Daniel Martin's report in the Daily Mail (U.K.) reveals doctors' dramatic shift of opinions about abortion in England:Opposition to abortions is growing rapidly among GPs, a startling survey has revealed. One in five believe it should be banned completely. And a quarter refuse to send women for terminations because of deep moral objections. More than half said the 24-week limit should be reduced because medical advances mean babies born earlier than that can survive.
The findings - revealed today in the GPs' magazine Pulse - will reignite the debate over abortion provision and, in particular, the right of doctors to turn away women seeking help.
Last month the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists warned of a potential crisis in NHS abortions, saying the increase in medical "conscientious objectors" was forcing more women to go private.
Michaela Ashton of the charity Life said last night: "This shows there has been a distinct shift in medical opinion and demonstrates the urgent need for the Abortion Act to be reviewed. "People become doctors because they want to cherish life, not destroy it. We are delighted that doctors, particularly younger doctors, are increasingly having doubts and we call on the government to take heed and change the law."
But the Marie Stopes organisation, which carries out a third of the 180,000 abortions in England and Wales each year, said: "It's appalling that such a high percentage of doctors are refusing to sign abortion referral forms. It lends fuel to the argument that we should take doctors out of the picture.
"Doctors who refuse to sign the forms are committing an abuse of power. We believe they should send women to another doctor who will sign. If not, they should be investigated for malpractice..."
Read the rest of the Daily Mail story here.
