To potential abortionists: What if your mother had decided that while you were forming in her womb, being gently and slowly and miraculously 'knitted' together, that she did not want you and that it was time to curtail this wonderful formation of 'you' and had you terminated.....? Please consider.

Penny Souster, Milton Keynes, England

I agree with much of what said, but the issue is much more complicated, what if one partner wants the child very much and the other doesn't? I know many women with limited means, but a lot of love who have raised excellent children who according to your criteria should have been angry and messed up.

Margaret, leamington spa,

As a women who works at an abortion clinic, I just wanted to say your article is really well done. To the person who had mentioned basically " if you don't want kids use birth control" dude,as someone in the field for years more than half of all pregnanies/abortions happend on birth control.Come on its 2007,my issues with anti's are they don't go by facts or personal stories(like none of your buisness what others do) its all about standing in front of the clinics and judging,Thanks for the article will definately pass it on.
Eli

Eli Kuti, Pittburgh, PA

what i don't understand, though, and please forgive my ignorance is, with all the contraception available in our "evolved state" why are you in need of a termination? if you have used contraception and still become pregnant, hasn't fate intervened?.. no matter what my situation in life, if i were to fall pregnant again (i have 2 boys) i would do everything i have done previously, and that is to allow the feotus to grow within me, to give birth,and to grow into a healthy and adjusted adult with help and support of family & friends. there are of course reasons beyond doubt for someone to terminate.. but, to choose career or partnership or any other selfish act over life, then more fool you, we are here, on this planet, as any animal, to procreate.

michelle, nottingham,

My personal thanks and a well done to you Ms Moran, for being courageous enough to bring your (undoubtedly still taboo) views to our imaginations.

I could not find one bit of the article I am able to disagree with, and, this coming from a person who believes quite strictly that every argument has an equally good counter argument.

Why we live in a society that seems to become all melancholy as soon as the word abortion is mentioned remains somewhat of an idiosyncrasy to me. The ending of life (whatever the consensus maybe of when it actually begins) can be a positive thing and need not be traumatic experience. Of course, it is only the conditioning of society onto our humble minds that makes it so.

Now, without any methods of sugar-coating I pose the question: will we ever congratulate a woman for making the decision to abort/terminate/get-rid-of? Yes. I already have.

SB, Yorkshire, England

1)A foetus at before a certain point is not a human.

2) The 'potential' argument does not work as otherwise every missed chance to have sex is a wasted life.

Ben, York,

One of the great experiences of my life was, as an Episcopalian ( why is this word just coming out of the closet?) to go to a catholic ( in both senses of the word) college of education. They took me because they thought I'd be interesting: I went because it was interesting. We had a mix of various religions, Catholics (nuns included), young men ( for the first time), whatever. It was wonderful! I remember my discussions with the nuns on issues such as divorce and abortion. We often came to a sticking point. My friend, Sister... who was a missionary sister in Africa and I and various other of the Sisters. I remember being in a RE group ( I almost got my Catholic Teaching Certificate: I had to point out that I was not Catholic!) and asking a question on ethics. The nun heading the discussion said: Oh, I thought you were going to ask me about divorce. "My mother always told me never to argue with a true believer, " I replied. Mom was right. But the right to chose is sacred.

Carlyle Braden, Croydon, U.K.

My cousin had three abortions, she felt that she wasnt ready at those times to be a mother, the right man hadnt come into her life, her career was important. Years later she had a son who was severly brain damaged at birth. I had three children and she often says to me, you were so lucky to have three healthy children and now you have grandchildren. I envy you.

I do wonder if the baby you abort is your only chance to have a healthy child. Who knows what the future holds.

Katt, Adelaide , Australia

"you shall not kill"
to be found, as Chesterton said of another commandment, engraved on tablets of stone and men's hearts though you go to utter ends of the universe or time.
Many a mitigating circumstance there may be, case by case.
That oughter be enough.
OF course every human being deserves love- aint one but aint got a father in heaven - no copout. Parent(s) may die or go mad any time.
A father's voice! Romans had it : loving roman fathers eposed /sold their kids a s sexual slaves rathern see em starve-..Avoid suffering? put em out of their misery? Ever been aghast at 3rd world street kids ? Of course!
What a life the elephant man had ! But for eyes to see that can the world is richer for his passage
Al on yer that's killed - God loves you as you are, warts n all, a int nothing but nothing unforgiveable - I know as a common sinner -
BUT puttin it right don't mean it wasn't wrong, and justifying evil is evil. Lucifer : angel of light! Don't Follow him!

thomas cliffson, murcia, spain

I have had two abortions and I do not regret either one of them. There is no way that I would bring a child of mine into a world in which I could not provide emotionally and financially fo it. I aborted (stopped) both pregnancies BEFORE the fetus developed into a breathing, thinking, feeling being.

The fact that there are people who want to criminalize abortion says more about peoples' attitudes toward women than it does about their attitudes toward human life. People think that women should be martyrs, they should go against their better judgement and instinct and bring a life into the world even when they know it will be detrimental to them.

We pride strength in men and loathe it in women. If men could get pregnant, how many of you would respect a man who was so weak that he let others (strangers) make private reproductive decisions for him? Yet, this weakness is what is expected fromeven if it means having surgery in a back alley.

Diane, Michigan, USA

Abortion issues always seem to exclude the father. In an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy, the man appears to have no part of any decision making from thereon in.

To have the baby or to have an abortion? The man can suggest whatever he wants, but the woman will ultimately decide. With what appears to be full morale & legal support on her side.

So what if the baby will be born into a loveless relationship? Who cares if the baby is born to an unfit mother (Smoker/drinker/young). Who cares if the mother wants to be on her own without the father being present? Who cares if the mother does not have a future? The mother gets to choose it all as the man will be emotionally blackmailed for the rest of his life to provide for a baby they may have chosen not to have.

Too much emphasis is put on what happens after the baby is bought into this troubled world. Unless the woman has been raped, all decisions about the unborn baby should be an informed choice for both of the parents.

W Stocks, Aberdeen, UK

Making the choice to have an abortion is hard enough without any guilt being put on the woman. It IS her body and ultimately HER decision. Who has the right to tell any woman she HAS to have a child or at least carry one? Are they going to help pay for the child's expenses for the first 20 years, or help raise that child, or be there for the mother if she regrets having to have the child and feels resentment towards the situation? Unless the person opposing an abortion for ANY woman can help with these situations, then they don't have the right to any say do they? There are enough unwanted children in this world, go look in a local orphanage, to bring more unwanted children in this world. Why don't all these pro-lifers go and adopt some of these children, that would be money and time better spent. Men also do not know what it is like to have children, so they could not possibly know what it is like to make this decision. It is really a woman's issue and choice.

Robin Castellanos, San Antonio, TX, USA

I had an abortion a week ago and have felt nothing but relief ever since. It was an easy decision to make. I do not want to give my body up. I do not want a baby right now. Its that simple. As for whether I'm considered motherly or not - I really do not care. It's my body and I do not want it taken over. An embryo of 6 weeks (it's not considered a foetus at this stage), half a peas width in size, does not have rights that ecilpse mine.

The logical conclusion of attributing an embryo with life equivalent to an adults is that an ovum is also a life. If you were to argue that an ovum needs to be fertilised then you could also argue that an embryo needs a hosts body to nourish it.

Even if an embryo were to be considered a life with rights equal to mine - I still believe I have a moral right to refuse to let my body to be used as a host - just as I have a right not to allow another adult to invade my body - even if this adult would die if they didn't.

Sophie, London, UK

A common refrain I hear is regarding the psychological anguish women suffer when aborting their child. And yet, young women are having 2, 3, and even 4 abortions, using it as pseudo-contraception. I just don't buy it. I see instead that abortion is really about an escape from responsibility and supporting a laissez-faire lifestyle free of moral consequence. I believe a woman has final dominion over her own body, but it is disingenious of Ms. Moran to argue that this is anything but taking a human life for narrow self-interest, and her intellectual dishonesty cannot change that. "An intelligent, logical, humble, compassionate thing to do,"--indeed; the very definition of sophistry.

Isaac Citrom, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Please can somebody explain to me the logic of the British aborting their own children then bringing in young immigrants to keep the economy moving?

Edwin Martin, Bedford, UK

If men were the child bearers of the species, I don't think we would even be having this debate.

Jonathan, Edinburgh,

It shows how far we have gone down the wrong road that anybody can call and aborion the 'ultimate ' motherly act.
That it should be even debated as there being two equal views on the matter speaks volumes also.Does no one remember the past at all? In that the supposed emotive and sentimental reason for having nhs abortions was so that there would stop to back street ones.That may well have stopped but what do we have in its place? and production line of abortions.The generation has signed up to the lie that we all "have a right to life"But is it not strange that neither the elderly nor the yet unborn have it so.
Some say it is the womans body and therefore it is the womans choice,That too is a lie.For when she gave her body for but a comparitively moments pleasure she relinquished the right to the consequences.
An abortion then is but compounding with a greater wrong a wrong allready committed.It has nothing to do with mother hood but a complete selfish self iinterest.

Gerald Blezard, london, uk

Ultimate motherly act, to destroy rather than nurture?
I don't think so, Caitlin. Tell that to the many women caring for disabled children.
If your choice of work-tops really matters more to you than bearing a child, you need help.
You cheapen the extreme distress in which many women find themselves wih an unwanted pregnancy.

Pat Morris, Walton on the Naze, Essex

Nothing causes psychological anguish to a woman more than aborting her child. Where is the concern for health?

Father Bryan Storey , Tintagel, UK

You claim abortion in these circumstances to be the "ultimate motherly act" but doesn't that mean you are completely thinking of your child and nobody else?

You listed all the pain you went through with your first two children, and you claimed that you are just too tired and that it isn't practical. I can understand that but that's not the ultimate motherly act, that's just because you are too tired to raise another child. Why didn't you just say that?

Heather, Yarm,

So all the people who say don't have sex, unless you want a child, did any one consider that sex or making love is probably one of the biggest signs of love between 2 people? Or did I just miss the point, should see a shrink, live on my own and buy a vibrator when I went to get my 'rocks off'? Some people can't t raise a child in the world, yet are in a loving relationship and therefore if the no sex argument is followed, shouldn't be allowed to show this love in a physical way. No contraception is 100% effective. I would have an abortion (and recently had a miscarriage), in order to protect my step daughter, as another baby on the scene would break her heart, and she has to come first. However, I won't steralise myself, as there may be a time when life allows myself and partner to bring another child into the world.

Ally, London, UK

Maz,

What you ruthlessly refer to as "non-viable" describes the situation of being a dependent person. No real man would have anything to do with a woman who was prepared to kill their dependent child.

Kevin, London,

Az,

Challenging engagement is one thing, deliberate twisting of an argument to suit your agenda quite another.

Of course no one life is more important than any other. But legalising abortion is no solution since it simply replaces one risk group with another and much larger one. Neither should we forget that women also die as a direct result of legal abortion - and there is emerging evidence of a link between abortion and suicide.

The truth is every life lost, born and unborn, is an infinite tragedy. That is why many, many ‘pro-life’ people work very hard to help women who might otherwise seek abortion, legal or not, for their sakes as well as for those of the children they carry.

No woman should ever feel driven to seek an abortion, back-street or otherwise. Surely, in view of all the adverse consequences, we should all work to reduce the incidence of “unwanted” pregnancy and support with our love and practical care those who might otherwise feel driven to seek abortion.

Pauline Gately, Weybridge,

My Mum very nearly had me aborted as she felt she was not in a position to bring up a child. That would have been her choice and I would have been none the wiser. Since I have been in the world she has been a wonderful mother and I have never once resented the fact that she initially did not want me. She was not rejecting me as a person but a situation she wasn't ready to cope with. There are far too many children in the world leading harsh existences to think being born is the ulitmate motherly act.
I am pro-choice and think until the baby can breathe on its own it is part of a woman's body and it is her choice what she does with her own body

Emma, London,

Kevin, London,

Such language as "pro-abortionists" has no place in any debate. You are damning the opposite opinion (which is as valid as yours) from the start and you show a lack of open-mindedness and willingness to understand the complex reasoning behind the debate in hand.

It is simply barbarism to equate a non-viable embryo or fetus with that of a born, thinking, sentient female person - a lack of respect of a woman's autonomy over her own reproductive system. Men like you scare women like me. I'm so glad I don't have any like you in my life.

Maz, Yorkshire, England

Pro-abortionists do not argue a case, they merely state their political position, which is: "If I say so, the baby's going to die and there's nothing you can do about it". Sometimes some "victimology" rhetoric is thrown in, other times not. The very sympathy that is invoked in support of the mother who wishes to abort her child derives from the same morality that should be equally solicitous of the child's welfare. If there is ever an extreme circumstance with a terribly difficult call to make vis-a-vis abortion then a moral society would allow that circumstance to be pleaded in mitigation AFTER the event. To legislate in advance that an unborn child is an inferior or non-person - a tactic that has also been employed against people based on sex, race or health, and not just age - is to allow people to kill others for the sake of the almighty orgasm. When you are driven by that kind of barbaric mentality, of course you have a good chance of winning the cuture war.

Kevin, London,

To Pauline:
"But the good consequence of preventing the death of a woman who would otherwise resort to the back street must be weighed against the bad consequences of legalising abortion."
Nice. So one life is more important than another is it? Isn't that exactly the moral reasoning that the pro-lifers deplore in pro-choice?

Az, London,

Duncan, England. Abortion when performed legally rarely results in infertility, therefore the idea that women who have abortions become barren is just misogynistic wishful thinking on your part. It is laughable that you can extend such an unpleasant opinion yet claim in the same post that men are more compassionate. Laughable.

And Patrick, the majority of countries in the world now have some form of legal abortion. The world has already made up its mind about abortion. Safe and legal and that is the way it will stay.

Maz, Yorkshire, England

Zeba,

Those who support legalised abortion always bring up the issue of back street abortion - and that is perfectly understandable. But the good consequence of preventing the death of a woman who would otherwise resort to the back street must be weighed against the bad consequences of legalising abortion. No point burying our heads in the sand.

The fact is it has changed people's behaviour for the worse. People are deluded or pressured into sexual activity when they are not willing to bear a child and everyone suffers. Young girls say their last argument against pressure to have sex is removed. Women with an unplanned pregnancy who really do not want abortion are pressured into it because it is available. Do these people not count too?

There is clear, solidly researched evidence now of the adverse consequences of abortion for women; increased risks of psychological problems, infertility or premature birth. But women are not warned of this.

Sentimental nonsense, Zeba?

Pauline Gately, Weybridge,

Abortion is a choice to be made by the individuals involved. Everyone can have his or her own opinion which can influence their choice if they ever have to make one, but not an opinion which will influence others decisions. Abortion cannot be justified as right or wrong, it depends on the circumstances and the quality of life that will follow. This is what makes abortion one of the hardest decisions ever to be made, there is no clear line of right or wrong and there never will be.

Gemma, Evesham, UK

It is a shame that so many fail to use their brains and reason when responding to a controversial topic, but go with their emotions and resort to cruel and taunting comments instead of actually thinking through the full range of arguments.

People do get unexpectedly pregnant for all sorts of reasons whether using birth control or not. And it should be the right of those people to to decide how to handle that pregnancy. It is sentimental nonsense to invoke "God" or to accuse a woman of murder or killing when she has an abortion. I have had an abortion: it removed a potentially cancerous growth in my body that mimicked the symptoms of pregnancy. But the procedure was exactly the same as that of abortion. Abortion is a medical operation, not a pathway to guilt or eternal damnation. As such it should be legal in civilised societies to ensure that its members are not forced to undergo illegal, unsafe procedures in the name of someone else's skewed moral beliefs.

Zeba, Brussels, Belgium

Why is the issue always about the mother and not the child? When did 'the child always comes first' stop becoming second nature? It amazes me how the subject of ending a human life can be made so 'logical' and heartless by some people. That's what that 'lump of cells' you are talking about it is, a human life. Whether you believe in God or you don't, everyone will agree that making the decision to end a human life is not yours to make. It goes against nature, it is simply immoral. Did you even stop to think that your very being, your very existence, and continued existance, has been due to some greater force goveirning all things? Even if you are carrying this child, you are not the force causing its cells to divide and multiply, you are not the force causing the body parts to form one by one, so you should not be the force deciding to tear away that helpless tiny human being from the walls of your womb. There are other options out there if you truly can't raise another child.

Nadine , Dubai, UAE

Thank you, Caitlin Moran.

Rune C. Olwen, Bov, Denmark

In this day and age, when there are so many forms of birth control and so much knowledge about the reproductive system, it amazes me that so many supposedly educated women still mange to get pregnant when they supposedly don't want to.

If they put in as much time pondering that paradox as they do justifying their abortions they might actually begin to maturely manage their reproductive lives.

Jeanne, NYC, USA

I stumbled across this article while searching the internet for something else. I am from the US and I myself have had two abortions and have had two children. My mother on the other hand has had seven children and believes that all her children are a blessing, though at the time of each pregnancy she felt otherwise. I am conflicted with the idea of an abortion, innately I feel it is wrong, no matter how you try to rationalize the decision.
The first time I was in a downward spiral of depression and as a result of wanting to make the choice all over again I intentionally got pregnant (again) and kept the child. The second time I aborted I knew the choice would haunt me however I knew that I had the free will to make the decision and I did. I regret both. There is no rationalizing in my opinion something that you know innately is wrong, it is like trying to rationalize the murder of a person. Innately we know to kill a person is wrong so why would we make that decision? Free will.

Me, Kansas City,

I don't think one can come to any agreement on this life and death issue unless you have a common starting point - My starting point is that God created the universe and all life on it. It is therefore not our right to kill what God has created. It would seem that the pro-choice people do not consider the 'choice' of the unborn, only of the mother. It feels like babies are thought of as just another body part belonging to the mother.

Peter Robson, London, UK

I am currently 6 months pregnant (first time) and am overjoyed at the prospect of motherhood. However, watching my pregnancy develop has made me more certain that women should have a right to choose whether to keep or terminate a pregnancy.

I realise now more than ever the enormity of the emotional and physical strain and responsibility chosing to have a child actually is. I do not believe that anyone should be forced to go through with a pregnancy if they do not feel it is the right option for them, and I do not think that forcing them is best for society.

One commentor here referred to a foetus being a 'separate entity that is a complete human being'. That is not true. A foetus under 24 weeks is wholly reliant on the woman's body to survive - they are not completely developed human beings.

Women should continue to have a choice whether they wish to carry a pregnancy through or not. It is the law and should remain that way.

Samantha, London,

I have been deeply disturbed by some of the comments posted on this piece. A hundred years ago, women were forced to undergo grotesque indignities (even death) to make the simple point that women are sentient beings just like men - with rights, opinions, and lives of their own. We seem to have come no further.

Both sexes are slaves to their generative organs - but where this apparently excuses men of all manner of foul behaviour, women are instead bullied and blackmailed (as seen here). I have five children in my life: the one I bore, the one miscarried, the two aborted, and the one I hope to have in future. I love them all, but the one who is here now is the one who concerns me.

Those I aborted suffered less by not living than otherwise. And why? Because one father was too young to cope, and the other a self-obsessed nutter. We often find these things out about men only when a child is on the way, by which time it is plainly too late. The ultimate motherly act indeed.

