The stakes in the current abortion debate are high. In 2008, 202,158 abortions were carried out in England and Wales. On average, 18 out of every 1,000 women aged 15-44 will have had an abortion during 2008.
How we respond to these statistics necessarily depends upon when we consider human life to begin. If we are of the view that it is at the point of conception (fertilisation) then these statistics are utterly tragic. They present a damning indictment of our society — a society in which 202,158 innocent lives were taken in the past year alone. I would say the situation is far worse once we recognise that these statistics do not even include the vast number of embryos destroyed in medical research, IVF treatment, or by post-fertilisation contraception.
Of course, our assessment of the situation would be quite different if we take the view that human life begins post-conception. So the crucial question is: when does human life begin?
