Since over 50% of foetuses survive when born at 24 weeks, the current Dissertation

Since over 50% of foetuses survive when born at 24 weeks, the current law on abortion should be amended to reflect this - Dissertation Example a common law country itself has adopted in most of the states. When other EU countries have only 12 weeks and less, U.K. also can also follow suit. The Abortion Act 1967 is the oldest Abortion law in the world now and therefore needs to be amended for less than 24 weeks. Table of contents Chapter No Particulars †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Page no Abstract 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 3 1.2 Problem statement 6 1.3 Aim 6 1.4 Objectives 6 1.5 Dissertation structure and Methodology 6 1.6 Conclusion 7 Chapter 2 Literature review 7 2.1 Defense of necessity 7 2.2 Rights of unborn child 10 2.3 Ethics of abortion 12 2.4 General law applicable to abortion 13 2.5 Prolife movement 15 2.6 Prochoice movement 15 2.7 U.S. law for 20 weeks or lesser 16 2.8 British M.P. Nadine Dorries’ 20 reasons for 20 weeks 17 2.9 24 reasons for 24 weeks by Laurie Penny 17 2.10 Conclusion 16 Chapter 4 Data Findings, discussion and conclusion 19 Bibliography 22 Chapter 1 Introduction The big question is whether abortion is â€Å"killing of foetus or removal of a piece of tissue from a woman’s body?† It is argued that Abortion Act 1967 is medicalisation of deviance. According to Friedson, power accorded to doctors to have control over abortion has led to problematic segments of social behaviour. Thus, the judge decides what legality is and who is guilty, the priest, what is holy and who is profane and the doctors, what is normal and who is sick. In order to overcome the problematic area of abortion, medical profession have managed to influence the decision on when abortion is criminal and when it is therapeutic. The influence by the medical men has been on two levels. one, the political level where they supported legislatio n on abortion from 1803 to 1861 that helped establishment of medical profession’s status and in 1967 in furtherance of professional interests with the passing of Abortions Act 1967. The second level is the practical level in which the medical man exerts his extensive autonomy to decide on an abortion if it could be therapeutic 1 Section 58 of the Offenses Against the Person Act 1861 provides â€Å"every woman being with child, who, with intent to procure her miscarriage, shall unlawfully administer to herself any poison or noxious thing or shall unlawfully use any instrument or other means whatsoever with the like intent, and whosoever, with intent to procure miscarriage of any woman, whether she be or not with child, shall unlawfully administer to her or cause to be taken by her any poison or other noxious thing, or shall unlawfully use any instrument or other means whatsoever with the like intent , shall be guilty of felony and being convicted thereof shall be liable at th e discretion of the court or kept in penal servitude for life or for any term not less than three years or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years with or without hard labour and with or without solitary confinement†2 Though it may appear from what has been stated above that abortion in the U.K. is technically under the control of medical profession, liberal approach is the norm in that it is now â€Å"abortion on demand† given the fact that U.K. is the highest among European countries with reported cases of abortion 90 percent of which is conducted in the first trimester (12 weeks). The U.K. law has been more permissive than other countries