physical condition
How did the number of abortions increase from 1968 to 1975
Increased from 4 per 100 live births in 1968(35,000) to 17.6 in 1975 (141,000)
