Just a thought, Brougham, on the foetus's right to choose. Let's say we follow your reasoning, and don't act until the potential abortion is old enough to vote. We then ask what should have happened. What if he or she says "Yeah, I wish you'd aborted me"? How do you propose to do it retroactively? Foetus's right to choose, my eye. Third-rate sophistry, and fourth-rate attempts at emotional manipulation, more like.

Those supporting abortion must be very thankful that their parents didn't support it for them. Isn't that the point?

That's why - Anomie - "Retroactive abortion" is so absurd because we all have a choice now. The unborn don't

That's why - Col Rouge - this debate is about choice and we must speak up for those that can't. The unborn babies.

Every time a baby is aborted a life is taken. Dependant life, sure. New life (not 'parasitic'), yes. Inconvenient growing life, sadly seen that way.

To ignore this fact to the detriment (read killing) of the new life is, as Justin86 said, simply selfish.

Kay

I was very moved by your article.

Particularly with your view on what is actually pro-life. Are pro-lifers people who care about the well-being of actual living breathing humans? Or are they people who care only for the viability of a foetus?

The manner and behaviour of those who oppose women who choose to have an abortion; who use this personal belief when in power and who do nothing to help parents or abused children are clearly not Pro-Life – they are Pro-Foetus. It is about time they ‘fessed up and told the truth. They don’t give a rat’s about the welfare and well-being of women. They care only about control.

To any of you who refers to yourself as ‘pro-life’, I suggest you think again. Just what kind of life are you in favour of? If it is a foetus at the expense of the life and wellbeing of a woman, then please call yourself what you are: Pro-Foetus.

Broughton, you can only speak for that unborn child if it is growing inside you. Otherwise it is quite frankly none of your business. With regard to being thankful that my parents did not elect it for me – had they done so I would not be here to know, so the point is irrelevant.

Perhaps people should cast their minds back a number of years to the disasters of backyard abortions when abortion was illegal. By having informed choice and support many women in positions where having a baby is inconvenient do elect (like my daughter) to keep their babies because they do not believe abortion is for them. For others the decision for many diverse reasons is made to terminate the pregnancy. But that decision is the private business of the woman (or couple) concerned.

If you and Justin86 deem it selfish to elect to have an abortion then why not go one small (very small) step further and condemn all those who even use contraception for their killing of potential babies. The selfishness lies within you for considering that you have the selfish right to decide that the life of the unborn baby (yet to sustain life without support) overrules that of the life of the mother.

It will be interesting to see the outcome of today's "conscience" vote (since when did a politician grow a conscience, pray tell), given the fairly even quantity-balance of this thread.

This seems to be another one of those emotion-vs-logic discussions that will never end, because there is no common basis of communication.

If I say "but a foetus isn't an independent life-form, and can't think or feel", this can be used equally as a pro-life or pro-choice argument.

If I am arguing from logic, I would say "therefore it is a straightforward decision on the part of the mother", if from emotion, "therefore we should take responsibility for it".

What patently doesn't wash, though, is trying to combine logic with emotion, as brougham tries to do with "Those supporting abortion must be very thankful that their parents didn't support it for them".

As it happens, both my parents were pro-choice. But it is the concept of being thankful that puzzles me. Of course I am thankful to be alive, it is a wonderful experience. But there is no supportable alternative: I cannot be "ungrateful", or whatever the opposite of thankful may be, for not being alive. If I do not exist, I am unable to express annoyance.

Playing with other people's lives, as the pro-lifers do, by injecting the process with guilt at every opportunity, is simply unacceptable.

Despite the rantings of the apostles of the culture of death, when it all boils down abortion is surely the ULTIMATE in child abuse. It's a hateful, violent act. It's interesting to ask the culture of death mob at what stage of the baby's development they would draw the line or do they support late-term abortions: how about the day before baby is due?