In the UK, the Abortion Act 1967 made termination of pregnancy up to 28 weeks’ gestation legal. There has been tinkering around the edges with this, and of course Northern Ireland is currently exempt, which sees many women still obtain abortions, but privately in the mainland.
Choices
To the Teenager who thinks
She’s just not ready to be a parent.
To the thirty-something year old who knows
They never will be.
To the Mum of three who feels
That she is already so stretched,
That she just doesn’t have it in her
To keep another whole.
To the nulliparous (childless) woman,
With a freshly painted nursery on standby,
As she lies back and begins to comprehend
The ultrasound image and the heartbreak it conveys.
To those who can’t.
Don’t want to.
Not right now or maybe ever.
To each and every one of you.
You have
Choices
And
They are yours alone to make.