Claire, Out There, UK

Not surprisingly, Caitlin Moran's article produced strong reaction. Abortion is a highly emotive procedure and must never, ever be treated lightly but certainly not with unrestrained passion. I agree with Ms. Moran because I think she approaches the subject rationally, not callously and makes the most telling point, that of taking responsibility for and explaining one's actions.
Most of the correspondents who disagreed with Ms. Moran were of the opinion that abortion is killing of the defenceless and, of course, they are right in one sense but I just wish that they looked at the bigger picture: the fact that an unwanted child could face a life of such misery and deprivation, to say nothing of denying others in its family vital attention, that an abortion in these cases is surely the most responsible action.
I am not saying that abortion is always the most responsible action but I think there are definitely situations where it is.

Sally Paton, Camberley, UK

I for one would much rather that i hadn't been born, I had no choice in it and frankly consider that unfair. With so many people forced to live out miserable lives, just what is the rationale that says life is a good thing? Where is the proof of this?

To Duncan and others who think that men are more sensitive or moral than women who abort, who is it that commits rape and neccesitates the 'oldest profession'? Men point-blank refuse to go without sex and no form of contraception is 100% therefor it is a fact of life that women will fall pregnant accidentally - where does this leave these 'evil' women? historically; to drowning, to the workhouse, to early death from childbirth or failed illegal abortions.

Whatever your objection to abortions, history has proven that women WILL fall pregnant accidentally and suffer for it - better that modern women need simply suffer the hysterical rantings of pseudo-moralistic idiots than any of the previous alternatives

C Adamson, Edinburgh, Scotland

Does it not seem strange that 100% of all people who are in favor of unlimited abortion have already been born???

How many people do you know or know of ,who you think should have been aborted????

Saladin, Greenwich,

I agree with what Lucy Weber of London said. Also, where is was written: "...tip our hats to women aware enough not to create those troubled people in the first place..." really should be: "...tip our hats to women aware enough not to create any baby in the first place, if they do not want a child."
The time for a choice is when you are about to have sex, not afterwards.

Patrick McCormick, Brookyn, NY

This article brought tears to my eyes - a life is a life, not a lifestyle choice. What would hamper one woman's life and potentially ruin her marriage (or whatever other spurious consequences the writer came up with) would bring unimaginable joy to another family. Abortion is quite clearly murder, let's stop calling it by any other name. Once you understand how a baby is created, you have a choice in front of you. Play the odds and become pregnant, or don't have sex unless you don't want a child. "Pro choice" is misleading - the choice is there for all women, but it's at the point where they are choosing whether to have sex or not.

Lucy Weber, London,

I find the attitude that adoption is the only solution to unwanted pregnancy to be simplistic and naive.
As someone who was adopted at an early age, I can feel admiration for what my birth mother went through. However let's be realistic - adoption may be the moral choice but when did that stop others from passing judgement. How many pro-lifers can honestly say that they would support the mother without being tempted to comment on her morality for becoming pregnant with an unwanted child.And how many others would judge her for being unmotherly by giving her child away?
I myself had an unwanted pregnancy in my late teens and found that it was made much worse by the condemnation that others felt they could heap on me for my choices....and I kept my child. I still feel sorrow and shame for having brought a child into the world who was not welcomed warmly by parents and grandparents.

Persephone, Manchester, UK

Well said, Hazel. I'm so sick of the black and white thinking that goes on regarding abortion and adoption, as if adoption promises a disappearance into the sunset and happiness ever after. 'At least it gives a child a chance.' Seems to be the argument, but if you do a little research you will find strong correlations between adoptees and mental illness, adoptees and social maladjustment and adoptees and criminals. The problems of adoption are repeatedly brushed under the carpet, leaving both adoptees and adoptive parents with the misconception that they're the only people in the world for whom it hasn't worked out. So why are these issues ignored? Is it a misconception that unwanted children stand a better chance with a family, than, say, a state subsidised boarding school? What's better for finding your place in the world, a potential dysfunctional family or the structure of a peerage group?

Lisa, London,

Thank you so much for this brilliant article. While I still think an abortion is a horribly emotive issue - particularly for women who want children and can't, and teenagers who feel mixed up about everything... and no medical proceedure is risk free... I know there's no way I could have a 5th child, and any 'accident' now - post-sterilisation - will end in a termination. Whatever happened to adoption? I'll tell you, Francine. I don't want to have to cope with another child, but give one away? To strangers? Never. I don't care how stringent the screening process for adoptive parents is, people make mistakes, people lie, people change. I've met foster carers who I wouldn't give a rabbit to look after. until society is willing to look after all the children who do already exist, it should be grateful to the women who make a responsible choice.

Hazel, Worthing, England

As Mother Teresa said "If a mother can kill her own baby" what more do we expect from the world? There are consequences to sex. In today's world of contraception, there is no need for abortion. If the child is not wanted, why not give up for adoption to some unfortunate couple who could not have their own? We can always justify our actions, but I think deep down, a woman who aborts must be desperate enough to do something that is much against our nature i.e. to nuture babies/children whether live or unborn. I'm sure any woman comtemplating abortion has at some point loved her condition and have look back to the abortion with regret if not sadness.. Turn to God for mercy, compassion and healing. I would never say that abortion is right but sometimes when it is to save the mother's life. We look around us and see many people with faults/imperfections, would we say that they should not have been born? Of course not, God loves us all and each one precious.

VirginiaDore, BribieIsland, Australia

It is all very well all of you writing in support of abortion. Just think, you wont be here writing crap if you were aborted. But at the end of the day, I still am not going to say it is ok and that abortion is not killing. It is killing of the voiceless, defenceless and it is evil to say the least. I dont see how anyone who has life can have the conscience to say that life is not precious and sacred.

VirginiaDore, BribieIsland, Australia

whatever happened to adoption?????????????????????

francine, Suwannee, USA

Just because the human race collectively has shown scant regard for human life in many circumstances ( iraq , chechnya , texas death row , take your pick ) does not justify the ending of any life .
My third , unplanned child was concieved just as my marraige fell apart . Having him was the best thing I ever did . When facing an unplanned pregnancy sometimes abortion can seem like the simplist solution , particulerly when it is validated by society . But taking away someones only chance at life ( unless I am wrong about an afterlife ) seems to me a terrible thing to do . Life is complex , but if its all we have , can we really trivialise taking it away from someone else ? To quote clint eastwood ( yes really !) "its a terrible thing to kill a man , you take away everything he has , and everything he's going to have ".

cate, dubline, ireland

i am a young mother of 2, i had my first child at 16 then my 2nd at 17 it has took until now at the age of 27 to gain a career (nursing) and recognition as being a "good" mother, last year i fell pregnant but felt i would make both my children and my career suffer so opted for termination. The termination was the hardest thing i have evr done in my life i suffered from feelings of guilt that consumed me for months. i think that abortion should not be used as means of contraceptive however in cases where the woman feels she is not going to cope or be the best she can it surely can be understood. there should be more after care for woman who go through an abortion because though it is a choice to abort it still is a loss and woman should be supported.

shannon, Fife, scotland

There is no question to the fact that abortion is a choice; however, I believe that this choice is tainted by the self-preserving act by the mother who falsely justifies that one life is more worthy of living its planned lifestyle than another. Millions of mothers who do not have the resources to raise their unborn children have made the choice to keep their children and they have successfully overcome these life obstacles.

If given the choice, no one in their right mind would ask to be killed rather than live; especially, when they haven't been given the opportunity to choose for themselves. The bottom line is this: pregnant women who are not willing to take responsibility for their actions or are not willing to think of anyone but themselves - there is abortion.

Christopher, Lexington, MA

Like it or not, abortion is murder. As stated in some comments, it is a cold hard fact that life begins at conception. That is the view of biology, not religion.

I only wish they had an international register for women who have terminated because that is exactly what I'd do to any relationship I had with a women who has done this. Just as women have the right to know if a man is a sex offender, men should have the right to know if a woman is the kind of woman who would kill his child. At least you can increase your odds by staying away from women from: UK, Australia, Canada, Scandinavian countries, the Northern USA. Stick with religious countries like Greece, or a Catholic country or the Southern American states.

daz, sydney, australia

Thanks for such an honest, level-headed piece. We need more of this sort of debate from both sides, but it inevitably attracts people who have no knowledge/experience, of ANY kind, on this subject.

I also made that decision, and have NO regrets. What's the point in bringing a child into the world when you don't want it?

As for men entering the debate - when you have an iota of understanding of what women go through, physically and emotionally - before, during and after abortion/pregnancy - come back and talk to those of us who have actually experienced this.

Unless the argument evolves past 'Eurgh, it's murder, you're evil, etc', then, quite frankly, you need to stay out of it. That goes for any knee-jerk responders out there, male AND female.

Think before you shoot your mouth off - strong feelings and intelligent debate needn't be mutually exclusive.

Browning, London, UK

I'm also an adoptee, and like Lisa, have experienced severe life long problems related to rejection and abandonment. If women decide (for whatever reason) that they don't want to be a mother, what's worse? Living with the guilt of giving away a child already laden with possible personality baggage or terminating the problem while you can? Some (like Lisa and Caitlin) may argue abortion to be more of a life saver. A life crippled by no sense of self or belonging is a life devoid of quality; one which often destroys others and exhausts the resources of the state.

Jane, London,

If you don't want the responsibility of raising a child then you should either keep your pants on or give it up for adoption. Many people would give anything to be able to conceive there own child. Abortion is irresponsible, unhealthy, and immoral.

Israel, Indianapolis, IN

Caitlin,

You are obviously an intelligent woman. That being so, how can you rest your 'justification' on the claim that "both science and philosophy continue to struggle to define what the beginning of 'life' is"? That claim is demonstrably false. Check out the standard embryology textbooks. It is a settled issue there: the life of the human individual begins at conception. That is not religion, or even philosophy (although I'd say most theologians and philosophers agree). It is basic science. So as an intelligent woman, what do you say about a moral argument that ignores basic science?

Pat, Factoryville, PA

It wasnt untill I saw the Miranda Sawyer Documentry that i realised I didnt have a Opinioun on abortion. Well not an informed one. I was taught that abortion was wrong and went with that, but since watching the Documentry, I have looked in to the matter and really thought about it.

I now realise that I am more open to abortion than my church would like me to be. The thing is though I do apreciate that the Woman is carrying the foetus, it is also the offspring of a man, so I belive he should have a say in whether the child does get aborted, providing he is in the picture, ofcourse.

I know that i would be devestated if someone i had slept with had one with out even discussing it with me.

Christopher, Chatham, Kent

I was an unwanted child who was since adopted and I have carried this devastating baggage of abandonment around with me ever since I can remember. The problem is that the pain was caused at a time when survival was realistically threatened, so it's deep - so deep that no psychologist, psychiatrist or medication can actually get to it and resolve it. The impact of being an abandoned baby is enormous. You can't bear, quite literally, to be alone. You can't stand rejection, which often means stepping out of the system because you can't bear to compete. Think incapacity benefit for 'depression' simply because you're terrified of not getting a job. Think turning to drugs to cope with that. You can't keep your friends because essentially, you're too needy and immature. In all honesty, I would preferred never to have existed in the first place.

Lisa, London,

Helen,
Ok sister... it's your brother here - the one who has no right to condemn etc, etc..
The mix of my chromosones makes me male, I can Father but not bear children.. please don't be so arrogant to believe that this somehow relegates me to a sub-species unable to comment upon ethical or moral matters.
I neither condemn nor condone but state an opinion;
If you had to perform surgery on me I would demand anasthesia. A lack of would see me kick and scream like you wouldn't believe... But, if my lungs were full of amniotic fluid and my vocal cords only part developed you wouldn't hear a sound..does this lack of a scream somehow comfort us that no distress is being caused when a partially formed sentient being is being torn assunder? An immature nervous system at 18 weeks will register basic fear or flight response to external stimuli.
I am not saying no right to choose, but for pitys sake not at 18 weeks + when we fool ourselves that beating heart doesn't live for lack of a breath

PB, Horsham, UK

The only leg abortionist have to stand on is if they consider abortions to occur prior to "life".

Once life exists then you are killing children out of convenience.

You might as well advocate putting all handicapped people into a gas chamber since they inconvenience society.....

Chris, Tulsa, USA

You're right. We should be PROUD of having abortions, celebrate the victory and motherly love of it all, and the fact that you had no compunctions whatsoever about terminating your pregnancy doesn't reflect negatively on you whatsoever. We should even mark a national holiday to reflect happy termination day!

Heather, Woodbridge,

Ms Moran argues that women have the choice both to produce and destroy. It becomes more problematic if we apply that to the death sentence where there is a voice to be heard, a fair trial. In abortion there is no other voice to be heard bar that of the individual passing sentence. The potential unborn child has no voice, no means of expressing whether he or she wishes to be terminated, no fair trial. The mother decides and it becomes a 'me' decision. It fails to consider whether the child would prefer to born or not, regardless of circumstances. I am pro-choice for the unheard voice and for the decision to have sex in the first instance. Let's not be archaic. It is a woman's choice to have sex and, in those cases and only those cases where the sex is consensual, the act of 'good mothering' and good citizenship is the ability to accept the consequences and not just treat the foetus, the unheard voice like every other piece of disposal rubbish of modern life.

Sinead, London, UK

Like others, I, too, find it significant that it is mostly men who are against abortion, whilst it is women who are wholeheartedly in favour of it.

I think it shows who the more compassionate sex is (hint; it's not the sex who supports the murder of unborn babies and tells the other sex to 'butt out' should they complain about the wanton slaughter of their children.)

I think it is also significant - and disgusting - that so many women here effectively bragging of having abortions show no remorse whatsoever.

Still, at least abortion often results in infertility, so women who have killed an unborn child they couldn't be bothered to raise will have less chance of another unwanted baby.

Duncan, England,

As noted above, it's true - comes a day when mum is old and unwanted, too much trouble for her grown kids to take care of - the ultimate act of daughterly love will then be to mercifully terminate her.

Heather, Woodbridge,

I applaud the author. A woman has a right and a responsibility to terminate pregnancies that aren't logical or viable. As for the so-called 'moral' aspect, it is far more moral to take responsibility and terminate a baby than to leave it to the tender mercies of the care system. The baby is the responsibility of the parents, BOTH parents, yet it still remains a fact that a man can abandon his children - not seeing or supporting them - with little censure while a woman who does the same is unnatural.

Therefore no man can condemn a woman for an abortion - they don't have the right. They are not offering to take responsibility for the child. At most they might offer joint responsibility which in practice is 60/40 at best

Helen, northampton, uk

I find this argument acutely insensitive and careless regarding an issue that requires much deeper analysis, perhaps one that casts aside personal convictions and experiences and instead relies on a sound perspective.

In her article, the author mentions that she was, "most importantly of all...too tired to do it again." Not only does this response disregard any personal affections, but it also overlooks any of the available alternatives. There are thousands of couples who are unable to conceive, and even more who are willing to adopt. The argument has a lazy tone, one that takes the conveniences of today as progress and chooses to ignore the moral aspects which we have worked toward for many years.

Finally, I believe that this subject deserves much more analysis. Most importantly, what defines a human being, is it simply physical characteristics? I would argue that it has more to do with human identity, and that is more difficult to calibrate than arbitrary physical characteristics

dma, Milwaukee, United States

Olivia from Toulouse,

How can I express this without seeming to 'hijack' your grief? The 'pro-life' movement that I know so well understands exactly your situation and your feelings. There is no possibility of any condemnation. That is the public caricature not the reality. So often women are told it is their choice, then offered no choice. It is a cruel deceit and leaves so many to carry alone the burden of the choice they never really had.

It is wonderful that you are beginning to recover. That is excellent, but do please be aware that there is help out there as well. Organisations such as Life in the UK and I am sure there will be similar help closer to hand as well.

Thank you for your courage and honesty in representing so many.

Pauline Gately, Weybridge, Surrey

I find the present time limit disturbing for several reasons; recent advances in medical techniques and technology allow for surgery to be performed in-vitro at relatively early stages of gestation – this in turn has raised vexed questions on suitability of, and requirement for, analgesia for the foetus lest it suffer pain or distress during the procedure. Other reports (highlighted recently in the press) further indicate that some aborted pregnancies at or near 24 weeks result in a (normally temporary) live birth – guidelines from the College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology apparently recommend an in-vitro injection of potassium chloride to stop the heart of foetuses aborted at this late stage - presumably to avoid the distressing dilemma of infanticide or trying to save a severely premature baby. cont..

PB, Horsham, UK

In an age of reliable and accessible contraception, abortion for ‘social‘reasons is a regrettable procedure – I am not necessarily against a woman’s right to choose whether to carry a pregnancy to term but I believe most strongly that such a right must be tempered with an obligation to decided early on if such a pregnancy is desired or not so that any termination is carried out at the very earliest stage of foetal development.

We run the risk of allowing an unfettered system of abortion such as in the U.S. which allows the chillingly titled ‘partial birth abortion’ wherein the procedure is carried out at such a late stage that the foetus would be viable – by dispatching it in the birth canal prior to drawing an independent breath, it is legally defined a termination and not infanticide. It is surely indefensible and we must hold our humanity cheap to allow such a legal chicanery and semantics to trample over obvious immorality.

PB, Horsham, UK

Introducing and educating the next generation is surely the biggest responsibility a person undertakes, a role which is building foundations for future society. Just because we may not directly experience the future, does not mean that our actions do not have an impact. In a world that is seemingly over-run by random chances and decisions made for us, having a baby is a decision that a woman can consciously choose to do or not to do. Therefore, should not each individual be able to choose whether they are able to accept such a responsibility and to be confident in the belief that they can fulfill the task to the best of their ability?

Melanie, Wolverhampton, West Midlands

I commend you for daring to speak on a very controversial topic that can often bring out the worst in people for what they feel are the right reasons. I feel MMaureen that you are generalising people - people who all happen to be in the same situation will not all behave the same way, Caitlin Moran has clearly expressed that she did not feel emotional distress and if peole respond differently in generally situations why assume that because this is considered a major or controversial situation everybody who experiences it will automatically feel the same way or experience the same emotions when precedence has shown otherwise? people confuse the idea of being pro-choice with being pro-abortion, it is not so much about having the abortion as it is about the reasons why - women should be allowed to choose what to do with their own body, whatever your argument sanctity of life, killing a baby etc - it is the woman's body and hers alone, there should not be a say from anyone else except her.

Victoria Princewill, London, England

As such the present time limit seems to be based upon viability of the foetus up to that stage rather than any distress or suffering its immature nervous system might register during the abortion. We now know far more about development in the womb including at what stage a foetus begins to react to external stimuli – it is fanciful to believe that when the nervous system has developed to this point that it is somehow incapable of registering a basic level of pain or distress.

I find it incongruous that a society which expended vast amounts of time wrestling with the comparatively trivial issue of foxhunting and arguing over the distress to an animal which that might or might not cause, and similarly wrings it’s hands over the reintroduction of capital punishment for some of society’s most depraved and wicked individuals can sit idly by whilst this procedure is practised on the most innocent and vulnerable on an almost industrial scale with little sign of reasoned debate. cont..

