Everything, Everything

I don't generally talk about abortion (although I have had quite a few discussions with people), but this caught my eye. In England, Scotland and Wales it is legal for termination to be carried out up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, but a baby has stunned doctors by surviving being born at just 21 weeks and six days. Amillia Taylor is no longer than a fountain pen and weighs just ten ounces. She is thought to be the first baby known to survive after a gestation period of fewer than 23 weeks. Amillia has experienced respiratory problems, a very mild brain haemorrhage and some digestive problems, but none of the health concerns are expected to pose long-term problems. She was conceived by in vitro fertilisation and delivered (unsurprisingly) by Caesarean section. Although less than 2% of terminations occur after 20 weeks of pregnancy in England and Wales, if this baby really is healthy with no long-term problems, it could put even more pressure on the current 24 week time limit (the end of the "2nd Trimester").

According to an August 2005 YouGov/Daily Telegraph survey:
30% would back a measure to reduce the legal limit for abortion to 20 weeks
25% support maintaining the current limit of 24 weeks
19% support a limit of 12 weeks
9% support a limit of less than 12 weeks
6% responded that abortion should never be allowed
2% said it should be permitted throughout pregnancy

I suspect the choice of 12 weeks in the survey was because Jersey doesn't allow abortions after 12 weeks. You'd think that most people would notice they're pregnant and decide they want a baby within 3 months.