From Egg Freezing To Abortion: A Woman's Right To Choose

Battle of Ideas audio archive

Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas Substack for more information on the next Battle and future events: https://clairefox.substack.com/subscribe FROM EGG FREEZING TO ABORTION: A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE https://archives.battleofideas.org.uk/2021/session/from-egg-freezing-to-abortion-a-womans-right-to-choose/ While much of life has been put on hold throughout the past 18 months, there has been big changes to women’s reproductive rights. Some of these changes have opened up more choice. At the start of the pandemic, the government brought in emergency legislation to allow telemedical abortions. Women with an unwanted pregnancy of under 12 weeks could have abortion pills posted to their home and forgo the trip to the clinic to take the second pill (a requirement under previous regulation). In September, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that criminal penalties for terminating pregnancies are unconstitutional, removing all sanctions for abortion in the northern state of Coahuila. Alongside moves to allow women to end unwanted pregnancies, there have also been changed to aid women who want to become pregnant. Many pro-choice groups and institutions – like the British Pregnancy Advisory Service – celebrated moves to give women more choice and freedom when it comes to accessing fertility treatment. Thanks to campaigning from the Progress Educational Trust, the UK government has announced plans to extend the time limit on egg freezing from 10 to 55 years. This means women who choose to freeze their eggs will have longer to decide when they want to pursue treatment to have children, rather than being forced into a decision in their late twenties or early thirties. But while many have celebrated moves to offer women more bodily autonomy, there have also been changes which seek to turn back the clock. Texas legislators have succeeded in passing a Heartbeat Act, inciting citizens to sue anyone they suspect of procuring or aiding an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy – a law that many have described as an unconstitutional threat to Roe vs Wade. Likewise, a ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Court in October 2020 succeeded in criminalising abortion in all cases except rape or incest (with a penalty of years of jail time), prompting Polish women to take to the streets in a ‘Women’s Strike’. Unlike other areas of medical intervention, women’s reproductive health is restricted on the grounds of political and moral objections, as well as normal medical regulation. Is this right? Job opportunities, education and financial independence have led to more and more women around the world deciding to have children later in life – requiring healthcare provision to prevent, terminate and create a pregnancy. Should this change in social norms make us think differently about women’s ability to make free choices when it comes to their bodies? Are the fixes for women’s freedom simply legal – removing laws here, extending limits there – or are there bigger questions about how we think about women’s freedom in the twenty-first century? Speakers Ann Furedi author, The Moral Case for Abortion; former chief executive, BPAS Sandy Starr deputy director, Progress Educational Trust Chair Ella Whelan co-convenor, Battle of Ideas festival; journalist; author, What Women Want