PB, Horsham, UK

I am so glad I have just read your article. It has made my choice easier. Thankyou for the uplite ;)

Sarah, Nottingham , UK

Caitlin Moran appears to make her living by producing articles that try to shock. This article is an example. In a previous article she writes about how good news compared to bad news doesn’t demand our attention. As a freelance writer myself I agree. A title that makes readers sit up and fume is fantastic, or a disapproving reaction, especially from people like myself who draw attention to it and merit it being important enough to write a blog. However, using her own personal experience of having an abortion and telling us how wonderful it is, I find a tad sick. She refers to it as an even greater relief than leaving an abusive partner! Apparently, by having abortions we are ensuring “there are as few unbalanced destructive people as possible” Are we supposed to be touched by her concern for our society’s welfare? Surely Isn’t this a case of a woman trying desperately to justify her actions.

Susan Hegedus, Billericay, UK

I am very lucky in that I have never had to make the decision about whether to have an abortion. I did, however, once have to deal with a split condom and there was no hesitation in my mind about taking the morning-after pill. Obviously a slightly different scenario but potentially only one stage from having to make the abortion call. And if you are a pro-lifer, you may believe that, had a pregnancy been about to occur, I had already made that call. On reading this I breathed a sigh of relief that someone has exposed what my female friends and I have long believed. We all live with the repercussions of the actions of unwanted and unloved children. It is generally agreed that it is unthinkable to choose to have a pet with the intention of neglecting it and engineering it to destroy everything and everyone it comes into contact with. How can I compare a pet with a child, I hear you cry? Well exactly. If only more people took the decision to have a child as seriously.

Sally, London,

Answer to SNELSON:
..and, as a male, what the heck do YOU know about pregnancy, menstruation, morning sickness, a fetus inside of you etc. and all of a woman's fears, joys, traumas and psychological rollercoasters accompanying a pregnancy. I find it extremely presumptious for any man to insert himself into any conversation on this issue. The one, the only thing men have not (and never will) succeeded in is a woman's ability to conceive, carry and nourish a fetus and ultimately be able to give birth to a child. Unless and until YOU, the male, are able to do this, you should have the decency and the guts to stay out of the discussion - especially when all you have to offer are ultimately meaningless assumptions and opinions!

Michael, Boise, Idaho/USA

I am a card-carrying feminist but I still grieve for the child I lost through termination ten years ago. Ironically perhaps I have miscarried 4 babies since and now face infertility. At the time I felt incapable of standing up to the pressure of family, partner and partner's family, all of whom pressured me to abort (indeed my then partner threatened to leave me if I did not). The anger and guilt at what I did rendered me suicidal throughout much of my twenties; only recently have I allowed myself to embrace life again and to let go of these emotions and believe that I deserve compassion.

The whole subject remains too painful for me to engage with politically although I am a feminist. I wish that there was public space to discuss the grief that abortion can cause. It is forbidden grief - grief that is not allowed to speak its name. It is grief that becomes immediately hijacked by the so-called 'pro' or 'anti' life brigade; people focused on condemnation & anger not compassion.

Olivia, Toulouse, France

Legal or illegal, abortion has always happened and always will. Regardless of all attending circumstances, as long as sex causes pregnancy and pregnancy happens within the confines of a woman's body, some women will end their pregnancies. If aborton is illegal, then women will have secretive, dangerous abortions. For those who look back to some historical golden age when women gladly gave birth to every conception, what a crock. For much of human history, infanticide was the norm. This decision was most often made by the father, who held life and death in his hands. And even when active infanticide was illegal, one has to only look back to European history to find that the fashion was farming infants out to milk farms where they were typically fed on gruel and most died in the first year while their parents went on with life as if nothing had happened. Check a good biography of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Only when fetuses are farmed in mechanical wombs will abortion end forever.

Onetexsun, Washington State, USA

I would be very surprised if the flppant way in which you describe your decision was in fact the reality. You evade all the human detail of your story and make out that their was no mental, emotional or physical suffering involved. I simply do not believe that you are being honest in your account of this abortion. How did yoy explain yourself to your GP? And should there be a police investigation into whether the criteria of the rules for abortion where followed. Exactly what mental, physical ofr emotional danger or destress were you in? Your description only enters into a rather selfish sense of inconvenience whcih would probably have been quite short lived. Surely not enough for any honest doctor to have supported your demand for an abortion.

MMaureen, Caterham, Surrey

ichael, Nashville, Tenn. I too am infertile. But other women are not my breeding cattle, to provide offspring on my behalf. Do not use infertility as a weapon against other women's reproductive options.

Maz, Yorkshire, England

It seems that we are dealing with the consequences of an act that precedes the pregnancy – sex. Sex for pleasure, sex without responsibility, selfish, self-indulging sex.

The author of the text surely knew how babies are made – why not prevent making of an unwanted one instead of murdering it without a second thought?

The modern Western medicine offers a number of contraceptives – although many of them do not prevent conception, but staying of the fertilised egg in the womb (!). Why would a modern Western woman not at least think about that?

We have grown “too modern” and too self-indulging to think further than our own pleasure, comfort and career. The traditional and Christian principles are considered old fashioned and our modernization has made us blind and senseless. A woman has lost more of her gentleness, femininity and motherhood than she ever thought possible.

We ARE NOT masters of life and death, as much as we would like to be. And thank God for that.

Z, Belgrade, Serbia

I find it interesting that a lot of people posting comments about how 'evil' abortion is are men. If you're a man and your partner suffers an unwanted pregnancy you get to walk away, and how many men do that without being villified?

Also what happens if you are raped? I was raped at the age of 14 and if I had fallen pregnant as a result I would not have been able to go through with the pregnancy. Does that make me a bad person?

ej, uk,

To Mike Hunter (and any other man), who complains that men aren't protected from these women who lie about their birth control and refuse to have an abortion, forcing the man to become a father...
Put on a condom, and share some responsibility. If you are resting all of the weight to prevent pregnancy on the woman, they you are giving her all the power to make you a father. A pack of condoms costs a lot less than child support.

Elizabeth Font, Washington DC, USA

It strikes me that amongst all this debate..the people who passed the laws are missing. Did they know how the rules would be 'leant on' over the years..and do they care now?
They are surely more culpable than the stressed women seeking sad solutions. Their votes were purchased via fem activists and led to the denial of the right of men to involve themselves in much since, to do with women- and their doubtful morality on this issue!
PS: I'm not a Christian- or in the US ! Nor do I want to end up Muslim by default !

tegz, Swindon, England

what a heartfelt article indeed.
the only problem is,abortion stops a beating heart.

john ryan, south dakota, USA

It is sad to see that so many men and women feel that men should have no say on this issue. Men should be speaking up on this issue and not be afraid to do so.

Edward Snelson, Sheffield, UK

I am amazed at how many men are participating in the debate over this issue! I am a male and I am somewhat envious of the number of people of my gender who have such profound psychological, moral and philosophical understanding of and insight into this issue. I hereby promise that as soon as I get pregnant, I will join the fray and vigorously participate in all discussions about abortion. Until then, however, I shall refrain from doing so and admit that I have no opinion on the subject whatsoever!

Michael, Boise, Idaho/USA

First of all there aren't only two choices' available to a pregnant woman. After you became pregnant you could have given your child up for adoption. But because you didn't want to go though the social shame of abandoning your son or daughter you elected to secretly kill it instead. A move that society considers much less compassionate.

Second of all your argument of the harm done by unwanted child fails to address the same dilemma faced by males. You see if a woman has an unwanted child on the way then she has numerous abortion, adoption, and abandonment laws in place to protect her. While it is true that no man can force a woman into motherhood, women force men into fatherhood routinely. Such men are many times defrauded about the state of their partners fertility and use of birth control. They are then held both financially and legally responsible for their child. Sometimes it is a child they cannot afford. But neither the law nor your article addresses this fact.

Mike Hunter, Fort Myers, Florida

Anyone who invokes the argument abortions should be carried out for reasons pertaining to resources has not looked at the latest census data for Europe which shows all of the countries well below replacement rate (except for predominantly Muslim Albania). Unless they think unilateral reductions of the population in the West are the answer, perhaps their interests in abortion and resources should be focussed on reducing the total fertility rate of countries such as Malawi whose population will double in 10 years despite over 50% of its population being dependent on UN Aid.

Jon, Toronto, Canada

A profoundly disturbing piece. It would be a frightening world indeed if we accepted Ms. Moran's premise: "women are, by biology, commanded to host, shelter, nurture and protect life, why should they not be empowered to end life, too?" Would she like to be considered "unwanted" by someone with the power to kill her? The argument that we do the world a favour when we kill unwanted babies makes no sense when one considers that historically many people who have made powerfully good contributions to the world were "unwanted children", while a number of "wanted" children have been profoundly destructive. Surely we as a society should strongly commit ourselves to supporting families in the very difficult and sacrificial work of raising young children rather than seeking to rationalise their "termination".

Daniel, Vancouver, Canada

I had an abortion. I do not regret it. It was the right thing to do. It was my choice and it should be the choice of others.

Sarah, Toronto, Canada

A great article Caitlin. I find it fascinating that the majority of people talking about the guarenteed nature of contraception are men, therefore people that have no idea about how it really works or the weight of the responsibility that women feel relating to the decision we have to make when we take it. Nothing is guarenteed and the sheer ignorance of people saying that abortions should no longer be necessary astounds me. To all you men out there that have such an issue with abortion maybe you should be the ones that start taking some responsibility, if you dont like abortion dont have sex with a women for whom it might be a possibility. Just grow up and stop judging.

Bex, London,

If you abort your unborn, you are choosing not to be a mother, rejecting the very idea of being one to that aborted. Therefore whatever that you haved done, it is not a motherly act. It is an impossibility.

haz, oxford,

Thank you Caitlin for a thoughtful and honest article.

Abortion is always an emotive topic and there are compelling arguments on both sides of the debate. This makes it all the more disappointing (although entirely predictable) that the "Have Your Say" section has been hijacked by simplistic and hypocritical (predominantly American) rants which totally fail to recognise the complexities of the issue.

Naomi, London, UK

Thanks mum for letting me live..the ULTIMATE motherly act. My mom gave me up for adoption when she was 16 despite the fact that her mother , my grandmother , is pro abortion. It was the 70's and she hid her pregnancy till the 6 or 7th month , so thank God they let me live. Well, I've been married for 10 years and have children I love dearly.
Of Course, ms. Moran wrote an article trying to promote her position on murder. She murdered her own flesh and blood. Why can't ladies give up 9 months of their life for another?
Pope John Paul II was right , we do live in a culture of death.

I would not be surprised if Ms. Moran wakes up frequently at
night as do most women who have had abortions and regrets her desicion.
She needs a prayer said for her, I suppose the best thing I can do is just that.

Sheri M., Mission , USA

brilliant. humankind has a chance after all. thank you.

ashley, new york, new york

Well the kid is gone. He or she might have grown up to cure cancer.

Jennifer I., Saline, Michigan, USA

Absolutely the most contradictory title I have ever read!
Oh and MY Body MY Decision? What's that decision? Heaven or Hell? Life or Murder?

Brad, Goodland, KS

I am totally against late abortions but, early abortions up to 12 weeks if the mother was raped, in danger ,or there were the risk of abnormalities i think should be carried out if the woman wishes.

Having suffered four miscarriages this is something i feel strongly about. I lost my first baby at 20weeks and i was devastated. The baby was perfectly formned but small, to think that we allow abortions upto 24 weeks makes me sick there is no excuse for it, it is murder.

Carolyn, Yorkshire, England

MY body, MY decision

"How would you feel if your mother had done that 'motherly act' when you were inside her womb? "

That's the point. I wouldn't feel anything: the bunch of cells which might one day develop into me (assuming there wasn't a natural miscarriage) have no conscious thought or feelings.

E, Bham,

Through prayer and dedication to God, we realise more and more that love and human peace expands only through a growing respect for life.

Father Bryan Storey , Tintagel, UK

Why is it a bad thing to not have full control over our bodies? No matter how much women might not like it, the moment we conceive, we forfeit our right to do whatever we want with our bodies. What a double standard is at play when society is sickened by a pregnant woman snorting cocaine or otherwise harming the baby, but are willing to turn a blind eye when a woman wants to kill her baby.

If it is okay, today, to kill an embryo at 12 weeks, based on the argument that it is less human and has less rights than a full term baby, then why isn't it okay to kill a newborn who is less developed and has less rights than an 18 year old. The arguments and justifications are illogical and unfortunate for both the woman and her child.

Amanda Peterman, Grand Rapids, MI USA

Anyone considering abortion should have no issues with birth control. The woman's place in reproduction is obvious and a fact women have to deal with. Just like I can't kill a co-worker because they inconvenience me niether should a woman end a pregnancy because it inconveniences her.

Ending a life because you are too lazy, incompetent or even ignorant is a pathetic excuse. In all other aspects of law, terminating a life is illegal. In all other aspects of life, ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.

Jim, Toronto, Canada

As a trainee doctor I had to watch a late abortion. The girl, we were told, was pregnant through no fault of her own. Possibly she didn't know that sex was all about making babies. The operation was full of euphamisms. At no point was the victim identified as a baby and only once as a foetus. Reference was made to 'stopping the heart' as if the heart didn't belong to anyone. At no point was it mentioned that the baby was being killed or was dead. In fact the dismemberment was carried out with the heart still beating because it took too long to stop. The 'contents of th uterus' were extracted - arms, legs, torso and a head like a cracked egg dripping white brains. The 'products of conception' were then checked and the procedure deemed successful. This is not what I signed up for. I want to help heal, not kill. Instead of talking about abortion it would be more honest to say 'killing unborn babies' because that is what happens.

Dr Norman Kerr, London, UK

I have just returned from a wonderful holiday in France with my husband and daughter, her husband and their two children,my grandchildren.We had a really close happy family time something that I shall treasure.Why am I telling you this?My father was born in 1912 and was illegitimate.Had his mother been able to have an abortion on demand as many women have today I would not have had the gift of life nor would my children and their children.Yes life was hard for my father living with the stigma of illegitimacy but that was not his fault but the opinion of the time he was born in.My mother suffered and so did my sister but not once did he say he wished he had never been born
Caitlin Moran might feel alright at the moment but does she and thousands of other women realise that they have cut off a life line that stretches for generations ahead .In this day and age some abortions could surely be avoided with all the contraception aid available .

Beverley Cleland, Norwich, England

I say AMEN and WELL SAID Sister Caitlan. Thank you!

Beth, Odessa, USA/Texas

Thank you Caitlin for this article. I totally agree that the real lack of morality lies with the irresponsible who bring children into this world without a second thought.
I for one see no problem with the abortions figures as they are. People speak about others being willing to adopt but are these people putting their money where their mouths are? Plus How does that tackle the issue of an unwanted pregnancy? Why should a woman, any woman be forced to suffer through an unwanted pregnancy? Ultimately it is not up to other's to dictate to women what they may and may not do with their bodies. The slavery argument is week in the extreme as to my knowledge slaves never formed a part of their master's body. The ownership of a slave cannot be in any way compared to duties involved in motherhood. It is time we rid ourselves of the stigma surrounding abortion. If only more people followed Ms Moran's example

NAtalie Thompson, London, UK

I found your qualification of what is "moral" in the penultimate paragraph to be quite interesting. I would very much like to know under what basis you find your moral code, if you consider yourself a "liberal," which I am so boldly concluding you do. If so, I wonder if you've noticed the dirty little secret that the philosophical foundation of liberals is pragmatically impossible in a society and can only exist by making arbitrary exceptions to its own credo. This vastly overlooked phenomenon is perfectly illustrated in your argument that women should be empowered to end life, followed immediately by the disclaimer that you're not advocating their killing children or having late abortions. However, the rational conclusion to the philosophy that women should be able to end life is that they should be able to kill children and have late abortions, for starters. If a philosophy can't serve a society without negating itself, society will be ruled by the whims of those in power.

Kate Halseth, Arlington , USA/ VA

1. Working for protection of all of human-kind, even those less developed and yet to be born, is a very INclusive and comprehensive policy and not narrow-minded at all.
2. I'm not sure what kind of junior high biology textbooks are being used in the UK, but in the U.S., it is not up for debate when life begins. What might be up for debate, though, is whether one class of humans has the right to decide the fate of another entire set of humans.
3. Since my 1 year old is less developed than my 5 year old and could not survive without me, does that make her less human or a candidate for being killed by me?
4. This author may have had an unwanted pregnancy, but she has no proof that her child would be unwanted...especially by the millions of couples waiting to adopt.
5. Just because some women do not regret their abortions, STILL doesn't make it right.
6. My taxes go towards FREE insurance for every baby born into poverty. And I am MORE than happy to help!

Amanda Peterman, Grand Rapids, MI USA

To Mrs. Magoo: You are the exception to the trend, and I admire you and your brother for welcoming adopted children into your homes. Not everyone is blessed with the resources to adequately physcially and emotionally support so many children under one roof. Hopefully anyone else with the means who is anti-abortion will follow in your footsteps to prevent themselves from being hypocrites.

Elizabeth Font, Washington DC, USA

Ah, Britain--thank God my forefathers and foremothers had the good sense to hop on the steamer and get out before the moral Gumbys took over.

Dale Price, Warren, USA

This article is a moral cop out. In 2007 with contraception available to everyone at virtually zero cost there is no excuse for anyone ending up with an unwanted pregnacy. Abortion was supposed to be a last resort for women in desperate situations. It is now a lifestyle choice. This is after 40 years of wall to wall sex education and contraception being handed out like smarties. Also there is no social stigma today whatsoever against single mothers and a generous welfare state provides for their every need. What the writer is really saying is she can't be bothered with the hastle of having another child and will be a bad parent so therefore that child would be better off not being born. 1/3 of children now grow up in unstable homes with 1 parent and a succession of casual partners. For some reason people in the UK get more worked up about foxes than the ending of 190,000 human pregnancies every year.

John O Callaghan, Dublin ,

Ms. Moran,
I found your qualification of what is "moral" in the penultimate paragraph to be quite interesting. I would very much like to know under what basis you find your moral code, if you consider yourself a "liberal," which I am so boldly concluding you do. If so, I wonder if you've noticed the dirty little secret that the philosophical foundation of liberals is pragmatically impossible in a society and can only exist by making arbitrary exceptions to its own credo. This vastly overlooked phenomenon is perfectly illustrated in your argument that women should be empowered to end life, followed immediately by the disclaimer that you're not advocating their killing children or having late abortions. However, the rational conclusion to the philosophy that women should be able to end life is that they should be able to kill children and have late abortions, for starters. If a philosophy can't serve a society without negating itself, society will be ruled by the whims of those in power.

Kate Halseth, Arlington , VA

Re: Comments by Fenella, Melbourne, Australia
"But what extraordinary hypocrisy from the responses to your article, particularly from our self-righteous American friends, who care so deeply, so spiritually and so profoundly about human life, and yet who can't be bothered offering uninsured expectant mothers and babies proper healthcare. "

There are many Christian ministries that offer free medical care, housing, and post natal, as well as helping these expecting mothers to find a home for their unwanted children.

Jerry Fallwell opened several homes of this kind, in Texas and made committment to take help any woman (esp. geared towards unwanted teenage pregnancies) have a place to stay, receive medical treatment, post natal counseling, etc. and to find a loving home with for their child. As much as he gets a bad wrap for things in the media, I applaud him for putting his money where is mouth is. That's on public record.

