Maiden Mother Matriarch with Louise Perry DEBATE: Abortion
Oct 26, 2025
Ann Furedi, former chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and author of The Moral Case for Abortion, joins Leah Libresco Sargeant, a writer and policy analyst, to delve into the complexities of abortion and women's flourishing. They discuss the historical changes in abortion laws during the 1960s–70s and the cultural factors that influenced demand. The guests examine whether abortion is framed more as freedom or justice, and tackle moral questions about fetal status and bodily autonomy, all while debating the implications for women's rights.
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How Britain Legalised Abortion
- Britain legalised abortion as a medical regulation, not a women's rights victory, aiming to control unsafe backstreet procedures.
- The 1967 Act protected doctors and framed abortion around motherhood and social policy rather than individual liberty.
Law Shaped The Moral Conversation
- In the U.S. contraception access (Griswold) and sympathetic cases paved the path to Roe's privacy-based abortion ruling.
- Legal frameworks (privacy/viability) shaped public moral thinking and polarized debates differently than Britain.
Relational Value And Personhood
- Framing personhood around relational value ('being loved') influenced Protestant debates and weakened arguments for fetal personhood.
- This relational view also links abortion debates to wider questions about dependence and care.
