Termination is big business
Forget the moral rights and wrongs. Forget, too, talk of a woman’s right vs a baby’s right. Britons should see abortion as a consumer issue. Then they ‘ll cheer Nadine Dorries MP for ending the monopoly enjoyed by some abortion providers. For years the Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire has campaigned to provide women seeking abortion with independent counselling; finally, the government has agreed.
About time, too. Until now, organisations that provide terminations were allowed to counsel women who sought advice before their abortion. These organisations are sometimes called “abortion charities”, because they offer women abortions free of charge through the NHS. But despite their “charity” status these are private providers who get £60 million a year from the Department of Health for their services. Given their vested interest in the procedure, you can imagine the advice they were giving the woman seeking counsel: go for it, girl. Or rather, get rid of it, girl.
Had this been the situation in any other section of the market, consumer groups would have been up in arms long ago. Imagine Big Pharma informing the public that their anti-malaria vaccine was the only one that worked. “Which?” and other consumer lobby groups would be waving placards and launching protests against the abuse of clients.
Guardian writers and readers have been gnashing their teeth about the government’s proposals being anti-feminist. What nonsense: it’s anti-feminist to treat women as dummies who must take advice from “experts” with a vested interest. If I want to have an abortion or any even minor surgery, don’t I deserve independent counsel on the advantages and disadvantages of taking such a step?
A business that stands to gain from a procedure, whether it be vaccination or termination, cannot provide independent counsel to those contemplating the procedure. That’s not judgemental moralising, just good economics.
No comments:
Post a Comment