Ryan, Irvine, CA, USA

As a teenager I took part in the 'Women's right to choose' marches in the early 1980s. I have since come to realise that it is not a 'collection of cells' or a 'blob of jelly ' we are talking about but a fellow human being at a very early stage of life. As a nation we will one day realise, (as we did when ultimately recognising the humanity of black slaves 200 yrs ago) that unborn babies needs rights and protection.

Julia Baynes, Manchester, UK

I keep reading over and over all the responses that say "why not adoption?" I'll tell you why not. I know of a person I worked with who could not have children, was desperate to adopt and yet was turned down by every adoption agency in this country because she was being treated for breast cancer. She and her husband were finally able to adopt a beautiful son from Russia, where unwanted children are frequently abandoned by parents unable to care for them. I am embarrassed by all the responses from my country that just show how ignorant and superficially religious Americans are. Like one response said, birth control can fail. And for all the responses that said, tie your tubes, get a vasectomy, I reply to you, those can also fail and result in a possible death scenario for the mother if she has an ectopic pregnancy. The only absolute and certain birth control is not having sex. Are any of you willing to do that to prevent an unwanted pregnancy? Sure you are!!!

D. Sigman, Denver, NC, USA

Lots of people are saying 'there are no unwanted babies'.

STUPID

People don't just have sex to have babies, they have it because they enjoy it. If the contraception they use doesn't work, then that's not their fault. She is not irresponsible, just making the choice that is right for her.

Chris Lutton, Epsom, Surrey

If more Drs refuse to do abortion then hopefully the evil of abortion will come to an end and we will see it as the worst holocaust in history. There is hope for the defenceless child through these courageous doctors -let us hope no doctor will carry out this gruesome murder.

Dominie Stemp, Burwash Common, UK

Well done for being able to think. If we don't curtail our fertility our environment won't cope .There are far far too many of us already for the available resources.It is not OK to have unwanted pregnancies .Antiabortionists may not like to think it but there is a link between unwanted pregnancy and dreadful suffering of the individuals involved and societies.Why should the poorest in the poorest places be forced to produce endless children who will starve.It is selfish and smug to insist that children must be born into misery. Or is it just that any life in a wealthy country is worth a great deal while a poor life is worth nothing.The logs of famine and war need to be removed before abortion and these are affected by the available resources.

frances , Tunbridge Wells, uk

Caitlin
I just want to applaud your honesty and courage. I too had an abortion after having two children in quick succession. During both pregnancies my hormones ran riot and I got very 'depressed'. I could not face feeling so low again - knowing what this would do to my children. Both my partner and I could not afford putting three children through childcare whilst struggling to make ends meet. We therefore made the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy. And it is a difficult decision - one that I had hoped I would never have to make.

I have not been able to talk to many people about what happened to us as I know we will be judged. I agree with you Caitlin - this was an act of love for our family. Sadly there are people out there who are too short sighted to understand.

Thank-you for speaking up for us.

Sofie, Exeter, UK

Involing the Hindu goddess Kali for moral the justification for killing an innocent human being is to deify the powers of death and destruction.

Douglas Groothuis, Centennial, CO, USA

I totally agree with the principle that sometimes it is better for a woman to abort then to bring a child into the world. So if someone who is very young, incapable of looking after herself, is in an abusive realtionship, is a drug addict etc. it is better for her to bring a child into that world that to abort it? There have been plenty of cases where women and men have proved their inability to look after their kids subjecting them to abuse so terrible, that it eventually leads to death anyway.

On ther other hand - I don't quite get your reasons for an abortion. Having two children already, knowing what it feels like to be a mother then still being able to have an abortion because you know it impeeches on your time; thats strange. Why weren't you using better protection? Ok you had a slip up. Doesn't it feel strange to abort one of your children's siblings? I would think an abortion is necessary only in the most extreme situtations, rather than being used as a lifestyle choice

Megan, manchester,

My wife and I have been trying to conceive for two years, with no success.

We would gladly have taken this baby that Ms. Moran apparently "gladly" killed. She has no idea how blessed she truly is to be able to get pregnant.

In 200 years -- when hopefully our world sees the light on the immorality of abortion -- Ms. Moran's moral argument will look very much like the "moral" arguments of slaveholders some 200 years ago. After all, slaves, like unborn babies, are property. Right?

Michael, Nashville, Tenn.

abortion - abort - stop - NASA aborts a mission. . . .
-just a choice about a situation. Is the life of a
human being at the mercy of someone else's choice?

Only if it's murder.

This isn't my opinion, it's just a fact.
If paying someone to kill your baby is "the
ultimate motherly act", may God help us all!

Elizabeth Archer-Norris, Dallas, Texas

Since your are apparently an educated woman, you have heard of birth control. I am a true advocate of family planning. I am not an advocate of abortion as family planning. There are so many methods today that were not always available to avoid pregnancy and so many are affordable to all women ,I am truly dismayed by the popularity of abortion as birth control.

By the way, I had an "unplanned" pregnancy at the worst posible time in my life. He is now 20 years old, an honors scholar and very handsome.

Mary Knight, Pittsburgh , USA

I think you are extremely irresponsible for getting pregnant -knowing you didnt want anymore children, and then aborting it.
Why not have your tubes tied or your husband get a vasectomy???
As a mother of 2 myself- I could never compare killing my baby to picking out counter tops in my kitchen. That is disburbing!
I believe everyone has the right to make their own decisions, but I think you are iresponsible for making light in a very difficult decision such as terminating a pregnancy.

Misti, MD,

Moran's "justification" that abortion "is the ultimate motherly act" is self-congratulating sophistry. She denies the sanctity of human life, justifying killing in the womb on the basis that the planet needs protection from overpopulation. She ignores (1) that European nations are not reproducing sufficiently to even sustain current negative birth rates; and (2) the scientific fact that the planet is itself the very source of life, sustaining all human, animal and plant life processes which we have undermined, not with overpopulation, but with our self-centred, consumerist existence and lack of respect for life, of whatever form, in the West. Moran shockingly manipulates the meaning of motherhood by equating it with a justification of abortion. If abortion is the easy, no-brainer process Moran advocates, why is it that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has said that doctors are increasingly objecting to this upsetting, abhorrent work (Times 16 April)?

E C Todd, London, UK

If I understand her correctly, Caitlin Moran wishes to keep control of her life as far as she is able and part of this is controlling her fertility. Seems reasonable as long as no-one gets hurt in the process. Problem is a new life is destroyed and women don’t come off unscathed either.

The way to true control and empowerment for women is through controlling sexual activity. No woman should be coerced, deluded or simply indulge in sexual intercourse if by doing so she runs the risk of conceiving a child that might then be aborted. Both men and women must understand this and act accordingly. That way lies true control, empowerment and the dignity that should rightly be the woman’s lot.

Pauline Gately, Weybridge, Surrey

Thank you, Ms. Moran, for being brave enough to speak up, especially in the light of the insults and attacks to be expected with a topic as sensitive for many as abortion.

Cora, Bremen, Germany

Despite your sophisticated arguments, your decision boiled down to one fact, you simply didn't want to be bothered with a child so you took the "easy" way out. Many of the troubles facing the world today are based upon people, like you, who refuse to accept the consequences of their actions and instead look for something or someone to take the blame. In your case, the growing baby in your womb became the newest "me first" victim. You should be ashamed of your actions.

Roger, American Fork, Utah, USA

I found your qualification of what is "moral" in the penultimate paragraph to be quite interesting. I would very much like to know under what basis you find your moral code, if you consider yourself a "liberal," which I am so boldly concluding you do. If so, I wonder if you've noticed the dirty little secret that the philosophical foundation of liberals is pragmatically impossible in a society and can only exist by making arbitrary exceptions to its own credo. This vastly overlooked phenomenon is perfectly illustrated in your argument that women should be empowered to end life, followed immediately by the disclaimer that you're not advocating their killing children or having late abortions. However, the rational conclusion to the philosophy that women should be able to end life is that they should be able to kill children and have late abortions, for starters. If a philosophy can't serve a society without negating itself, society will be ruled by the whims of those in power.

Kate Halseth, Arlington , VA

A very well written article Caitlin!! I had an abortion the day after reading your article. Your words echoed my thoughts exactly. At 38 and married with two children I knew when I fell pregnant for the third time that I did not want another child. I love my two children and they have had an excellent upbringing. They are both at grammar school now and my husband and I are now enjoying a little bit more freedom than we had a decade ago. Having another child would have affected our lives in many ways, more so mine. Three days after the abortion, I do not feel guilty but a sense of overwhelming relief. When I became pregnant with my two children abortion was never an option and could not understand how anyone could make that choice. That is because they were both WANTED it is a very different feeling when an unwanted pregnancy happens. Nobody has the right to judge a person for having an abortion it is a personal choice.Caitlin you wrote a very open and honest article on abortion.

shelley, devon, uk

Ms. Moran's article was published online in a venue that allows for feedback from its readers. There are no instructions indicating all feedback must be in agreement with the author's opinion and comments on all sides of the issue have poured in by the hundred's. With such a divisive topic I knew it wouldn't be long until a few comments trickled in sounding like this: "How typical of the religious right (especially men and American's) to be so intolerant"

Can we just get over this already? It's a non sequitur and intellectually hypocritical. Categorizing verbal adversaries as murderous-liberals or religious extremists only diverts people from meaningful debate. People disagree strongly over this issue. However, disagreement does not equal intolerance. Disagreement does not equal bigotry or hatred. Suggesting otherwise reveals one's own intolerance and demonstrates an inability to live amidst the tension of disparate views.

Mrs Magoo, Seattle, WA

How ironic it is that many of the pro-lifers are American - here we are getting into a lather about foetuses, many of which will abort naturally, whilst at the same time reading about yet another American mass shooting of people who have managed to make it through to adulthood only to be razed by some mindless idiot with too easily gotten guns! Who amongst the families of those so cruelly taken would not wish that that young man had been aborted at 12 weeks gestation ...

Helen S, Liverpool,

I don''t understand why the only option for so many seems to be bring up an unwanted child or have an abortion. There is a third option. Rather than killing the life - and yes if it is alive then it is a life - in your womb, why not have the baby and, if you can't support it, give it up for adoption? There are so many women out there who can't have children that would be love to be able to provide a loving home for a child.

Deborah, London,

If abortion were not seen as a convenience, we would all find it as utterly repugnant as, say, mass slaughter by guns or bombs. But because many see it as a convenience, they rationalise it as being morally acceptable. A true morality however should be irrespective of personal convenience.

Alan Pavelin, Chislehurst, Kent

It's sad.

Sad that so many have the courage of their convictions to damn a perfect stranger for applying a choice that is legally hers to make.

No wonder this world is in the mess it's in.

Caitlin is a brave lady who has made her statement knowing that the responses she would receive would be as negative as they are. I doubt that many of the nay-sayers would have similar courage of their convictions if the shoe was on the other foot.

And while I have much sympathy for those who would have "willingly taken" her "healthy child," I doubt they would have been so willing had the baby been born disabled. What then? "Sorry, no sale - you'll have to keep it?"

charles huddleston, Leicester,

I applaud you, Caitlin Moran, for having the strength and courage, not only to go through with your decision, but to defend it, to put your well thought out and above all, experienced opinion on this for others to see and learn from, as a mother, woman and professional.

N.L.Scott, Lancashire, UK

To Elizabeth Font: we've personally adopted one and foster-parented 5 other children. My brother has adopted four and his eldest daughter has adopted six. We're doing our best to walk what we talk and act on what we believe.

Mrs Magoo, Seattle, WA

I agree

There are way too many unwanted kids in this world. It is much more moral and indeed responsible to get rid of them early on if you do not want them. I have had 2 abortions & that is INFINITELY better than 2 unwanted kids. I have no regrets.

Sarah G, London,

From what I've scanned and read it is mainly arguments of self-righteous, moralizing, religious or self important verbal jizz that ought to terminated. I'm quite old fashioned in my values but take my hat off to Caitlin for writing an article so honestly. A rare trait in this day and age when our views have to comply with the majority shit-kicker view or we as seen as wrong. Well done women.

Tim, Tokyo,

Caitlin approaches the topic with both logic AND the love of an experienced mother, which seems like the best possible source of advice when it comes to potential motherhood or non-motherhood. More people listening to her would make the world a better place.
To those of you who say it is wrong to deny life, even if it is unwanted....
How many unwanted children have you adopted in order to make the world better?

Elizabeth Font, Washington DC, USA

Exactly how is killing your own child supposed to be the "ultimate act of good mothering"? Good mothering's definition is based in love.
All of this article smacks of being anti God. God is love. Love is, boiled down to a one-perfect-word definition, sacrifice. Sin is anything that is against what God would want/do. All sin is selfishness.
Note that this article is full of selfishness. The author's career and current life-style is selfishly maintained by killing a tiny baby.
God gives us children because they are a blessing. They can be a blessing even if you are living in a cardboard box on the street. The only truly important thing in this world is its people. Everything else is secondary.
Caitlin, in her selfishness, has decided the she, not God, knows what is best for her life. The kicker will be, when she dies, to perhaps discover that the child she aborted would have been the one who cared for her in her old age, instead of leaving her alone, a bitter selfish woman.

Emily , Wilmington, DE

Unbelievable.

Jim Ellis, Bradenton, Florida

I'm very happy to see so many pro-life men speaking on this issue. So often we hear from men who are only interested in ONE thing, if that ONE thing leads to a child, well, abortion is always cheaper than child support. I feel quite heartened to read comments from men who would be responsible.
As for this columnist, remember, you cannot fault someone who is so truley lost. Is abortion wrong: absolutely, but for those like Caitlin, it will take an epiphany for the truth to be revealed, unfortunately, this little sould will join the millions and millions of other little souls sacrificed on our modern alter of convenience. Seems it's all about ME in the day and age.

"good will be called evil and evil will be called good. "

Fits the bill here I would think.

Lynai Torabpour, MN, USA

You people scare me, as "unwanted" is a euphemism for saying the worth of an individual is determined by his or her society. What's next? We kill people who flunk popularity contests?

David, baton rouge, la

Comments have been made that Americans dare to have opinions against abortion but don't offer health care to pregnant women. Not so! I'm a physician, and I can tell you that all pregnant women in the the US not covered by private insurance are covered by the government's Medicaid program; children continue to be covered thereafter, as do the mothers for several months. No one delivers a baby in the US without coverage.

Stacey, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

To Sue Stapely, who seems a bit angry at men and 'pro-lifers' :

What right does anyone have to exclude half the population from this debate? Yes, it is about the predicament of woman with unplanned pregnancies but it is also about unborn children, roughly half of whom will be male. Yes, some men are hopelessly irresponsible but many others have to stand by helpless while their unborn child is killed. This is a debate for us all and no group has a monopoly on feelings or interests.

Of course most of those in this debate who are opposed in principle to abortion are 'pro-lifers' as you put it - that's what being 'pro-life' means. What's your point? Are you implying that the views of anyone who opposes abortion on principle should be dismissed in a debate about abortion?

Pauline Gately, Weybridge, Surrey

Hmmm. The child isn't wanted so we should kill them? The child through no fault of its own should suffer death because of its conception? This is moral?

Caitlin, your "logic" is astounding.

Steve Tanska, Belle Fourche, USA/SD

Well, I have to say that George W. Bush is no longer the only reason I am somewhat embarrassed for my country.

We Americans aren't all fundamentalist, pro-life, and narrow minded. Unfortunately that seems mostly what you're hearing.

Some among us are liberal, pro-choice, and open minded. Even in the fly over states.

Kim, Edmond, Oklahoma, USA

It's about time (pun intended) that someone got this statment this level of attention. It's too bad that there are people as closeminded as the some who have already posted here. To them I ask, what is more important to you, one's right to control one's body, or one's right to life that stems from the control of one's body? What is life without control over it? Meaningless, practically non-existant. By forcing someone to give up the only right more important that the right to life makes the woman in question a reproduction slave.
I would also like to remind future commenters that there is a fundamental difference between a child and a fetus that has no thoughts in the least.

Tony Pecoraro, Firenze, Italia

You are sick.

Mark, Asheville, NC, USA

It's OK to take a life for convenience.

Greg Clift, Anadarko, Oklahoma, USA

I find our society's reliance on abortion a little alarming but I find most of the comments posted here, especially form the USA ,to be even more alarming. I think it was a brave and thought provoking article, at least for people who are capable of thought. Alas judging for the reaction about 90% of the people who read the piece are not capable of thinking.

Susan, Barry, S Wales

And your husband? Did he get a say when you decided to kill his child? What about your daughters? Did they have any input in the decision to kill their brother or sister? Unwanted children are not the cause of pain and misery in this world. They are the result of people like you. You are no hero because you killed a child.

Melissa Williams, Pensacola, FLorida

Boy, this one really stirred up the religious taliban who see no problem with forcing and coercing others to conform to the 'Rules' supposedly handed down from their invisible friend in the sky.

When will you guys realise that with more than 6 billion individuals in the world, many of whom are already poor and malnourished, versus a maximum long-term global carrying capacity of about 3 billion people, every unwanted and unnecessary birth (with the environmental burden it brings with it) is another small step closer to total environmental collapse.

Limiting procreation to cases where it's actually wanted is a useful first step towards the inevitable future realisation that we will have to, at some stage, limit reproduction by global agreement to ensure the survival of the race.

Francis, London, UK

I have been reading about Nazi policies as research today and I can honestly say that I find this article as analogously chilling and stomach-churning as anything that I have read with regard to that subject.

"I'm not being flippant when I say it took me longer to decide what work-tops to have in the kitchen than whether I was prepared to spend the rest of my life being responsible for a further human being."

The end is surely, unequivocally in sight for our culture. When the civilised world comes to this, the end must, must be near.

I am shocked and I feel quite sick.

Kev, Croydon,

Birth control sometimes fails. Some of the respondents here, especially the men, and embarrassingly for me, many of them American, don't seem to understand that simple fact of life.

I'll say it again: birth control sometimes fails. Even sterilization is not always 100 percent reliable. Accidental pregnancy is not completely avoidable EVEN WHEN ONE USES CONTRACEPTION FAITHFULLY.

Kim, Edmond, Oklahoma, USA

The author blythely ignores the fact that *I* wanted the child she aborted. As did tens of thousands of couples who suffer from infertility and would give anything for a healthy baby.

Her child was not unwanted, though she did not want him or her.

Sparki, Lincoln, NE

One of the most irrational rationalizations I've ever read.

Eeek!!

CC, Albany, NY

Yet ANOTHER HYS hijacked by right wing religious extemists from the states - I am getting quite tired of reading your dogma, you mistakenly believe that you are defending "good family values" by demonising an option which actually works to promote them - women can have children when they, and their partners are ready for them, and not before (or after!).

However, I do not believe that you are beyond saving, and in the spirit of international friendship and co-operation I invite you all to come over to England and watch Jeremy Kyle with me - it's a chat show and on almost hourly. If you could see the long term damage that is caused by young, feckless alcopop-addicted teenagers having babies with absolutely no means - financial, emotional, or otherwise, to bring them up, and no intention of carrying on the relationship with the father, your attitudes towards abortion might soften.

