Time to erase the line?

doi:10.1136/bmj.39128.715613.3A

BMJ 2007;334:382 (24 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.39128.715613.3A

Letters

Abortion

Time to erase the line?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

As a longstanding anti-choicer, I commend Gornall on a balancedand informative article on abortion.¹ It got me wondering ifthe abortion debate isn't all a bit pointless. Pro-choicersand pro-lifers disagree profoundly on whether children can betreated differently depending on whether it's before or afterthey're born. The "right" answer to this seems to depend onwhat part of the world you're in. Even within the mainly pro-choiceUnited Kingdom, one nation (Northern Ireland) remains essentiallypro-life. This argument will continue for the foreseeable futurewithout a winner.

What if we changed the focus to our main area of agreement:that women and children should be able to lead happy and fulfillinglives?

What if pro-lifers and pro-choicers worked together for a betterdeal for pregnant women and the parents of young children? Doesanyone really want any woman to have an abortion because shecan't afford to . . . [Full text of this article]

Niall L Cox, consultant geriatrician

Dewsbury and District Hospital, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF13 4HS

niallcox@doctors.net.uk