Another left wing pro-choice web site has today launched another ‘conspiracy theory’ attack on the Dorries Field amendments, only this one is worth highlighting for a couple of reasons.

Link http://tinyurl.com/3bcp8u9

The blog post is written by Darinka Aleksic, who is the campaign co-ordinator of Abortion Rights, the union funded, national pro-choice campaign for the UK.  As someone who is neither pro-choice nor pro-life, I do not deny or condemn Darinka’s right to campaign for her own belief; however, it is only right that in doing so, she should be entirely honest and transparent with regard to those beliefs.

The most alarming sentence in Darinka’s post when discussing the use of language is this one ‘ Later term abortion in the US? Re-christened ‘partial-birth abortion’ and promptly banned’

You will gather from the above that the Union funded Darinka is a fan of partial birth abortion. I say this because she obviously objects to the highly accurate description of the procedure. Not sure what a PBA  is? Well here is a video explanation, made by a pro-life Doctor. I have used a video which explains using a doll, rather than anything more graphic and I’m afraid that even this is difficult to watch. If you object to watching a description given by a pro-life Dr, there are others available on the web.

http://tinyurl.com/54kruf

This is the problem with pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life want abortion banned entirely and pro-choice would like to go all the way to partial birth abortion. There is no place for either position in today’s society.

Darinka’s own conspiracy theory,  is to credit my ‘language’ to that of the pro-life movement in the US.  She states,  ‘Anti-choice campaigners aren’t stupid.  They know from the experience of their American counterparts that hardline anti-abortion measures couched in moderate language have greater resonance with the public.’

Last week Frank and I, to the horror of the pro-life movement, laid down an EDM to campaign for the morning after pill to be free. If the scope of the bill had allowed it, we would have laid it down as an amendment to the bill. If the rising rate of teenage pregnancy isn’t a concern to any government, it is to us. I am not quite sure what about that measure is  ‘hardline anti-abortion’. I am also not quite sure how she thinks, that as a busy constituency MP, I have time to conduct an in depth study of the American pro-life movement when I can hardly keep up with the UK! 

She then goes on to state

But the boring fact of the matter is that none of this is actually true. Informed consent from the patient is required before any medical procedure, including abortion, can be carried out.  Clinicians are required to discuss all potential risks and complications, both physical and psychological.  Abortion in the UK is already thoroughly regulated – let’s not forget, it’s the only procedure that requires the permission of two doctors before it can go ahead

Darinka does herself an injustice here. The conversation which is required before the consent form is completed does not include any discussion regarding mental health. It involves the possible risk of having a general anesthetic, if one is used, the fact that there will be a small amount of pain following lasting around 48hrs and bleeding for between 5 – 10 days. The forms sit in the abortion clinic office for weeks waiting for the second Dr’s signature and it is quite often photocopied on, much later. That is the sum total of the informed consent conversation.

I apologise to those who are fed up reading about my position on abortion. I will not allow either pro-life or pro-choice to put me into each other’s camp.

I am in my camp, with Frank for company. That camp is pro-women. It is the middle, sensible, common sense ground and it’s where I am staying. It is also where change will happen. Pro-choice and pro-life can continue to battle each other. We will get on with the job and battle for sensible change.