Anna , Birmingham, UK

*I* am too tired, *my* career would be hamstrung, *I*, *I*, *I*. And she says abortion is an unselfish act? If she didn't want any more kids and has no problem killing them before they are born, why not get sterilized and then take it out of the equation. Sad, pathetic world we live in.

kat, Athol, USA

It is a sad day when women think that killing their child is the right thing to do. I believe women are the glue that bonds society and gives meaning to the term "family". I remember how all the women in my life just loved to have children around. They made a child fell loved and cared for in meanful ways. Now with the so-called Pro-Choice,( means death 99% of the time) is to not fell guilty for killing your child. Trust me, it will not work.

Gene Edge, Hayward, Ca.

During the lowest, hardest part of my life, I also found myself pregnant. There then followed the hardest, most soul-destroying decision I have ever had to make. I made it not just for me, but for the father & most importantly for the baby I might have had. I could barely look after myself at that time - how on earth could I even consider bringing a child into the world at that point? That, in my mind, would be the cruellst thing I could do. Since then I've managed to turn my life around, something I would never have been able to do if I had gone through with the pregnancy. In fact, it was that very act that gave me the push I needed. There isn't a day when I don't think that if it happened now, it would be a completely different story. But it didn't. It happened then. And what I regret isn't the decision I made but the fact that I had to make that decision. What kind of mother would I have been then? A much, much worse one than I would be now. And doesn't any child deserve the best?

J, South, UK

Caitlin - I fundamentally agree with your right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy but would suggest an alternative to such heavy contraceptive use if you're pretty sure you don't want any more kids: vasectomy for your husband. It has worked a treat for us, once my husband got over the day or so of discomfort. As he said himself, he couldn't really moan very much being as I had our two daughters on nothing but gas & air plus stitches. Ahh bliss! No more pills, doctor's visits, wrestling with caps, running out of condoms or any of that other malarky and virtually 0 risk of unwanted pregnancies.

N Braden, Radlett, Herts

What your argument boils down to is the idea that a child is better off dead than alive. If anyone ever said that about a born person, the born person would probably say, "why don't you let ME decide if I'm better off dead or not". How would you feel if someone told you that you'd be better off dead, and had their list of reasons? What if someone said the only compassionate solution to poverty was to kill the poor, because they're obviously better off dead?

Scott, Ann Arbor, MI

What about adoption? I think that's the most positive option if the mother can't give the child a good life. At the child would have a life. By the way, if the author didn't want more childre, why didn't she get her tubes tied?? Or her husband could have gotten a vasectomy. Just a thought...

Mollie, Chicago, IL

As I read Caitlin Moran's column today, I had to wonder why it starts with the assumption that getting pregnant is not a deliberate act. Since it is perfectly possible to absolutely ensure that one does not get pregnant, why do discussions on abortion always start after the conception? Science has answered the question of when life begins completely. If you have any doubt, there is ample media available to demonstrate when the baby has a heartbeat, when that baby feels the touch of the outside world, yet there are those who suggest "it's not a baby until after birth".
The author feels justified in having an abortion because she's too tired to raise another child. Why didn't she take birth control pills? Why didn't she get her tubes tied? Why did she have unprotected sex?
Abortion is not the only answer to not having a baby when you don't want to, it's just the only answer when you are too irresponsible to take pro-active measures. Abortions are for irresponsible peop

John McClain, Vanceboro, NC USA

Pure self-centered nonsense! I speak from experience on both sides. I was raised by a very liberal divorced mother, who told me almost daily that if abortion had been legal in 1961 that I would not be here. She did not like children, felt we {my brother and I} were a burden on her. We did not have a "happy" childhood. However, I grew up and at age 19 moved far from her and I have made a happy life for myself and my family. I figured out that she was going to miserable no matter what or who she had in her life because she never took responsibility for her own happiness. She also advised me to have an abortion at 17 because it would "ruin MY life". Back then I didn't think of it as a baby inside me. For years after I struggled to forgive myself of murder. Yes, I took an innocent life, we as women do not have dominion over life we are merely the vessels. God gives life. I should have given the baby to a couple that wanted and could care for it.

Candy , Clyde , Texas

This has to be one of the most cold and hard-hearted articles I've read in a long time. I'm so happy for the author that her career wasn't wrecked by her third child </sarcasm>. I can't imagine life without my two adopted children, both beautiful and happy.

Paul, Greenville, South Carolina

What about adoption? I think that's the most positive option if the mother can't give the child a good life. At the child would have a life. By the way, if the author didn't want more children, why didn't she get her tubes tied?? Or her husband could have gotten a vasectomy. Just a thought...

Mollie, Chicago, IL

Jesus can make everything better - why kill?

Anthony Rose, Kingston, UK

If only all those smug sanctimonious MEN - largely American presumably 'pro-lifers' - who feel equipped to pontificate on women's bodies, lives, responsibilities, ethics and feelings could endure what so very many inadequately supported, or often totally abandoned women have to undergo at the hands of feckless, inadequate men, they might question whether their views are really contributing much of any real meaning to this debate.

Sue Stapely, London,

I think that you would be a better mother for having an abortion if you knew your chiild would not have the life you wanted to give it. If a woman is not able to offer the child a happy upbringing, it would make sense to have an abortion. i can understand an unwanted pregnancy with a mother who is strongly against abortion to then have the child adopted but for someone not to have an abortion and to unnecessarily give that child up for adoption i think is worse. I think a child should stay with its biological parents, except for extreme cirtumstances and abortion should be considered if a suprise pregnancy occurs

Kelly Briggs, Wilmslow, Cheshire

Out of curiosity, how many of the anti-abortion respondents here aren't Christian?

Az, London,

At last a good piece of writing about the issue of abortion. Sympathize wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed, and I can breathe a sigh of relief that I'm not the only one who feels like this about abortion. I had one in my late twenties, for a variety of reasons, and then when I was happily in a relationship and wanted children, I had two miscarriages, before going on, after a long time, to have two wonderful daughters at last. Regrets? Thats a no brainer.

Jane, London,

What a selfish, horrible article.

James Croucher, Amman, Jordan

Since many seem to question whether a fetus would be better off not being aborted as though it is a rhetorical no- brainer I have to say this. I ABSOLUTELY wish my mother had aborted me. Instead she did the "moral" thing and married my father and produced me. My parents were not teenagers, they were both college educated professionals. They did not beat me or otherwise abuse me. They just weren't terribly interested in me. These were people who shouldn't have married each other, and definitely shouldn't have reproduced. They both led fairly miserable lives following my birth, eventually divorcing. My mother suicided at age 47. Every day I wish death upon myself, and have since I was very young. My birth ruined three lives, and I never for a moment doubt that fact. My mother actually did have an abortion when I was 4 years old, and that fetus was the lucky one.

Jen, Fairborn, OH, USA

I feel sorry for those who do not see how unfeeling her writing of her abortion is. She did what was right for her and not for her whole family. A good mother would not say anything close to her disturbing closing line!

If she did not want to have another child, then she should have taken that precaution before she got pregnant and not afterward. I feel a person should be able to deal with a "problem" and not just take care of it like it did not matter. She knows what it takes to become pregnant and really should have avoided it. Her job should not have come first. The sad part is that is what this world is coming to.

Sheryl, Eau Claire, WI

CW cites the book Freakonomics to argue that abortion yields a social good of reducing violent crime by curtailing the size of poor families. However, the book also points out that were each aborted foetus considered as 1% of a human, the USA's annual 1.5m abortions equates to 15,000 murders.

Caitlin Moran appears to believe that the 12 week foetus has no right to protection by legal sanctions or even by social pressure against lifestyle abortions.

I would like us to debate how the human rights of the foetus vary during pregnancy, presuming that a new-born baby has already attained 100% human rights (ie. equal to those of a Times columnist).

My own view is that a new foetus is fully human and therefore deserves 100% protection. Others differ, but tend to duck the issue of human rights. So let us be explicit about how human we each believe the foetus to be at each stage of its development, find a workable consensus, and frame our laws and civilized norms accordingly.

Mike Willcox, Southampton, UK

I have recently spent some time with a group who provide housing and care for women who are pregnant when they did not expect to be or who were happy to be pregnant but family members were encouraging them to have an abortion. There are people who will help women and their famililes.

I wonder if children feel more or less secure growing up when they know that their parents were willing to kill a sibling that was inconvenient. The deeper issues behind abortion are that people have sex without realising that it shows love and commitment to another and that this can result in the creation of a whole new life. We image the Trinity in this aspect of our humanity

Anna Holgate, London, UK

I am not an ardent campaigner on this issue by any means but I feel physically sick after reading this column.

Caitlin Moran has weaved a very clever tapestry of rhetoric as a beautiful cover of justification for her own absolute selfishness.

Helen, Oslo,

I'm not sure what depresses me most about Caitlin Moran's article. Is it the abundance of gross generalisations, the absolute sublimation of the spiritual for the material or the suspician that the article and horrified response that must ensue may just provide her career with the filip that she obviously craves? Somehow I rather hope that it is the latter as her chilling final comment shrieks of eugenics and a world utterly devoid of love, compassion mystery and above all hope.

Frieda Rimmer, Birkenhead, England

I am a mum of three who would lay down her life for her children and can remember over joyed I was at falling pregnant with my first and how I would have fought anyone to protect my unborn child. Some 17 years later my then 15 year old daughter told me she ws pregnant. Not for one second did either of us consider that she should have the child. She had already tried to arrange an abortion but her doctor insisted that he met me as she was under age. Not for one minute has she or I regreted that decision. No I am not wracked with guilt, nor is she I actually cannot rememeber when this all happened date wise so it hardly seared into my brain. yes it would have been my first grandchild and would have undoubtably been loved by myself, my husband, my daughter and she would have coped I am sure but she did this with my full support becuse it was right for her at the time. To equate abortion with the killing of live children is rediculous, as is o say all women must be traumatised by it

Sheila, Grimsby, Lincs

Everyone is so concerned about the life the fetus could have had, yet no one seems to care about the author's life. She is not an incubator for a family who wishes to adopt, nor is she required to treat what is virtually a parasite inside her body as a human with rights equal to hers. If it can't live without her, she has the ultimate say. Terminating the pregnancy is her right. Legally as well as morally.
<br>Simone de Beauvoir once said that women will never be free until they have complete control over their reproductive facilities. It's true. Men aren't expected to bear unwanted children, nor are they forced to care for them. How is it fair that we blast a woman for deciding that she doesn't wish to go through the extreme physical or emotional trauma of bearing an unwanted child? I will value the life of an existing human over an unknown potential life any day.

Megan, Minneapolis, Minnesota/US

My mother was 40 when she became pregnant with her sixth child - me. At the time, her youngest was already eight and her oldest 16. My existence completely altered life for my family. And yet, I was loved unconditionally and am so grateful for my life.

As a married woman, I've been unable to conceive and proceeded with becoming a foster parent, ultimately adopting a son. Caitlan's actions demonstrate the pervasive selfishness eroding society today. Abortion was never intended to be used as a tool of convenience. It's a somber action that should be reserved for only the most serious of situations - rape, incest and the health of the mother.

Mrs. Magoo, Seattle, USA

Re: Christin, Bucheon, South Korea: "What kind of monsters would we be, who are able to see the baby, if we turned away and sayd, "None of my business!"

I agree. It reminds me of the the people who used to say, "I believe slavery is wrong, but who am I to tell a man what to do his property?"

Pro aborts are basically reduce another person as sub-human.

They think they can take the middle position and sound moral while doing nothing to stop the greatest immoral crimes in human history: race-based slavery and genocide.

Ryan, Irvine, CA, USA

I think with sadness that the baby that Ms. Moran so easily killed, could have been a future mother with children of her own. I too conceived an unwanted child- four months after the birth of my son. I was angry, I could not imagine that the baby could fit into my already hectic life. But I decided to go through with it. And every day I look at my beautiful daughter and thank god that I weathered the storm. My daughter loves ballet and is the only one of our three children that reminds my husband of me. Babies grow up, next thing you know they are telling you what they think. I think given the chance, any of them would say they are glad to be on this earth.

Momofthree, Victoria, British Columbia

First, since there seems to be some sort of eligibility criteria in order to comment on this article, let me state my credentials - I have two children, once took the morning after pill after contraception had failed, am not American and, most importantly it seems, I am a woman. I have not had an abortion, however. Does this disqualify me?

If not, I'd like to point out that we live in an imperfect world and can only seek to do our best for ourselves and those with whom we must live, something the more rabid among us would do well to remember. Caitlin's idea of what was best for her and her family may be very questionable but, as the law stands, it was her decision to make and it was legal. She's the one who has to live with it.

On a personal note, what really disturbed me about this article was the callous insouciance with which it was written and the, frankly, dodgy self justification. I like your more light hearted pieces, Caitlin, but I fear you have missed the mark this time.

A. Watson, Exeter,

Filip, nobody would be grousing if abortion only effected the woman's body. It's the fact that it kills a baby that gives people problems.

What kind of monsters would we be, who are able to see the baby, if we turned away and sayd, "None of my business!"

Christin, Bucheon, South Korea

To James from Colombia - perhaps the problem is that they are living in poverty at all, not that they are having babies. Abortion is a pretty shoddy, second rate gift to give a poor Catholic woman.

Louise, Leamington Spa,

I thought I might be pregnant once. It was after my first sexual intercourse. I had not intended to do sex. I trusted the man I was with - which turned out to be a mistake. When my period was several weeks late, I went to get a test. While I was waiting for the result, a woman came & sat down beside me & started to talk about adoption. Until that moment, I had not realized how I felt about a pregnancy, but at that moment I knew, without a sliver of doubt, that I would never have that man's child. I knew, immediately - genetically, economically, socially, emotionally, parentally, on every level, in every way I could think of - it was wrong.

Thankfully, I didn't need an abortion. My body did it for me, a miscarriage. As I looked at what came out of me, I cried. It was not painless, physically or emotionally. But it was the best thing that could have happened.

I grew that week. I learned abortion is sometimes right. And that no one could have made that decision for me.

J., South Carolina, USA

Living in Colombia, where abortion is illegal and contraception rare, I have to absolutely agree with this article. It is so disheartening to witness unwanted baby after unwanted baby being spewed out, unloved by their mothers, exacerbating poverty, and, paradoxically, cheapening the value of life...and life is certainly held cheaply in Colombia. There's nothing romantic or beautiful about this process. Make no mistake about it, legalised abortion would be a ray of light here.

james, Monteria, Colombia

People will read this in 100 years and squirm at what a wicked, selfish society we are.
Guy Langley, Los Angeles, CA"

Why will they Guy? People will still be having abortions in a 100 years time, the same as they were today, and one hundred years ago.

While women get pregnant, there will always be abortion. There always has been and there always will be.

Deal with it, you religious and "pro"? life extremists.

Maz, North, Uk

We are not a species on the verge of extinction - quite the contrary. We are not even able to able to look after the existing starving, sick, abandoned and unwanted. Perhaps if we do, we can begin to question the fate of the unborn for whom we are not personally responsible? Hands-up all the pro-lifers willing to give up their comforts for an unwanted third-world child born with AIDS. As a point of interest - god gave us the intelligence to develop the technology for safe abortion. And as I remember it...free will. (For our land-locked bible-bashing cousins that's NOT a pop culture reference to the Hollywood blockbuster 'Free Willy').

Dawn, Palma, Spain

Well, every society has to justify it's basest acts somehow, and this is as entertaining and carefully worded as any other I've read.

Never mind the family being better off without the baby, y'all sure the baby isn't better off without a mother like that? Still....pity it couldn't have gone to someone who WOULD'VE wanted it.

Astonishingly, lady, the God of the Christians still loves you, and the child you sent to Him so soon and so flippantly.

Lizzi, Hampshire, UK

It's a pity, Caitlin, that most of the posted reactions are short on thought and long on knee-jerking.

Gary Geoffrion, Cleveland, USA/Ohio

Truly sad. To take a life in any situation is terrible. To do it with no conscience, no thought to a baby unable to fend for itself and because you couldnt be bothered to use one of the three forms of 100% effective contraception available is leaves me feeling cold.

If you want to be sure there are only 3 to go for. Removal of both your ovaries, castration of your partner or total abstinence.

If you cant be bothered dont try to make a case for why you have the right to destroy a defenceless human baby because you didnt exercise your right to ensure with 100% guarantees that you would not fall pregnant.

Good luck using those kitchen counters when it sinks in...

Stuart Edmonstone, Somerset,

Seems like the ultimate motherly act, once pregnant, would be to take care of yourself and give the baby up for adoption if you're convinced you can't be a good mother.

Seems like the least motherly act is to execute the kid and then attempt to justify it as compassion.

Once you twist compassion into murder, anything is possible. Genocide isn't advocated as a bad thing, but as a moral good -- that is, the removal of a problem.

A baby isn't a problem -- it's a human life. Once you try to define it any other way, all around you is now subject to your definition, and your use.

Joe Giles, Phoenix, AZ

The only thing in this article I can agree with is that it is important for children to be wanted. However, I don't really see that not wanting a baby is a moral argument for killing it. If it were, shouldn't we legalize the execution of all the "unwanted" poor, elderly and sick people in the world ? I suppose the pro-choicers would argue that a foetus is not “human” enough to have human rights because it is not independent of its mother. If a 3-month foetus isn't human, what is it ? And can anyone seriously say that the moment a baby is born it suddenly becomes more independent ? In my experience, the opposite is true !

If you say that being unwanted is sufficient reason to abort, then that is really an argument based on convenience, not morals. Even if the biological mother doesn't want the baby, there are plenty of prospective adoptive parents who do. No Ms Moran, there is no substantial, moral argument in favour of abortion, at least not one that outweighs those against

Mel, London, UK

It was the absolute correct decision to make. As the eldest child of three I know what it is like to have a "little surprise" come into your life. I am 20 and I love my youngest brother dearly however I know that my brother and I did not get the attention we needed in our pre-teen and young teenage years. The added expense also meant having to move home several times and means my parents who are pushing retirement age have another decade of childcare ahead of them. I love all my siblings and wouldn't ever wish ill of them but I know my parents should have been less adamant about their views on termination.

Brook, Leicester, UK

Fantastic article, well done Caitlin for it and putting herself up to the scrutiny of such people who have blasted her in these comments

AnneMarie, Cork,

I am sick of antiabortionists being men. Going through a pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding would, I am totally convinced, give them a more grounded perspective.

However, abortion is killing a potential life (no guarantees that every 12 week old foetus will make it to full term) and should not be undertaken lightly. I rarely regret mine, but do know it was the only "real" choice I had. Caitlin wrote a brave article and this subject should be debated more.

Linda, Reading, Berkshire

Some women take abortion too lightly. ( I knew one girl in London who had three – one each time she got pregnant.) On the abortion application form women should be asked how they want the foetus killed –
a) left to wriggle for 15-30 minutes until it dies
b) lethal injection
c) other – please specify

Whatever your stance on abortion the question has to be answered.

jj, Cambs, UK

Dear Caitlin
I used to have a soft spot for you but since reading your article I now feel very sorry for you. I do not presume to judge you for having an abortion but argue with your premise that it was the best thing to do. Almighty God is the author of life & only He should decide when it ends.

B stevens, bristol, uk

Couldn't Caitlin have given her child up for adoption rather than ending its life, especially when so many couples want to adopt nowadays? Being pregnant is a significant upheaval, but since it is not likely to be lethal, shouldn't the baby's life take precedence over the mother's inconvenience?

