Using the word "kill" in relation to an unborn foetus is emotive and misleading. It is debateable whether you can "kill" something that is not capable of independent life. The point at which a foetus becomes capable of independent life, (and therefore a "baby" capable of being "killed") in practical scientific terms, is equally difficult to determine. In one sense, I am sorry David Steel ever got his Act of Parliament to legalise abortion passed. If he had got the previous law, which made abortion illegal, repealed, he would have done women a much better service. The law should have nothing to do with, or to say about, abortion. It would be better to have the same situation as in Canada, where the law has nothing to say about it and a woman who wants an abortion simply sees her doctor privately about it. It is a medical procedure, nothing more.
Having the right to abortion defined in law gives an opportunity for those reactionary (and nearly always religious) campaign groups to bully and manipulate and generally try to force their misogynistic opinions down everybody else's throats.
People who are opposed to abortion for religious, or any, reason, have the right to act on this in the way they conduct their own lives. They DO NOT have the right to force their beliefs on anybody else, and definitely do not have the right to decide that women should be forced to endure pregnancy and birth against their will.

"It is debateable whether you can "kill" something that is not capable of independent life"

So when is it acceptable to kill an unborn baby - 2 weeks, 20 weeks, 20 minites before it is born ?

It is sometimes forgoten within the abortion issue that a father has no rights over the life of his unborn child. My former partner became pregnant, I was delighted she was not. I tried everything I could to persuade her to keep the baby up to and including offering to take complete and sole responsibility and to legally exempt her from any financial involvement if that's what she wanted.

Despite this on Nov 14th 2000 she aborted our unborn child

I was told I had no rights and the abortion support group my partner spoke with told me I was "irrelevant" to the decision.

I was forced to stand by and do nothing.

I think about that child every day.

The problem with this debate is the unending polarisation of so called religious people versus
so called more liberally minded people. There is a world wide movement of pro-life feminists who fight for equal rights for all women AND for their pre-born off-spring, based on the idea of CONSISTENT ETHICS.

Not calling it killing is misleading for the pre-born human is as alive as you and me.
This has nothing to do with religion (personally I feel religion sucks) or politics or forcing one's views down throats. It is a matter of GCSE level biology once the egg is fertilised it is a human - a very small and dependent one yes but still human. A fact is still a fact no matter how inconvenient the fact is. We have great symapthy for women faced with an unwanted pregnancy, she requires our help and support. Women need better employment rights, better accommodation rights etc but not to be handed to the abortion industry.

"It is debateable whether you can "kill" something that is not capable of independent life.

Just one other comment, we have to be careful about advocating terminating lives on the grounds that if something is not independent it is not called killing. Many born and adult disabled people are not independent terminating their lives is killing - although the more eugenic supporters of abortion want them dead anyway.

With regard to David Steel's promoting of abortion until the Abortion Act was passed, it would do us all a service if we looked back at where the pressures for abortion started.
Was abortion what women wanted or was it more rights, better pay, equality with men - someting that has not yet been achieved!

Pro-life feminism does not condemn women who have unwanted pregnancies but we do condemn the circumstances in which they find themsleves, that pushes them towards choosing abortion.

LIVE & LET LIVE!

When and does the unborn foetus/baby feel pain and suffering?
If for instance at 6 weeks the unborn child does not have the physiological or pyschological means to suffer then I don't understand the problem with abortion, (religious people will not agree I know)
Don't force a woman to have her baby especially in this over populated and miserable world if suffering is not in question!
To me there is no other consideration!

shame on you 'Not yet a father'
how dare you try to persuade a woman to do what 'you' wanted with 'her' body.
you have no right to dictate the future of any woman. this is disgraceful behaviour.

men like you are dangerous, using pitiful language to invite sympathy when what you are disguising is control, power and violence (yes it is violent to oppress another persons rights)

the woman you are talking about made a hard personal decision, made much harder by your manipulation. I'm just glad she had the strength to make her decision and not let you dictate her future.

check yourself and get the message... This isn't about you!
It's hard for men to realise that they can't control and own everything.