Abortion debate

Being born with a physical disability, and today a volunteer who assists severely intellectually disabled people, my viewpoint differs from Alicia Burrow’s (October 31). Abortion should never be ‘‘my choice and nobody else’s’’. Shouldn’t fathers, parents and society also have a say? I’m grateful my parents chose differently.

The crux of the issue is that the foetus is a developing human life, not a disposable ‘‘blob of tissue’’. My ‘‘spiritual’’ understanding is also informed by science – of ultra-sound scanning, etc. At five weeks a foetus reveals an independent heartbeat. From 12 to 15 weeks it’s visibly a developing child who responds to external stimuli.

It’s time our law recognised from 15 weeks the right of the developing child to life. Except possibly in cases of incest or rape, abortion should always be the very last ‘‘choice’’.

Gary A Clover, Nelson abortion by expressing disdain for other belief systems being imposed on her by those opposing abortion.

However she conveniently ignores the fact that belief systems are constantly imposed on us by the laws of our land.

Most of us accept this as a good thing on the basis that protection of others is a value worth holding to. It is this very value that anti-abortionists uphold, in endeavouring to ‘‘impose’’ their belief that an unborn child is a life worth protecting.

The question of whether an unborn child is a living human being is a philosophical rather than a scientific one, which means that it will always be valid to present one’s beliefs in this debate. Being closed to other points of view may suggest that self-interest and selfjustification have taken over from a desire to seek the truth.

As a self-confessed ‘‘spiritual’’ person, Alicia will be aware that moral values have their source beyond our personal wishes, and that the real choice is whether we consult and follow that source.

Ashley Windsor, Nelson