David Howell, Surbiton, UK

Thanks!

lauren, cambrige,

Did Caitlin's husband have any say? She doesn't mention him at all. An abortion right at the beginning is like a heavy period or a miscarriage, but why did Caitlin wait until the child she was carrying was 3 months old before deciding she didn't want it? However much she tries to rationalise what she has done, it will be there in her memory for the rest of her life. I hope her job is worth it. Abortion should be available with no stigma but as a very last resort e.g. for rape victims, very young girls, where the health of the mother would be affected, etc. etc., but definitely not as a lifestyle choice.

Jean, Sussex, England

Unwanted children are indeed a sad issue, more of a tragedy. The real issue here is not the right to an abortion or the right to choose to bring a life in to this world. The real issue is still, and always has been, "when does life begin?" The fact that scientist have found a safe, practical, acceptable way to end a life does not and should not make it acceptable. Abortion is wrong. Life does begin at conception. That is the very moment life begins for that individual, who deserves the right to come into this world and perhaps make a difference. Think about all the potential lost lives, the ones who never had a chance. Every life is precious and should be cherished.
If we left this world to the cold scientists to rule, what kind of world would this be? I thank God that there are still enough humanitarians and people who have a heart in this world, otherwise I shouldn't want to be here either. But, God has me here for a reason and I believe he had plans for every child, every soul.

leslie, Lubbock, Tx

Well said, Caitlin!

Emiko Hashida, Osaka, Japan

What a horrible and sickening article. Yeah, just kill the baby and be done with it. Such women deserve prosecution and life in prison for murder. There is no justification for ending a child's life in the womb unless there's a proven and documented threat to the mother's life.
People like this authoress make me want to puke.

M.Paul, Springfield, USA

I had an abortion when I was 17 and I can honestly say that I have never, for one second, regretted it. I was not prepared to bring an unwanted child into the world, and being selfish and 17, I wanted to continue with my education and live a relatively normal life.

Re the comment from Louise about telling her daughters about this, my Mum told me a few years ago that she had had an abortion at around the same time as me - when she was 43. She didn't feel that it would be the right thing to bring another child into the world, particularly as we recently became part of a step-family. She hasn't had any regrets and she is the most nurturing and wonderful mother that I know.

Victoria, Reading,

This article is terrifying. Life is not about simply doing what you want. Its about making choices with integrity and following them consequently. Otherwise other people that are involved are let down or get hurt.
It's terrifying that for the "right" of doing "what they want", people not only hurt others, but sacrifice their lives.

Karolina, Manchester,

If/when you do tell your two living daughters about the abortion, I would advise you don't tell them that it was for their benefit.

Louise , Leamington Spa,

It's tiring to read the number of comments from women who would deny men a voice on this issue simply because they are men. Is an anti-abortion opinion validated only by a certain pair of chromosomes? Does the rationality of my view depend on whether I am Paul or Paula? Once the hypothesis is seriously entertained that the life within the womb is a human with potential then every human has a concern as to how that life is treated. Moran's original article at least revealed the psychological salve that often attends the views of those defending abortion as 'a difficult decision' . If the 'active ingredient' in the emotional turmoil is the the thought that I am destroying a human integrity rather than removing unwanted tissue, then no amount of psychological wrestling will justify the act.

Paul, Reading, UK

It does not matter how you dress up the argument for or against,what does matter is how you deal with the almost inevitable instances in the future when you find yourself wondering what might have been.

terry, Radstock, England

Caitlin, you cite very good arguments ... against getting pregnant, that is.

starling, Lancaster,

As one poster put it "having children is hard work, don't let anyone tell you otherwise"

Having children is act of choice so please spare us your teary laments and, technically, women abort once a month whether they want to or not, are we going to outlaw periods?

Ediot, Bantown,

Was it really more dangerous, in the light of recent research about the increased risks of depression, suicide, infertility, premature birth, etc., for Caitlin Moran to continue with the pregnancy than to terminate it? If not, the abortion is still a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.
It would usually be difficult to prosecute illegal abortionists without causing pain to a women who is already suffering, but in this case, when Caitlin has herself publicised it and is sure that she is not unhappy about it, that cannot apply. Before 1967 the women were virtually never prosecuted, and no one wants that to happen now. The medical staff, however, appear to have committed a grave crime and should be punished.

Dominica Roberts, Bracknell,

Good on you Caitlin, for articulating such a clear argument. But what extraordinary hypocrisy from the responses to your article, particularly from our self-righteous American friends, who care so deeply, so spiritually and so profoundly about human life, and yet who can't be bothered offering uninsured expectant mothers and babies proper healthcare.

When the day comes that mothers and children are properly valued, especially through education, healthcare and care of neglected children, I might consider the anti-abortionists have a point. But while we are happy to see children left to die in the care of abusive parents, left to wander the streets thanks to the underfunded fostser system, or left to suffer inadequate schooling because they were born in the wrong postcode, then I'm with you.

And until then, the anti-abortionists should put up or shut up.

Fenella, Melbourne, Australia

If all the pro-lifers out there are so concerned with the sanctity of life, I very much hope they do not particpate in the 'murder' of innocent animals by eating meat.

Or is the murder of some creatures OK?

Rob, Dulwich,

"I didn’t want another child, in the same way that I don’t suddenly want to move to Canada or buy a horse".

Very "humble and compassionate" choice indeed...

Marco, Venice, Italy

whether or not you agree with it, that's a well balanced argument that takes a lot of bravery to put forward in this day and age, where any controversial veiw is jumped on by the religious right wing. abortion is clearly a moral and ethical dilemma and it is important that sensible decisions like this are made for the good of the child and the mother.

graham, st andrews,

What a tragic article. Whether she claims not feel any guilt or not, the fact remains that when we humans do wrong, we feel guilt. The greater the wrong, the greater the guilt.

The pain and guilt will be felt one day. One day.

People will read this in 100 years and squirm at what a wicked, selfish society we are.

Guy Langley, Los Angeles, CA

All life does not have to be equally valued. single celled organisms are life as well. A bunch of cells after conception are just that with the potential to become a human being. Unless you are a vegan, you most definitely do not adhere to the notion that all life is equal, and even if you are one, there is a hierarchy of surperiority for life forms. When the foetus is no longer a potential human being and capable of surviving independent of the mother's body, that is the only time when killing a foetus could be considered as "murder".

I agree with caitlin that abortion is not a psychologically traumatic experience if a child is unwanted. And no abortion is not a replacement for contraception. But it should be perfectly moral for a couple in a marriage/relationship to want to have sex for their mutual happiness and not be forced to have a child they do not want. That *IS* being responsible.

manjari, houston, USA

The foetus isn't alive until it is independent of the mother it is parasitically existing off of. If it was outside of the mother it would be dead. If the mother doesn't want it then the mother shouldn't have it - regardless of the situtation.
A woman could get pregnant every year of her life and collapse and die any reasonable person realises that precautions have to be taken. Sometimes those precautions fail. It is the mother's natural duty to fret and decide about these things (within her body and the long term effect on her and maybe those around her). And there will always be the situation where abortion is the healthier or a necessary outcome for the living.
People should be aware that quality of life is more important than quantity of life. I support the idea that people should be more open to the much needed solution of arbortion. It has helped so many more lives than we care to admit in the UK.

louise, guadalajara, mexico

In what is probably far less than a hundred years, because of people like Caitlin and her supporters, Europe will be demographically mostly Islamic. At which time I rather expect abortion will be a capital crime.

Chris, Boca Raton, Florida,USA

I see the arguement used often "My body my choice". Wrong. Thats someone elses body in there.

Lori B., Indianapolis, Indiana

No Ms. Moran, only God has the power to create and destroy life. You are not God.

Lauren, Ft. Worth, TX

If women are, by biology, commanded to host, shelter, nurture and protect life, why should they not be empowered to end life, too?

Because they aren't, any more than parents, who are commanded by biology to harbour, educate and raise children, can be empowered to neglect, harm and abandon them-- otherwise they end up behind bars.

John, Madrid,

"Why does anyone fell they have a right to criticise another's decision?" (Catherine). Hmm, what about torture? Many, though perhaps not all, would say that torture is wrong. Suppose person A tortures person B to get information. We'll take it as read that person A thinks that torture, while perhaps regrettable, is nonetheless a "valuable option" since it will retrieve what is deemed important information. Now, I reel from the idea of torture. Whatever the perceived beneficial consequences, the objective nature of an act of torture is such that it offends the dignity of a human being (or, in modern jargon, violates person B's human rights). Yet, why do I think I have the "right to criticise another's decision?" After all, person A - the torturer - has no doubt had "different life experiences, views and decisions". So too have pretty much all rapists. And those who have taken the lives of adult human beings. Or, for that matter, less mature human beings, whether before or after birth.

Bubin, Londontown,

"Abortions are never seen as a positive thing, as any other operation to remedy a potentially life-ruining condition would."

Birth is not a disease or an illness. It is what happens if you have sex. If you are going to have sex you take the risk. Grow up and face your responsibility.

From the instant of conception the full karotype is formed and all the requirements for life are there. All that has to be done is let it grow.
You can give the child for adoption if you want. There are other options.
However to murder a child, and in the UK should an abortion be atttempted and the child is born and later die as a result of that, charges can be brought as it is after birth that a person gians full rights in the UK so action casuing death may be construed as murder.

Joe, Wrexham, UK

In our throw away World were everything is disposable even babies can we not stop and ponder the tragic cost of mass murder of our most vulnerable of people the pre-born ? Most Women who undergo abortion[s] end up with horrendous psychological and physical illness ,most of which is swept under the carpet .
For people to write about thier abortion with so much nonchalence is to put it mildly aborrant and callous ,do you really think we can continue to snuff out little lives on such a massive scale without repercussions ?Perhaps we should remember the old adage God always forgives ,man sometimes Nature never .....just where are we heading ?

Wendy Walker , luton , Beds uk

When men are able and willing to bear the consequences of sex is when they will have more of a say in the consequences od sex. IE children/abortion/whatever

There is a lot of hot air expelled in this debate, but when I see a pregnant man and one willing to care for his offspring is when I will begin to liste to him.

Children are hard work, and don;t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Sarah, Chatham,

If I were to see a man attacking a woman, should I, as a man, mind my own business and do nothing? If what some people here have said is true, then that is precisely what I should do. It is not a neutral act if either an individual or the the state fails to intervene when the stronger attacks the weaker. That's why we have laws against rape and child abuse. Once a child is conceived we are taking away the rest of its life if we kill it ten weeks after conception or ten years. It may be easier to identify with the older child, but how can an individuals' rights be dependent on the ease with which others can identify with them? As an agnostic I don't see the pro-life case as primarily Christian. It is absurd to say that the principle that one human being should not kill another is a matter of personal religious belief. You could say that about any law which protects the vulnerable. Everyone here would expect the protection of the law if someone were trying to kill them.

Paul Williams, London, UK

What is 'intelligent' and 'logical' about killing your own child? She comments on how pregnant women have dominion over life then why not not-life. If we were meant to, then mother-nature would have given us this gift; the fact is, she hasn't.
She also claims that as humans we don't believe in the sanctity of life. The only people who don't believe in it, murders, psychopaths and those who wish to harm others, this is hardly 'most poeple'.
It is not wrong for people to have thier own opinions; however, claiming that killing innocent unborn babies is the ultimate act of good mothering seems illogical and selfish - how can a mother of two kill her third child and claim that it was 'one of the least dificult decisions of my life'. If everyone viewed abortion as an easy way of solving a problem then how many potential great human beings have been killed because of the inconvenice they caused their mothers?

Lizzie, Maistone , UK

Abortion is indeed a very sensitive subject, even in this age of modernity and open minded approach. But, Caitlin, I can't wholsomely buy your rationale and arguments, expressed in your write up.If given an absolute freedom to choose for abortion and destruction of unwanted foetus, aren't we killing, like a butcher a new and nascent life which is yet to spring up and see the light of the day. Pertinent to the prevailing scenario in Indian sub continent, the conservative , patriarchial and male dominated society esp. in rural set ups,don't encourage birth of too many female siblings. Girls are still looked upon as a liability for the family, and boys are treated as preferred progeny and precursor of the pedigree and their lineage. Perhaps it is lack of education coupled with age-old traditions which harbours such anti-feminist treatment.As such Abortion, unless it is MTP(medically terminated pregnancy) is banned.Goddess Kali is a saviour of life as well as destroyer of evil forces.

Sandy, New Delhi, India

decisions are difficult when different points of view are considered. In any situation there is often no one 'right' way but some compromises have to be made. However, one issue concerning abortion is whether the person believes the feotus is a live human being or not. Regardless of how it was formed, through rape or an act of love or anything in between, a life is a life, and murder is murder - even in battle. If it isn't a life, then there is no difficulty.

Nikki , manchester, uk

What Caitlin Moran does believe to be sacred is "trying to ensure that there are as few unbalanced, destructive people as possible." Presumably she excludes herself from the list. What sort of intelligent person uses abortion as just another option in contraception anyway? Whatever happened to responsibility and facing up to the consequences of one's actions? But of course, we're living in the twenty-first century now, aren't we? And what of the surviving children? Would it not enter their heads at some point that Mummy might have had them terminated if the wind had been blowing in another direction or if she was considering new worktops for her kitchen at the time? Taking her argument to its logical conclusion that women should be empowered to end life as well as nurture it, where should it end? She adds the rider about not stoving in the heads of children or encouraging late abortions - that's simply a futile attempt to make her argument seem reasonable and acceptable - it isn't!

James Davis, West Parley, Dorset, U.K.

Women need not reply either! Unless you think that it's your female duty to tell other women what they should and shouldn't do.

Anthony Flack, Tokyo, Japan

So your abortion was basically a mercy killing? Heaven protect those now in the womb from such mercy from their mothers.

Briana LeClaire, Boise, Idaho

I have a hypothetical question: if the concept of abortion simply didn't exist in our present world, how would we answer the question "when does life begin?"

With our scientific knowledge and the absence of any need to suggest otherwise, surely the logical answer would be "at conception".

Considering issues such as the foetus' ability to feel pain, or its level of consciousness at different ages would be irrelevant in determining the answer. Absurd, even. Life would begin at the point when the foetus first came into existence.
-------
Perhaps the only reason we find it so hard to establish when life begins is that we don't like the obvious answer.

Toby Cosh, uk,

if you get pregnant, but then realise it was a mistake, and are allowed to kill the unborn child, why should you not be allowed to give birth, realise it was a mistake, and kill the baby?

why is the "black humour" of the stressed mothers not moral, if killing the unborn is moral?

jr, London,

I feel sorry for you.

hb, Tallahassee, leon/florida

But has it never occurred to you people that which you wish to "terminate" may actually be a real, human being? By what criterea are you measuring "human being"? If you just blithely 'assume' what is in the womb is not, then consider this. Suppose someone is out hunting, and he sees a hazy figure in the distance, which he 'assumes' is a deer, but it just may be a man. It seems like a deer, but "seems" like one, rather than definitely is. Should he just go ahead and shoot anyway?

Auguste, Brackley, UK

One hopes those kitchen work-tops are pretty spectacular.

Oh to be a fly on the wall the day your existing children are old enough to understand that there but for the grace of god they went.

Nina , London,

Can anyone explain why we are still discussing this subject? Yes, it is a constant and evolving dilemma, however, abortion has been legal for the better part of 40 years now (in Sweden). Isn't that enough time for all the pro-life advocates (predominantly american on this forum - no surprise there!) to finally come to terms with the right of every woman to decide the fate of her own body? Apparently not..

Enjoyed reading the article. Presented a rarely honest and human view of what can be the most difficult decision facing some women.

Filip, London, UK

A very well-written and thought-through piece about a decision that Caitlin obviously thought and felt through very carefully before she did it. I am sorry to see so many comments from anti-abortionists who are unwilling to consider the other point of view. It may be a 'last resort' for some; it may be done with deep remorse. How would you feel if every woman who suffered post-natal depression was told that her sadness proved that she was wrong to give birth? Women who believe abortion is murder, do not choose abortions, and women who do believe different things which you might try to comprehend.

Gordon Rae, Totnes, United Kingdom

" If men could have children, abortion would be a sacrament." Something I heard in the 70's that is so true nothing else needs to be said.

Elizabeth Schremp, Washington, California USA

It is a shame that so many women feel they have the absolute 'right' to choose whether their baby lives or dies, or feel that they are doing the child a favour, as the article implies, by choosing not to bring it into the world - how can killing it ever be a favour to it? As a mother of three very young children (and a graduate with a once high-flying career), I feel that if you choose to have sex you have to accept whatever consequences come from it (everyone knows no contraception is 100% effective). Why should a baby's chance of life be destroyed because of the choice [to have sex] we have made as women? It's not the baby's fault it was conceived.

I also feel that it is wrong to state that it is not for men to say what women should or shouldn't do. There are many fathers who have been devastated by the effect of their partner's choice to abort their child - the emotional cost of abortion on them should not be so flippantly disregarded.

Alexandra, Bedford,

I am almost 36yrs old. I have a degree, a well paid job that I get great satisfaction from. I live in a large house with a husband who I still class as my best friend, and our 3 children who I would walk over broken glass barefoot to protect.
If I was to be granted one wish it would be that my mother had had a termination 36yrs ago.
May I please give the story from the other side - the one so often not told. I am that abotorion that did not happen.
My mother (or father) did not want a child - they were simply two young people who got a little too drunk one night.
I know that my parents did the best they could (and lets be honest I haven't turned out too bad), but that doesn't stop the guilt.
Stop thinking of the 'selfish' or 'murdering' mother, but of the stigma an unwonted child has to live with all thier lives.
There are better methods of contraception, but accidents happen. I just don't like the fact that really all I am is an accident that turned OK in the end.

G.Ferguson, Egremont, Cumbria

If I have read it correctly Caitlin's argument seems to run along these lines; "human beings go around killing others all the time (as a species...we don't believe in the sanctity of life) so why shouldn't a mother kill her unborn child if the pregnancy is unwanted or inconvenient. To end the child's life is actually in everyones interest if it is unwanted". If find this line of argument quite frightening. The fact that some human beings can act in the most sick and evil ways is not a reason for the rest of us to do the same! If life (even in the womb) has no sanctity then what exactly is our problem with the Nazi holocuast, or the killing fields of Cambodia or Stalin's gulags? It seems to me that the logic of Caitlin's argument is that all human beings (either in the womb or out of it) have no intrinsic worth or value. If this is true then can I suggest that we scrap holocaust memorial day and give up trying to do anything about the genocide in Darfur.

Andrew Brown, Derby, UK

Dear Kim, from Oklahoma. I am indeed a man, and I am indeed going to comment on this article, and I indeed have an opinion on abortion. Whilst we all must respect and even honour the profound responsibilities of motherhood, with all its burdens and joys, we cannot fall into the trap of conveniently forgetting that the little baby inside his or her mother's womb is NOT the mother, but the baby; i.e. it is a different human being. Allowing that little baby to live on or be killed is actually NOBODY'S decision. It cannot be anyone's decision because it is another, distinct human life. It is neither the mother's, nor the father's, nor the state's. When you were in the womb your right to life was inalienable and not according to a 'decision' of your mother.

