Abortion choices

It is greatly hoped that abortion legislation will be devolved to Holyrood and Scotland can be more in line with other EU nations that have a 12-week abortion limit (your report, 7 July).

Unfortunately, there are still many in our society including so-called human rights campaigners who continue to deny our unborn children the fundamental right to life and refuse women real choice.

Even pro-choicers must acknowledge that the “right to control one’s body” argument has no validity given the fact that an unborn child is a human being (and the science clearly shows this).

The late pro-choice philosopher Mary Anne Warren admitted: “The fact that restricting access to abortion has tragic side-effects does not, in itself, show that the restrictions are unjustified, since murder is wrong regardless of the consequences of prohibiting it; and the appeal to the right to control one’s body, which is generally construed as a property right, is at best a rather feeble argument for the permissibility of abortion.

“Mere ownership does not give me the right to kill innocent people whom I find on my property, and indeed I am apt to be held responsible if such people injure themselves while on my property. It is equally unclear that I have any moral right to expel an innocent person from my property when I know that doing so will result in his death.”

If Scotland can lead the way in reducing the abortion limit this will be a strong step in the right direction, and hopefully the beginning of the end of abortion. We must offer women real choice, the choice not to have an abortion.

What will it take for society to view the youngest among us as children instead of choices?

If we cannot fight for and protect our children, then we as a society have abandoned human rights and love for our weakest. Let’s continue until we see every child protected.

Martin Conroy

Oldhamstocks

East Lothian