The battle for babies
Where would you go if you found out you were pregnant? The question takes the second year student by surprise. "To the doctor, of course." But if you were worried, needed to talk your decision over with someone. "I'd talk to my friends and my boyfriends." And what if you couldn't do that? "I'd ring up the Brooks Advisory Centre or Marie Stopes." Life's help-line for unplanned pregnancy definitely needs its advertising. The debate about abortion is raising its head in the university. While a debate tonight at the union will decide whether 'the House values the right to life over the right to choose', tomorrow OUSU Council will decide whether to overturn the advertising ban on Life Pregnancy Care's non-directional help-line.
The question of whether to continue a pregnancy or to have an abortion is one that must be more common among students than many think. 70% of those having abortions in 1999 were single women and 77,811, or 45% of those having abortions, were between 16 and 24 years old. Students seeking advice on unplanned pregnancy are very well catered for. Not only are the usual welfare systems available but also numerous help-lines that will give non-directional advice.
The founding of help-lines by pro-life groups shows that the battle between pro-choice and pro-life factions has moved on. The 1967 Abortion Act will not be overturned. A poll conducted by the Mail on Sunday found that 81% of people thought women had the right to choose whether to continue a pregnancy or terminate it. A Mori Poll showed that 64% of people felt abortion should be available for all who wanted it and of the 11% Catholics polled half supported the right to choose an abortion. The pro-life, or anti-abortion, lobby has changed tactics. It is now trying to influence pregnant women, rather than change the law. Half of all pregnancies in Britain are unplanned and it is these women the numerous help-lines are aimed at.
The question of whether a help-line is non-directional or not is difficult. Angela, who used to work at Samaritans, and now volunteers on another advice line says, "Non-directional advice must be based on two things, first of all facts and secondly on listening. When someone rings an advice line they've either made up their mind and any information you give will merely be interpreted as reinforcing that decision, or they want you to make the decision." In some cases, therefore, an advice line could be instrumental in deciding the course of action of the caller. "These cases are difficult", says Angela, "and the way to deal with them is to give them as much factual information as possible, maybe recommend reading material, books or reliable websites. Any statement you make has to be backed up by facts and put in a proper perspective. I'd never voice an opinion or tell the caller what decision to make."
The Life Pregnancy Care Services help-line is run by Life, which was founded in 1969, as a response to the Abortion Act, with the intention of "opposing all abortion on principle" and providing care to pregnant women in order that they realise there is "a positive alternative". The motivation for running the line is to support pregnant women, according to the group's website, and the help-line is run by trained counsellors. Whether the counsellors are capable of giving 'non-directional advice' is another matter. The line between non-directional and directional advice is thin. When one woman rang up asking for information about haemorrhaging associated with abortion the various types of abortions were outlined and the caller was told haemorrhaging was "common". She was then told, without asking, of the risk of abortion leading to infertility and then asked, "Would you consider the option of keeping the baby?" The option of counselling was suggested and the woman was provided with the address of the nearest support centre run by the Life organisation. No other counselling service was suggested.
Non-direction is, of course, essentially semantic. During 1999 haemorrhaging only occurred in 2.4 of every thousand abortions carried out. This would probably be described as extremely rare, rather than common and is, in fact, far more likely to occur among women giving birth. When giving evidence to the Commission of Inquiry into the operation and consequences of the Abortion Act, in 1994, Professor Robert Winston, now Lord Winston, described abortion as not "causing any greater incidence of infertility than giving birth which also carries a higher risk of intrauterine damage and infection." A caller asking about the health risks of abortion should surely have been given the equivalent information about giving birth. The inclusion of information about infertility when unsolicited could also be called directional.
When inquiring about the psychological affects of abortion the caller was informed that abortion "often leads to depression and anxiety and makes you feel dirty". In the report issued by the Commission of Inquiry it was stated that the popular consensus [in the medical profession] seems to be that abortions have few adverse psychological consequences. Research carried out in 1975 by Dr Colin Brewer supported this view. The incidence of serious mental disturbance necessitating hospitalisation post-abortion was 0.3 in every thousand, compared with 1.7 in every thousand among post-delivery women.
The Life Pregnancy Care Services phone line treads the narrow line between directional and non-directional. Although factual information is available, many statements are not backed up with any facts and offering counselling from only one provider also raises questions. Luckily, however, those experiencing unplanned pregnancy, especially students, have a wealth of sources from which to get information. The help-line run by Life is unlikely to be a first port of call for any student. When there are so many excellent phone lines on offer to those who find themselves pregnant it seems unlikely anyone would call Life. An organisation which offers housing at 'Life Houses' and free baby clothes probably won't tell you everything you need to know about abortion. A phone-line where one rings up asking about haemorrhaging and is told about infertility is doing little to reassure and support.
30th May 2002