Timothy Kelly, Oxford, UK

I am pleased that Caitlin Moran found that having an abortion was one of the least difficult decisions of her life. I was also interested by her post rationalisation that a child who may not have been wanted will turn into an angry adult with the power to destroy a marriage. I would point out that a study of twins separated at birth both ended up with similar personality disorders. One had an optimal upbringing, the other not. 25 years ago I became pregnant and already had two sons aged 3 and 1. I was working and felt that | could not cope especially when I found out that I was expecting twins. I am not religious or pro life and went to enquire about an abortion. Although my husband was not happy about the pregnancy, something made me continue. 25 years on I have two wonderful sons whom I regard as my bonus in life. They know that I would have loved them to be a daughter and that I considered an abortion. Their comment was, 'That's alright mum, you didn't know us then'

Angela Southon, Guildford, Surrey

There would be far more teenage pregnancies - a big problem in society - if abortion was not legal. It is the woman's righ to choose whether or not she wants to abort if she does not want the child. It's not being selfish: it's just not wanting to have an extra burden in their life which they do not need.

Chris Lutton, Epsom, Surrey

If abortion was not legal, there would be far more teenage pregnancies. If contraception fails, the mother may have no choice. What if she already has children and a demanding job? Abortion is not being selfish, in most cases it is what is needed to rectify a mistake.

Ultimately, the baby is the mother's. It is her choice as to what she wants to do with it when it is still inside her.

It's interesting that twice recently on this site there have been debates as to whether women are being selfish when dealing with their children (I'm refering to the debate regarding whether a mother should serve on the front line)
In neither case the mother is being selfish, and the people (mostly men) who say that they are being so don't realise what a difficult decision it can be. It takes character to bring up a child, and many women (justifiably) feel that they do not want that burden in their lives.

Chris Lutton, Epsom, Surrey

The moment abortion becomes the socially acceptable act that Caitlin seems to be calling for, is the moment that our culture of sexual promiscuity becomes that accepted as the norm within the social circles of Britain.

There is no doubt the two travel hand in hand, furthermore the percentage of abortions that result from failed contraception or come from homes where the child would be "swooned with love" is minimal.

Daniel, Nottingham,

Oh what joy it would be, to abort and make it another choice like coughing, cleaning your nose, or at the worst, a simple operation to remove a diseased organ. An abortion is just what it is, an abortion, and the reality remains, that it is what it is, it kills a separate entity that is a complete human being with all the potential for life, for love, for challenges, etc. that life brings.

The choice of keeping a child is a humble, compassionate choice, with all the challenges that come with life. It all works out in the end and is the source of great joy. These arguments made here could clearly be made with regard to the "tender" death of an elder patient, or the "mercy" death of an autistic or disabled youth, or the "convenience" of snuffing out any life that does not appear as equally or highly qualified as our own life.

The horror of these comments is that they find any legitimacy or currency in the hearts and minds of people.

John, Boise, Idaho

Anyone who's read "freakonomics" will surely have been struck by the chapter pointing out that after abortion became legal in the US it was noticeable that crime went down in those states that allowed abortion?
Let's face it, children born to poor, uneducated, reluctant teenage girls typically receive inadequate mothering. They are often responsible for a huge amount of violence, suffering and crime.
It is because mothering is such a critically important job that it should not be entered under duress.

CW, London UK,

I couldn't agree more. There seems to be this idea that one is either pro or anti babies and children and the circumstances of their conception, birth and subsequent upbringinging are of no consequence. There also seem to be many people, filled with resentment, who are bringing up unwanted children because at the crucial point when they had the chance to terminate the pregnancy they were afraid of seeming cold, unnurturing and selfish to others and to themselves.
I write this while recovering from the miscarriage of a much wanted pregnancy earlier this week. Thank you Caitlin Moran for highlighting the huge flaw in much 'pro-life' sentiment.

J S , Brighton, East Sussex

Just don't have sex - it's a very good contraceptive, and no-one dies of it.

Alys, Colchester, UK

I am amazed than any woman who has ever had sex would say that she will never accidentally get pregnant. I have three children. Two of those children were unplanned, one of them conceived while properly using birth control. All of my children were conceived within marriage. It is completely delusional to think that one will never accidentally become pregnant. It happens all the time, even when one is careful and responsible.

I also have to say that no man on the planet should be commenting on this article other than to say that he supports whatever his sexual partner decides to do when she becomes pregnant. A man never has to face a pregnancy, wanted or unwanted, and cannot ever understand what it means or feels like to make this kind of a decision. I have always been shocked that men think they are entitled to an opinion on abortion.

Kim, Edmond, Oklahoma, USA

How can it be a motherly act for the mother to kill the child in her womb? It is the ultimate evil act.

Dermot, Enniskillen, N. Ireland

It was very brave of Caitlin to be open about her own experience, instead of just talking theoretically about the issue.
On a practical note, one thing that sprang to mind was whether Caitlin would have made the same decision had she been the mother of two boys instead of girls? There seems to be a bias in favour of girls in this country, and I wondered if she might have taken an unplanned pregnancy to term on the chance that it might have been a girl (similar to the situation in India, except in reverse).
From experience, I would say that feelings about abortion can change over time. What can seem a very clear and easy decision at one stage of a woman's life can become radically different at another age with altered life circumstances.
We don't really know what happens to a human soul, and there are wider considerations involved than simply the immediate and practical. Having said that, giving birth to an unwanted child is no easy option.

Elise, London,

Surely, this debate needs to focus on the sobering facts. In the UK, abortion is permitted up to 24 weeks gestation or up to birth for 'serious disability' (this includes easily correctable abnormalities such as a cleft palate). The visible humanity of the unborn child at the earliest stages of development has only been reaffirmed by the circulation of the new 4-D scans and the recent 'CommunicateResearch' poll has found that 76 percent of woment feel abortion at 24 weeks is cruel.

So, let's stick to the facts. Abortion takes the life of unborn children in a violent way, damages the emotional (and sometime the physical) health of many women and eugenically discriminates against the disabled. Clearly, abortion is a massively inhumane practice which should not be permitted in a civilized country.

Dermott O'Gorman, Wallington, Surrey

I'm afraid I will never accept that abortion is a selfless act, no matter how "witty" and "earthy" the defence of it is.

I work full time in a very pressured job, and have a 2 year old son. I accidentally became pregnant again this year, and despite the real financial disaster (thanks to high mortgage payments) losing my salary for 6-9 months would cause, I was determined to do my best for the baby. Sadly, I had a miscarriage, but losing my child was not for the best, not for me or my marriage or my career.

Taking responsibility for your actions, caring for and loving a child you bring into the world and working damn hard to give that child the best life possible makes someone a good mother. We need more selfless acts and fewer selfish ones these days.

sophie, Warwickshire, UK

Well said. Good mothering is not merely about reproduction -- it's about caring for and protecting the actual living, breathing humans we're responsible for. Bringing an unwanted child into the world is not only an irresponsible act -- it introduces a threat against your own family and against society in general.

I'm glad to see that Moran foregoes sugary platitudes about pregnancy and paens to precious fetuses -- and encourages women to have the clear-eyed courage to ensure that unwanted pregnancies are not permitted to degrade existing lives or turn into neglected, resented children who turn into angry adults with a much greater capacity for causing damage.

KathleenM12, San Francisco , CA

Wonderful article. I think that it is very brave of Ms. Moran to express such controversial views on such an important but contested subject.

Shannon, Toronto, Canada

I wholly emphatise with Caitlin's remarks and applaud her for daring to face the inevitable opprobrium.
Unwanted children are a societal problem which places an increased burden on citizens and tax-payers. I advocate a "re-branding" of abortion in which the dominant ground is stolen away from emotive lobbyists and the decision is more evenly portrayed as a wise and considered step taken for the greater good. Things are never as stark as they first appear, but I do earnestly believe that more women need to consider the choice of abortion in similar terms to Caitlan's. With some 6 billion people in the world I find it hard to believe that the pro-life lobby cannot support causes for those unfortunates who have already been born; as opposed to petitioning to swell their ranks with yet more inopportune and joyless lives.

Arthur, London SW6., Great Britain.

If mothers should be the ones to decide on life and death, why stop at birth? What if she decides her 1 year old has become "unwanted?" Or a 15 year old? I don't understand the difference. Now with ultrasound one can see that it is a baby after just a few weeks. And a 21 week baby survived after birth in Florida, the time many are aborting. It is the ultimate of SELFISHNESS to kill a child because he's inconvenient. By the way, I have to children. After the second I tied my tubes. And I didn't have a child until 7 years after marriage due to birth control. There are alternatives. You'd better give this a lot more thought.

Donna, San Jose, CA

Hey Jane, what if after building your career and then having a child your family one day finds itself in deep financial difficultiies. Are you then going to murder your child while it's financially expedient so that you can rebuild your career?

mike, charlotte, nc

I would have to disagree with the gentleman from Edinburgh, female sterilisation is far from a simple operation especially for a woman as you have to go under a general anaesthetic and have your peritoneum opened increasing the risk of infection massively. I personally find it hard to even think of having an abortion and part of me does think its wrong, I know I couldn't do it if I were to find myself pregnant but I wouldn't take away the choice for other women and I don't judge those who would have it done as there are many reasons for doing so. However, I would never condone it as a method of birth control when it is perfectly straightforward to get free contraception such as the pill, condoms, the coil etc.

Sam, Newcastle, UK

Take the pill, wear a condom, get a vasectomy, use spermicide. As the mother of 2 young children, I work hard everyday to ensure that they are not hurt physically or emotionally. To imply that killing a child is an act of motherly love is rubbish. Abortions are selfish, self-serving, murderous acts and any rationalization is balm for a guilty conscience.

Laura F, Sugar Land, TX, USA

Caitlin, although women are "by biology, commanded to host, shelter, nurture and protect life" they should not be empowered to end life because they do NOT have the power to create life. The logic of your argument seems to be "I don't want to have a baby because it will disrupt my marriage/home/career/etc and so rather than bring an unwanted baby into the world because it might end up being an undesirable member of society, I'll just kill it". Regardless of what you choose to call it at that stage, life begins at conception. Just because the law says it's ok to terminate the life of a child before 12 weeks does not make it right. Your article tries to be balanced by arguing why the child might not wish to be born but the rationale is weak. You're still ending the life of a child so that yours won't be inconvenienced. If you feel that strongly about an unwanted child then you could just give it away. But I guess that's a bit more difficult than "terminating" a foetus.

S. Williams, London,

Very thought provoking and well written piece. One thing I wondered after reading it...since the decision to have an abortion was so simple, easy and without consequences to your conscience, how did it go telling your other children about the decision to abort their potential siblings. I'm not sure what I would think if my mum had told me one morning that we could have had a little brother or sister and had actually started the process of doing just that, but instead decided to end it. I guess my feelings might range from relief that I wouldn't have to share my mum and my things, to relief that my parents hadn't decided to back out when I was still in the womb...but maybe I'm complicating these things. It was, after all, a very simple and straightforward decision. One your daughters would have no trouble understanding and accepting.

Jill Wells, New York, New York

Men need not reply! We go through enough as women without your outdated, small minded opinions.

When I was a teenager I used to think abortion was wrong until I started having relationships. As I grew up I became more open minded, spiritual and realistic.

Becoming unexpectedly pregnant whilst using protection is frightening. As a young lady that has just gone through a termination I wholly support women like Caitlin who make this brave and justified choice.

Since having a termination I am more than happy to talk openly about it, I am not ashamed and feel we made the morally correct choice for ourselves and the baby. It is up to the individuals concerned to come to a decision and not be subject to the opinion and judgement of all.

Kate, UK,

"ending a pregnancy 12 weeks into gestation is incalculably more moral than bringing an unwanted child into this world."

Actually on balance, I think I would rather be allowed to be born, even to a mother who didn't want me.

Jason, London,

Women who have abortions shouldn't be demonised - it is a personal decision.

However, it is right that the decision shouldn't be taken lightly - after all, an abortion has the potential for emotional consequences that, say, having a tooth extracted doesn't. As such, I would hate for abortions to become "routine" when there are many birth control options available in our society that can help prevent an unwanted pregnancy (and potential emotional consequences) from occurring in the first place.

If the writer is certain that she doesn't want another child, surely the logical course of action would be to have a sterilisation procedure or for her husband to have a vasectomy? Then the situation of having "to have an abortion again" would be unlikely ever to arise.

Katharine, Camberley, Surrey

I'd love to know how many of these pro-lifers are vegans and avoid all products associated with animal suffering. I'd love to know how men can have such an ignorant opinion on this when they cannot give birth themselves. I have had a termination before and have no regrets whatsoever - my contraception failed, I tried emergency contraception and it didn't work.
I am very young and would effectively cancel my own life and career out if I had a child now. I would not be able to give it the life it deserves and would end up becoming yet another scrounger off the state, which I am sure most Times readers would have an issue with. I resent the implication that I should feel ashamed or remorseful - there are FAR too many people on this planet already. Well done Caitlin for giving voice to an inappropriately taboo subject.

Laura, Gateshead,

Hi Caitlin. Thank you so much for writing an article that has set out the thoughts that have been with me since I had an abortion in my early 20's. I have never had any doubt that I made what was for me the right decision, and did not find the experience itself emotionally traumatic but instead felt a profound sense of relief. The thing that I did find emotionally traumatic, though, was that even pro-choicers seemed to regard abortion as a necessary evil and there did not seem to be any room for the argument that a woman could regard it as a positive choice and a crucial act of self-determination, and one that has put me in a position to contribute more to the world and for any children I do have to be brought up in the best possible environment. The only post-abortion syndrome I felt was guilt about not feeling guilty, if that follows. Thanks again for an article which has raised the bar in rational debate on abortion.

M, London,

At last some common sense on this topic. Thanks Caitlin.

Most of the "pro-life" arguments are based on religious grounds. Religion - hmm - that tends to be old men telling young women what they can do with their bodies (do you recognize yourself, Nick if Rotherham?) and other control freaks who know what YOU should do because God tells THEM so. Is it significant that most of the comments disagreeing with you seem to come from men, do you think?

Charles, Charlottesville, USA

If the foetus is trully an independent entity with rights that can overtake the woman's own, then remove it and let it live on its own. If it can't survive without her uterus even with the most advanced medical assistance, I would argue that its rights are not greater than its hosts.

I don't condone abortion as a form of birth control, but, speaking as a rape victim, being forced to carry that pregnancy to term would have been as good as a death sentence for my sanity.

Az, London,

Caitlin, your experience is shared by me and other women I know who have had abortions. We did not feel depressed, guilty or suicidal, just grateful that we did not have to have a baby we didn’t want and didn’t feel able to look after. The myths you identify mean an experience shared by about 200,000 UK women every year, remains taboo and undiscussed. The actively-promoted untruths about abortion also thus flourish unchallenged. When, for example, did a pro-lifer last admit that for most women, having a baby has been shown to be more risky and dangerous to their health, than having an abortion? There is no failsafe method of contraception and abortion will always be needed. It is often a positive and extremely unselfish decision. The usual idealogically-motivated bullies who have never been in this position themselves, will no doubt continue to post obscene messages to you- ignore them. I for one am grateful that you have said what so many of us are thinking. Thank you.

Blue, Edinburgh, Scotland

If you were so sure that having a third child would ruin your life, why didn't you have a coil inserted or your husband have a vasectomy? You could have had any number of procedures done BEFORE the "unwanted" pregnancy to avoid this contingency. Surely then you didn't feel too strongly either way. Maybe there are good reasons for having abortions, but laziness is not one of them.

Cornelia, London,

There are some amazingly unbalanced views in this bunch. I'm particularly frustrated by the self-righteous comments made by men. Top marks to Caitlin for bringing this subject, which is incorrectly treated as taboo and shameful, back out into the open.

Dani, Newcastle, England

This is indeed a steel cold hearted approach to life. I certainly feel sorry for anyone who might be subject to or under a person with this attitude.

D. Campbell, Delray Beach, Florida

Comments made criticising Caitlan for her actions and stance, are exactely the reason the artilce needed to be written. If more logic and consideration was applied to peoples actions rather than susperstition and knee jerk out rage, the world would indeed be a better place.

p.s. It seems somewhat ironic that America is torn between pro life and freedom of choice - whilst removing both options for many Iraqi's as I write.

Chris, Sheffield, S.Yorks

Such a difficult debate. I see what Caitlin Miran means, I can hold forth on the moral minefield and conclude in the abstract that it is wrong, and know that if I got pregnant, I would probably choose to abort. Even writing that feels wrong, so it would be incredibly fraught, and there is the same chance that I would keep it. However, after someone decides to have an abortion, society must stop forcing the women to scrape and bow for deciding not to sacrifice their careers, bodies, and often relationships. It is an individual choice, and despite the philosophical debate, it is a decision that only the woman can make.

Daisy, Durham,

Thanks for having the courage to write this piece. It shouldn't take courage, of course, to be honest about such a common female experience. But you will no doubt get plenty of uninformed hate mail, so it was a courageous act. You're completely right, of course. I recently had an early miscarriage. 20 years ago I had an early termination. This time I grieved for the loss of my potential baby, because it was wanted. But I didn't kid myself that my body's decision to end this pregnancy was any different from my mind's decision to end the previous one. It was the wrong bundle of cells, at the wrong time. Sentimentality about motherhood didn't help then, and it doesn't help now.

Anna, London, UK

Once a child has been conceived, it's a bit late to talk about the rights and wrongs of 'bringing it into the world'. It already IS in the world. The point at which to make mature and selfless decisions about such things is BEFORE sex during those times of the month when it is possible to get pregnant.

There are hundreds of people right now who desperately want to have a child and are unable. When the pregnancy test finally comes up as 'pregnant', that actually means something, they are going to have a child. So don't start arguing about when exactly a foetus or embryo becomes a baby. Common sense doesn't say that a baby in the process of being born, half in, half out, is half human, half not (even though English law allows disabled babies to be aborted right up to birth). But you say that 'both science and philosophy struggle to define what the beginning of "life" is', so shouldn't you err on the side of caution? After all, it's someone's "life" you're talking about.

Katherine, High Wycombe, UK

I really enjoyed this article. At 16 I had an abortion 8 weeks into the pregnancy (would have been sooner but there are waiting lists!) I didn't think twice about it but I told no one but my mother, not even my boyfriend of two years because it seemed so shameful. I had used contraception (condoms aren't 100%) so hated the assumption that would come with me falling pregnant. Abortion shouldn't be frowned upon, although I'm not condoing it as a means of contraception! having a baby would have changed my life, stopped me going to uni and I would have resented it. I couldn't put a child into care when I know about the horrible things that could happen to it. Thank you for making me feel normal and not like a murderer!

Jessica, London,

I'm with Caitlin all the way on the issue of abortion. Having a child is one of the most selfish acts anyone commits, condemning another person to a life sentence, these days, of around 80 years. The idea of life being "sacred" is typical of human arrogance, originated by religion that once decreed we were the centre of creation. We are puny grains of matter in a vast universe.

Madeline Macdonald , Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England

I empathise with this article, but do not agree. Firstly, adequate contraception is so easily available. Pop down to your local Family Planning clinic and get a free service - condoms, the coil, the pill - whatever you need. So-called emergency contraception, which stops the uterus from accepting the fertilised ovum, is also readily available. Where is the difficulty in avoiding pregnancy in the first place, especially for a middle-class mum?

So maybe young, working class women or certain ethnic groups are not accessing these services? Then why not make it worth their while to carry their unwanted babies to term and then allow a couple desperate for a child to adopt the baby? Government investment and community support might encourage some of these mums with unwanted "pregnancies" to allow the babies to live and find happy homes.

