Abortion: What We Need To Know
Director: Channel 4
Year: 2007
Country: UK
Duration: 48 mins
Rating: N/A
This documentary was produced in 2007 in conjunction with the UK's 40th anniversary of abortion law and the British Parliament's Select Committee on Science and Technology's meeting to hear evidence investigating scientific developments relating to abortion. In the documentary, reporter Deborah Davies examines the latest scientific research into foetal pain and pre-term infant viability. Featuring a new survey into doctors' opinions on abortion, the documentary lifts the lid on the debate that is happening privately within the medical profession and reveals why many doctors want the law changed. The film explores the latest medical advancements that impact pre-term infant survival, including those born at less than the UK's current legal limit for abortion of 24 weeks gestation. It also looks at one of the most hotly debated areas of abortion which is foetal pain. At what point does foetal movement stop being a reflex and start being what could be a reaction to pain? Leading experts in both the fields of foetal development and nervous systems debate the current timescales. (Aired Wednesday 17 October 2007, 22:40)