Book Reviews : Radicals in Social Work Daphne Statham Routledge & Kegan Paul, £2.95
| Published date | 01 June 1978 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455057802500209 |
| Author | Peter Jubb |
| Date | 01 June 1978 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
opt out of taking part in the procedure through the conscientious objection
clause but many do not make this clear to the woman seeking help. She is
often given the impression that she does not have grounds for an abortion
although a doctor who is not opposed to abortion in principle may be quite
ready to sign the necessary approval forms for her.
:
A woman does not consider abortion lightly. If she has taken the step _ of
approaching a doctor to request an abortion she has probably thought over
her situation extremely carefully and decided that it would be better for her,
her family, and the potential life she is carrying if the pregnancy was termin-
ated. Some women need to talk their problem over with a sympathetic person
before making the final decision, but after unbiased counselling only a handful
of women change their minds..
If one accepts that a foetus is totally dependent on its mother until the age
of viability at about 28 weeks, then one should also accept that it should be
the mother’s decision whether or not she should continue with the pregnancy.
By taking the decision out of women’s hands, doctors are setting themselves
up as moral and social judges over those who are supposedly incapable of
deciding what is best for themselves.
:
The Lane Committee concluded &dquo;By facilitating a greatly increased num-
ber of abortions, the Act has relieved a vast amount of individual suffering&dquo;.
The Committee did not’feel that the Act should be amended in a restrictive
way. -&dquo;To do so .when the number of unwanted pregnancies is increasing and
before comprehensive services are available to all who need them would be to
increase the sum of human suffering and ill health, and probably to drive
more women to seek the squalid and dangerous help of the back street abor-
tionist&dquo;.... ’ .
.
PAULINE HILL (MRS.)
Social Policy Committee, NAPO.
BOOK REVIEWS
the reflections are there to the dis-
Radicals in Social Work
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