Madrid, Spain, Jul 19, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The publishing of 4-dimensional pictures of the unborn, which show the fetus smiling, blinking her eyes and crying several weeks before birth, is leading to new calls in Spain for a review of the country’s abortion policy.
The surprising images were first published in Great Britain where abortion is permitted up to the 22nd week. The images, taken between the 12th and 26th week of pregnancy, show the baby perfectly formed, moving all four limbs, sucking her thumb and yawning.
The impact has been such that two young mothers decided not to go through with an abortion and in the British Parliament some lawmakers are calling for tighter restrictions on when abortions can be performed.
In Spain, in an article published by the newspaper “La Razon,” journalist Cristina Lopez Schlichting said that it is time for there to be a debate on the resources that are provided for pregnant mothers in difficult circumstances and, in addition, on the lack of serious oversight of private clinics.
“I am not asking any party to take up the anti-abortion cause, because I’m not naïve, but it is time to have a debate, first of all, on the resources provided to pregnant mothers in difficult circumstances, and second, on the need for serious oversight of private clinics, where any desire for abortion is portrayed to be a serious health risk,” writes Schlichting.
“How is it possible that the reports on abortion in Spain are signed by doctors who are paid by these clinics, which benefit from this gigantic business?” she asks.
According to Schlichting, social workers and pro-life associations should be more realistic because “it is useless to mount a frontal attack on abortion in a society that has is numb.”
“While we teach that fertilization is the origin of life, because it creates an embryo with a complete and unique genetic code, and thus we are sowing the seeds of a cultural change, we should tactfully propose a more modest first step for reforming the law. We should begin by making 12 weeks the limit for having an abortion. And if anyone has doubts, they should see the new images and the precious movements of the unborn,” she underscored.
Abortion 24 hours before birthIn her article, Schlichting recalled that in Spain “it is possible to have an abortion even the day before birth, because there is no time limit in cases of ‘risk to the physical or psychiatric health of the mother,’ which is the reason for 96.8% of 77,000 woman who abort each year.”
“Nobody can give life back to children that have been aborted, but now that many prejudices associated with similar struggles have been overcome (equality between men and women, the entering of women into the workforce, shame over single motherhood), it is now time to begin thinking about whether what is happening is fair. Because law has to do with justice,” Schlichting said.