SPUC welcomes mother's challenge over schoolgirl abortions, UK

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 25 Oct 2004 - 0:00 PDT


The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has welcomed a Manchester mother's court action to stop doctors from performing abortions on her schoolgirl daughters without her knowledge.

John Smeaton, SPUC's national director, said: "We are in complete agreement with Ms Sue Axon in her seeking a judicial review of health department guidance on parental involvement in teenage abortion.

"Not only does the present policy condemn such girls' unborn children to death, but it also condemns the pupils to having to live with the consequences of an abortion which their parents may not even have known about. Abortion isn't just fatal for babies but it can leave serious emotional scars on the girls and women who undergo it.

"This government is committed to allowing abortion for schoolgirls as young as 11, and without parental involvement. It is time that parental rights and responsibilities were again respected.

"Schools are otherwise so careful about pupils' welfare, seeking consent for supervised trips and even basic medical care, yet it is possible for a young girl to be sent by her school to undergo an abortion without family involvement.

"Our supporters include many parents, and they will be redoubling their efforts to get schools to adopt policies which do not allow for any referrals for abortion, with or without parental knowledge or consent."

http://www.spuc.org.uk

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