PRO-precaution, ANTI-abortion. That's my stance.

Having said that, I support abortion after rape, or if the woman's health is endangered, or if the baby would be born defective. I am against any late abortions, though I don't know enough about it to say how many weeks.

Horrors like the subject of this thread are of course totally unacceptable.

How do you define 'defective?

If it is a girl, rather than a boy?

If it has Downs' Syndrome?

If it will have red hair?

If it will have thalidomide-like limbs?

Many people will accept some of those, some will accept all, some will reject all.

For me the only 'defect' that I would accept is one that renders the potential baby non-viable without permanent medical intervention.

I wouldn't be able to define 'defect'. But I would certainly not include abortion on the grounds of sex!

But many people in the UK would do so - even though this is illegal.

In some communities in the UK this does happen according to the media (not just the Daily Mail, either!).

The same with autism, spinal bifida, cystic fibrosis and other 'defects'. If detected in the womb it is quite common for women to have such pregnancies terminated. I can understand this, but do not necessarily approve - and I am very concerned that this may gradually take in other 'defects' of much less seriousness, down as far as things like red hair and snub noses. As we transcribe more and more of the DNA structures that make up the human genome, it may be possible to forecast the appearance of the future baby and it's brain capacity, it's potential physique, it's longevity and so on. What then of the decisions the mother has to make?

Having red hair or a snub nose, or being female is NOT in any sense a defect!

During the 'one-child-only' period in China, female infants were almost routinely aborted, or worse, killed after birth. Result? A sexual imbalance nearing 20%.

My point was that the choice whether or not to have a baby must remain with the woman, but she must exercise that choice before or immediately after having sex. She must not be able to say, "Well, we'll have a go, and if it's a good one" (whatever she means by that)", we'll keep it!"