by Laura Mullins

Created on: April 21, 2009   Last Updated: April 22, 2009

Where do you start on a subject such as this?

I have never had an abortion and probably never will although I do think that everyone should have that choice.

Deciding wether to become a parent or not is the biggest decision you will ever make. Yes, the decision should be made before a child is conceived but not everything turns out as planned.

Condoms may split, the contraceptive pill may not work when using other medication, etc. There are many reasons why someone may get pregnant when they didn't intend to, it is not simply through stupidity.

I got pregnant unexpectedly, my son was very much wanted, he just came a lot earlier than we had planned! Abortion was never an option for us, but it was still a very daunting prospect. My partner helped to bring up 3 younger brothers, so he was well prepared. I, on the other hand, had never even held a baby! I had always wanted kids at sometime though so it would all have to be learnt at some point.

If you have never had any inclination to have children and do not have any form of maternal instinct it is a very different prospect. A child is a lifetime commitment. For the first 16 years in particular, life as you know it will never be the same again and will be totally devoted to taking care of another person with no thought for yourself. Not exactly something to be taken lightly!

An abortion is never an easy decision and is never an easy process (unless done very early). So there will have been a lot of thought behind the decision to have one and that must be respected. It may be the best decision in some cases.

If the mother knows that she will not be able to cope with a child, maybe if she has major issues such as depression, or cannot deal with stress and has anger issues then a baby could trigger these and the consequences could be tragic. We have all read terrible stories about women hurting their babies and suicides due to post natal depression. If someone feels forced in to parenthood due to an unplanned pregnancy than these circumstances become more likely.

There are also unwanted pregnancies due to violent and sickening crimes and the option of of these women being denied an abortion is a crime in itself.

The baby's health may also be an issue. If a child is going to be born in to a short and pain filled life, is it not better to spare both parent and child the pain and heartbreak?

The major problem I have with abortion is the time limit. Women can have abortions up until 24 weeks in to the pregnancy. At 24 weeks (2/3

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