Like Miranda Sawyer, my mind changed when I became a mother and truly understood what this original bundle of cells might become.

Rose, London, England

Caitlin - a very honest article indeed, and my greatest respect to you for putting yourself on the line like that.

This isn't a black and white issue, however much some would like to believe it is, and you've set the pros and cons out well. As someone who's almost 100% decided not to have children for very much the reasons laid out (it's *not* selfish or self-centred to know in yourself that you can't give a child the time and affection and love it would deserve - and the reasons for that aren't always selfish or even under your control).

I'm adopted myself, so you'd probably expect me to come out against abortion, but I don't - in situations where there is an unwanted pregnancy, there are no easy answers, and even adoption is anything but trauma-free. In principle I don't agree with abortion - but I would never judge anyone who took the decision to do it.

D, UK,

No wonder so many cultures hate the West. I'm beginning to agree with them. Fortunately, cultures that hate life and parenthood obviously eventually die out.

It's just a shame I'm living at such a time.

Mike Davies, Bury, UK

I think that the article was very interesting and all women should be able to make the decisions for themselves, however, if you have 2 children and decided you did not want any more then why not just have your tubes tied (a simple enough operation) and thereby saving yourselves the moral dilema in the first place.

There is an abundance of methods available today to prevent unwanted pregnancies and a few that will chemically terminate in the early weeks so the aborting of a viable baby has to be seen as killing an innocent in the moral sense.

Joseph Kellie, Edinburgh, Scotland

I'm hugely impressed that someone has finally had the courage to write a piece such as this. Women who have had abortions are inevitably encouraged to keep it secret, but only through rational discussion can the debate be understood. Thank you for writing such a profound article.

Helen , Dublin, Ireland

What a load of propaganda. It's sad that people WANT to have unprotected sex to fulfill their sexual desires but they don't want the children that are produced by it, they call these children 'unwanted', that's terrible.

Roxanna, London,

Frankly I have to agree with you Caitlin, all this "Isn't there enough murder in the world without committing murder in your own body???" is utter tripe.

We are capable of making decisions about our future and we should feel free to make these decisions. It is far better to terminate than to force people to suffer an existance that is almost inevitably going to fail. Ok, point to the loving mother of a child she was intending to abort but didn't, and I'll point to a mother who hadn't really made that decision in the first place.

My own experience is of a mother of four, one of who has Aspergers, who could see the disintegration of her family and her life if she brought another child into the world, not an easy decision but a simple one.

Jon Dawkins, Bristol, UK

Abortion is the most selfish thing a women can do while adoption is the most selfless thing. Having unresponsible unprotected sex is simple and selfish. Typical liberal feminist all about me thinking.

Tim, simi valley, USA, CA

I had an abortion back in 1999. I had quite the devil-may-care attitude to abortion. I found myself in a predicament and sought a termination thinking it would solve the problem, easy decision, right? Well yes, the decision was relatively simple, the procedure, however, was horrendous and the aftermath even worse. I came out of the clinic feeling numb, somewhat relieved but with a voice asking me "what have you done?" I put on a brave face, but in the years following I can honestly say i've never felt so unwomanly, so hideous, so violated. I'd dream about it's tiny, dismembered, bloody body thrown out with all the others. A part of me that I was to love, dead.

I'd apologise for being so terribly mawkish but to sit and read what seems to be a recommendation for abortion upsets and appalls me. If you can speak of your unborn with such disdain, as if it was only out to get you and remain unaffected then more power to you, but this is not compassion for the future. Who you trying to kid?

Louise, Leamington Spa,

I don't understand why pro lifers are so obsessed with protecting life when the child in question is a bunch of cells, but once this child is born and has real tangible needs the pro lifers lose interest. I am especially talking to those Americans who want to save the fetuses of the world but don't think that once the child is born it may not have healthcare since the great nation doesn't provide that free of charge, its mother is not guranteed paid maternity leave so the child might be left with a unqualified childminder since the US government doesn't offer any free childcare for these children that were so so special when they were not yet born. A young woman who perhaps works at a job that is not secure, does not offer healthcare or any paid time off would be stoned by you pro lifers for even thinking of aborting her child. Are you going to help her pay the bills for nappies and food and medicines? Does Bush care about these children once they are born? NO of course not.

Katolina, Odwalla, USA/UK

I for one have been saying since I was 15 (now 29) that I don't want to have children. I am taking all reasonable precautions, but should I fall pregnant despite this I would not have second thoughts about terminating. Abortion is the last remaining social stigma that I can think about. I think society would be a whole lot better off if these people fighting so hard against abortion would do so against other social ills.

Emma, London,

Great piece! Thank you for this. I've just been reading Freakonomics, which argues persuasively that when abortion is outlawed, the number of unwanted children born rises, and in turn leads to a rise in crime. That's a very simplistic version of it, there's more detail <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legalized_abortion_and_crime_effect">here</a>.

It's a flawed argument in some ways, but I can't help believing that the old slogan, 'Every child a wanted child' is still right.

Bowles, Berlin, Germany

This article demonstrates feminism in a nutshell. I, me and mine, that's all that matters. What are my needs?, never a thought about the child in you womb. Maybe when you look outside your own needs and desires you'll see that there was once another life besides yours that totally depended on you, that cried for your love and attention but which you decided was too much trouble to even acknowledge.

John, Limerick, Ireland

Hilary - it is very easy to get pregnant, nature intended it that way. Even when contraception is used the only method 100% effective is abstinence. You may have been adopted into a loving family but think of the countless others put into care only to be exposed to abusive foster families and children's homes.

What about the mother recently convicted of feeding her child methodone? The foster parents who beat children in their care (very common no matter what anyone says) If you are not ready for a child you will not give that child a good life, no life is better than the things some children have to endure.

Jessica, london,

During World War II, many pregnant women in concentration camps had their babies forcibly aborted (the 'jackboot method' was commonplace).

The fiends who did this were convicted of 'crimes against humanity' at the Nuremberg Trials. However, some twenty years later the Abortion Act was passed and the deliberate killing of unborn human life suddenly became a 'choice' and a 'women's right'.

This ranks among the worst examples of double standards in history. Abortion is 'all wrong' when it doesn't suit us, yet 'alright' when it does!

It's high time we made up our minds about abortion. Human wrong or human right - it can't be both.

Patrick McKay, Ampthill, UK

So many of the comments simply illustrate Ms. Moran's point. People make life and death decisions every day, often affecting the lives of others, and we don't even bat an eye. Yet pregnant women are held to a different, saintly standard (very often by men who can't ever be held to the standard they impose). I have posted on this at the Reproductive Rights Prof Blog: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/

Caitlin E. Borgmann, Queens, New York

I wonder if the people making all these sanctimonious comments on other peoples rights and lives have ever had to face these issues personally. To speak of abortion as 'butchers work' is a clear indication that this person knows nothing about the deicision making process involved in it or the procedure itself. To Paul - to say that one perons' choice (yes, read that again - CHOICE) is 'self-absorbtion' shows that you obviously missed a few of the points in the article iteslf.

It's not for men to say what women should or shouldn't do considering that, as the author rightly points out, women carry the child, experience a life-chaging range of emotional and physical changes before, during and after birth, have their pensions curtailed, are widely unrecognised for their role in society as a mother (it's not considered a 'real job' by most people), and often find that they are undervalued and unsupported by their partners to boot.

Amelia, London,

No woman has the right to terminate a life, just because it's inconvenient for her. That is arrogant and selfish, although becoming increasingly common as women see themselves as divine beings, entitled to do whatever they want (and, yes, I'm a woman myself). Women say they should have the right to choose, but surely the only sensible, responsible choice is not to get pregnant in the first place if you don't want to have a baby.

Carol, Derby,

One of the greatest underreported news stories is the heavy guilt felt by women who abort their children. Not at first, but in time it comes and dominates. As this woman will find, no amount of feel-good rationalization will keep this feeling away.

John, Philadelphia, USA

You keep telling yourself that, Caitlin.

Frank McCallister, Edinburgh, UK

I salute your bravery in writing this.

Samara, London,

It's nice, though, to see Caitlin going for the thought provoking piece rather than the usual (but highly amusing) whimsey.

And brave to start at the deepest end of the opinion pool!

John, Derby, UK

'Killing... is butcher's work' - how unnecessarily dramatic. We all kill stuff every time we wash our hands, so let's not pretend we value every scrap of life, eh?

I think this is a rational, sensible piece that recognises women have limits on how much they can do and shouldn't be made to feel like murderers for acknowledging that - in the end - they are only human.

Carolyn, Oxford,

Caitlin, I admire your stance and applaud the arguments you employ to support it. I also admire your writing style; even when dealing with such a sensitive and provocative subject, you use the earthy, witty and intensely human quality that characterises your work to profound effect. Predictably, others will rant and proselytise in response to your candid revelation but your thoughts and words make a rare and valuable contribution to this unending debate . They will also and, perhaps more importantly, provide comfort for other women, battered by bigots and unable to articulate such a valid view of their decision to do as you have done. Thank you!

Will, Colchester, UK

At least when people tried to justify abortion by saying 'its not a human that is being killed' they had a point, incorrect of course. Saying 'it is human but killing is ok' just shows that pro-abortions have recognised that they have lost the moral debate. This is the same justification as the holocaust, slavery and terrorism. It says that 'I can do it so I will'. It means that if something is convenient and no-one stops you then you should be able to do it. Lets legalise rape and murder then and remove the last vestages of respect for human life. Saddam Hussein was executed for crimes against humanity; perhaps Caitlin Moran would instead give him a medal for removing unwanted people; she certainly cannot condemn him.

Steve Vogt, London, UK

Abortion is the killing of an unborn baby. This is not a potential life (like a child is not a potential adult) but a life. from 3 weeks in the womb a babies heart beats, they are fully formed at 11weeks old on only need to grow! Most abortions in this country are done between 10-12 weeks and over 90% for purely social reasons. One only has to look at the 3D scans to see the intricate details of the formed baby. The fact that one cannot see the baby or that the baby is small does not make it less of a human being. We all were in the womb once. Abortion can harm a Mother in many ways which is why we have post-abortion syndrome , a medically recognised disease. If it was as simple as removing tonsils or a kidney stone then there would not be the huge aftermath of suffering and pain, or the need for support groups and healing.

Amanda Lewin, Bicester, UK

I've often wondered whether many of the people who picket abortion clinics also have an equivalent amount of time and passion to spend on picking up the pieces and supporting stressed and damaged children and young people. Bringing a fragile child into this uncertain world brings massive responsibility as well as massive joy, and most women who have early terminations understand the truth of this and know that they are not in a position at that particular time to nurture a well-balanced, happy child. I don't find Caitlin's article to be a rationalization for self-centredness at all. As I understand it, she wants to be able to give the best of herself to her real-life existing family.

Nina, London,

It's Miranda Sawyer's original article that holds the key - the best that can be said about abortion is that it may appear to be the lesser of several evils.

If we had a more selfless society many who are aborted could be the adopted children of the growing number of infertile couples. This would also give the opportunity later in life for the the 'unwilling' parent and 'unwanted' child to have a relationship when they were both better equipped for it.

Rhod , Reading,

What a morally reprehensible article. Not only does this woman end a human life in the womb, she glories in it!

Utterly disgusting.

Martin, Hereford, England

Caitlin - just how difficult is it to avoid getting pregnant nowadays?

I speak as someone in her mid-forties who was adopted at the age of 6 weeks in the early 1960's. (I was born of an unmarried mother and before the availability of legal abortion.)

I have had a very happy life but have always been very aware that, had I been conceived any later the probability is that I would not now exist. I have always been unable to support abortion - it would be hypocrisy on a grand scale.

This concentrates the mind wonderfully, even after a few drinks and has made damn sure that I have never 'accidentally' become pregnant.

Hilary, London,

This can be summed up in one word: selfishness. I just don't get it. Pro-abortion apologists like Caitlin Moran don't want to see "unwanted" children become part of "mankind’s miseries" so they kill it without a second thought--and think they're doing the rest of us a favor. Yet they continue to engage in the behavior that created that child in the first place. Ms. Moran, if you really feel that strongly about it, then why not make the ultimate sacrifice and forgo sexual pleasure for the sake of mankind? I hope the children she allowed to live don't ever read this.

Lee, St. Paul, United States

Why do you need to declare this so publically? It's bad enough that you did it, but do your children need to read in the newspaper that you 'terminated' their brother or sister?

A few weeks ago, someone in the Observer was saying how her husband had wanted to terminate their unplanned pregnancy. The daughter is now 9 and is able to read this about herself. The mother even did a photo shoot with this girl.

What is the matter with these people?

Sarah Smith, London,

The gentleman from California may not realise that in the EU nanny states, having a child is a ticket TO everything - social, financial, academic, etc all paid for by the state.

Given the availability of morning after pills and pregnancy tests ( £7.99) the recourse to abortion should be minimal. Bringing the limit down to 8 weeks would thus seem justified, except that this would not be in line with the binge drinking pornogrification society of the UK.

Suvrata, Metz, France

Why does anyone feel they have a right to criticise another's decision? Abortion is a valuable option to have, and is a decision that should only be made by the parent(s). Why do people feel the need to pressure the lives of other's they would otherwise ignore? Everybody is different, has had different life experiences, views and decisions. If a person feels they have made the correct decision for themselves, then we should be welcoming of it.

Catherine, Swansea,

Caitlan simply makes a modest proposal that she knows best - what is best for the child who cannot be asked his or her opinions. She knows best whether the child would be better off never being born. This is not a new position - it has been around for centuries - millenia... after all, many muslim men know what is best for their women, even if the women may think otherwise, just like whites knew best what blacks needed. I am sure she feels much better getting this off her chest, as she did getting that nuisance out of her belly. Absolutely - a moral act.

Nick, Rotherham, S Yorks

Suzanne, are you having sex and falling pregnant constantly? Why murder those eggs by letting them menstruate away? We create and control life by a conscious action called sex - we do it, or not, every day. We play God, every second of every day. We make these crucial decisions, constantly. We have no guilt about not having sex, and all the missing babies this causes. So don’t you think that a few conscious decisions are perfectly acceptable up to a point after intercourse?

Urban Ospreys, London,

I feel the same way you do. I had an abortion in college. Now that I'm married and have two darling kids, I can honestly say it was the best decision I ever made. There was no way I was prepared to care for and support a child then. I get tired of having to hide this part of my life or to make the obligatory "of course,, it was awful" comments because really & truly it wasn't and I rarely think of it until I hear some nut going on and on about the evils of abortion.

If you don't want one, don't get one -- that goes for kids and abortions.

Teresa, South Carolina, USA

Caitlin, you are talking about depriving someone of their whole life.

D. Geraghty, Auckland, New Zealand

"I’m not advocating stoving in the heads of children, or encouraging late abortions"

Yes you are, you just haven't figured it out yet.

Rest assured, someday your children will be rationalizing about the "ultimately loving act" of sparing the world from another "unwanted parent."

Daniel Webster, New York,

"Women never speak publicly about their abortions with happy, relieved gratitude." I can only think that to do so would suggest that she slept with a man who can't put on a condom. Hardly quantum physics. 'Mum, Dad, this is Terry. Walk through the doorway, Terry. The doorway! It's the big square hole.'

Urban Ospreys, London,

Abortion is not murder.

If one had been aborted one would not 'feel' anything let alone work out the fact that your mother had aborted you.
Get this in proportion guys.

Felix, Sydney,

That's a nice rationale you have for you having an abortion. I'm sure you managed to square your conscience but just because you were happy with your decision doesn't make a case for regarding abortion as anything other than the very last resort. Speaking personally, I wouldn't want to be a part of a society that regards the aborting of foetuses (whether just 'a group of cells' or a living being, the end result is a baby) as a routine solution to a pregnancy that was, for however trivial a reason, viewed as 'unwanted'. The stigma surrounding abortion is rightly there because it is a bad thing and not something we should strive to rationalise. That doesn't mean that bad things don't happen to good people but to state, as you do, that abortion should be seen as "one of the ultimate acts of good mothering" is disingenuous at best and would not be out of place in George Orwell's '1984'.

S. Delaney, London,

Some points, if I may...

>> "But given that both science and philosophy continue to struggle to define what the beginning of “life..."

1. All scientific definitions of physical life I've read include; metabolism, growth, response to stimuli, and eventual reproductive capacity. These do not seem to be in debate. The zygote, embryo and fetus has met all the requirements of life. It is a living organism by physical, biological standards. You seem to agree with this when you talk of 'empowering women to end life'.

2. The life within is human because its parents are human. Hence we have a human life.

3. Philosophical and other considerations ("Hindu goddess Kali") are not sufficient to validate any abortion argument, any more than a Doctor of Philosophy can 'invalidate' an inflamed appendix by denying its existence.

Paul
San Diego, California, USA

paul, San Diego, California, USA

It should be a woman's right to decide to have an abortion or not. It is she who has to give up everything - social, financial, academic, etc life. Look around you people, wouldn't' you wish that so many did have an abortion ?Some get pregnant at 12 bringing the same idiots into life. The author rightly points out that this sort of people are more likely to grow up and actually murder - which one would you prefer: abortion or violent murder?

I'm still young and building my career so when I decide to have children they will have everything they need plus an educated, financially independed, experienced mum. Would I want to give all that promising future for my child if I got pregnant and chose not to abort? Wouldn't like to and that's why I make sure that I always use the safest contraception. But what about people whom contraception failed? It's so easy for men and women who depend on men to say it is murder! what about wanting the best for your child?

Jane, London,

This is probably one of the best rationalizations for self-absorbed self-centeredness I've ever read. No rare feet indeed.

G. Taylor, Wilson, North Carolina, USA

You say abortion is the "ultimate motherly act." How would you feel if your mother had done that 'motherly act' when you were inside her womb?
Killing a life is butcher's work, not a mother's. Mothering is a moral act. Mothers care and nourish children to the point of giving necessities or comforts for the sake of the child, especially when it was unexpected.
In case you forgot, it's called love.

Jonathan Togonon, Antipolo City, Philippines

Isn't there enough murder in the world without committing murder in your own body???

Suzanne, CT, USA

Terrific and well argued piece. I can honestly say that while growing up I wished I'd been aborted many times and I was a planned child. There are so few children who get the parenting they deserve and so many dangerous psychos who've resulted that if you don't know for sure you want a child you shouldn't have one. As for the whole "have the child adopted" argument

1)People will still think that you've been wrong, selfish and unnatural.

2)There are far more kids needing adopted than people who want to care for them. Angelina Jolie isn't going to adopt all of them and what if the poor little thing isn't terrifically photogenic. Ugly kids deserve love to but they rarely get it.

Abort now. While it's still just a random cell cluster and not an actual thinking suffering person.

Rhubarb, Edinburgh, UK

"However, what I do believe to be sacred — and, indeed, more useful to the earth as a whole — is trying to ensure that there are as few unbalanced, destructive people as possible."

The author does well in not immediately jumping to party lines in this hotly contested issue. All the same, I hope it can be recognized that the condoning of the power over "not-life" to the desireability (or lack there of) of the said subject is a very, very slippery slope.

David Marsh, Fairfax, VA

What absolute rubbish. If you want to kill your own children, that is not mothering.

Karen, Raleigh, USA NC