Hello, my name's Mrs. Rawbone and I'm your RE teacher today.

I'd like to welcome you to this lesson on ethical arguments related to abortion, which forms part of a unit on religion and life.

The learning outcome for today is I can explain different ethical arguments about abortion, including pro-choice and pro-life perspectives.

Some key words that we'll be using today are abortion, foetus, intrinsic value, pro-choice, and pro-life.

Abortion is usually described as the deliberate ending of a pregnancy.

Foetus is the word for the developing human from around eight weeks of pregnancy until birth.

Intrinsic value is something that is valuable just because it exists regardless of its usefulness.

Pro-choice is a view that generally supports a woman's right to choose to have an abortion.

And pro-life is generally opposed to abortion and in favour of the life of the foetus.

Today's lesson will take two parts.

We are going to be learning about the nature of abortion, and then we'll move on to look at pro-choice and pro-life arguments.

Let's look at the nature of abortion.

Abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy.

The World Health Organisation regards it as a safe medical procedure.

There are two types of abortion.

Medical abortion takes place up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, and it's using medication to end that pregnancy.

And surgical abortion which is a minor procedure to remove the foetus.

In the UK, abortion is restricted under the law, and that is under the 1967 Abortion Act.

It's legal up to 24 weeks if two doctors agree that continuing the pregnancy would be more harmful than having the abortion.

However, there is no time limit beyond 24 weeks if there is a serious risk to the mother's life, that could be a risk of grave physical or mental injury or severe foetal abnormalities.

The law on abortion varies around the world.

So we have some countries where they are most permissive regarding abortion, others that are at the other end of the scale and far more restrictive, and some whose laws are quite mixed.

So an example of one of the countries that's more permissive is Canada, where there's no legal time limit and abortion is allowed at any stage.

In the US, abortion laws vary by state with some allowing it and others banning it after the early stages of pregnancy.

And some countries are far more restrictive, like Poland and Malta, who ban most or all abortions with limited exceptions such as a risk to the mother's life.

In the UK, as we heard, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks if two doctors agree it would cause less harm than continuing the pregnancy.

I'd like you to have a think about where you would put the UK law on this continuum.

Is it one of the more permissive countries, is it more mixed, or is it more restrictive? If you're able to pause and talk to someone nearby, please do.

And when you've finished, come back to the lesson.

There are many reasons for abortion.

These range from health risks, foetal conditions, personal circumstances, and simply just personal choice.

So with a health risk, the example might be that a woman has been advised that continuing the pregnancy would be harmful for her.

With foetal conditions, it could be that a foetus is diagnosed with a condition where the brain does not fully develop.

Personal circumstances might be, for example, a teenager who is unable to provide for a child and personal choice might be a woman who just simply does not want to have children.

Let's check your understanding.

Give one legal requirement for abortion in the UK.

So remember, we're focusing on the UK here.

Think back to those legal requirements.

Pause if you need to and then come back when you're ready to check your answer.

You could have said any one of the following: must be approved by two doctors, it must usually be before 24 weeks, there must be a risk to the woman's physical or mental health if the pregnancy continues, and it is allowed beyond 24 weeks if there's a serious risk to the woman's life or if the foetus has a severe abnormality.

Well done if you've got any of those points.

Abortion is a really complex issue and it's quite a difficult one to discuss at times.

There are so many questions to think about when considering it.

Does the life of a foetus have intrinsic value? So is that value built into its life? Do women have a right to choose abortion? Whose life has more value, the mothers or the foetuses? When does life begin? Do extrinsic or external factors like health or finances matter? And what do other people in my religion or my society or my culture think about it? One key influence will be someone's view on when life begins, and that might be something that they are influenced by biology for, but there might also be religious or cultural views on this.

So here in this picture, we can see an illustration of the development of the foetus from being a zygote and an embryo to being a foetus to being 40 weeks full term of pregnancy.

So at two weeks, the fertilised egg implants in the uterus, there's no visible foetus yet.

At three weeks, the embryo begins developing and the neural tube starts to form.

At four weeks, the embryo is small with a forming heart and limb buds, and at this stage of pregnancy, sometimes a heartbeat can be detected.

At eight weeks, the embryo is now officially a foetus with arms, legs, and a beating heart.

At 12 weeks, the foetus has distinct facial features, fully formed limbs, and developing nails.

At 16 weeks, the foetus has developed eyebrows, eyelashes, and nails, the skeleton is hardening, and a mother may be able to feel the foetus move at this stage.

At 24 weeks, the foetus moves, responds to sounds, and the lungs begin developing.

At 40 weeks, the foetus has reached full term.

It's fully developed and is ready for birth.

So let's look at conception.

Some traditions, such as the Roman Catholic Church, teach that the foetus is intrinsically valuable from conception, whereas non-religious traditions, such as humanism, might agree that life begins at conception, but that wouldn't necessarily mean the foetus becomes morally significant.

16 to 25 weeks while in Islam, it teaches that the soul enters the foetus at around 120 days or approximately four months.

So it's at this point for Muslims that the foetus becomes ethically significant.

At 24 weeks, the law says abortion is allowed up to this stage in the UK.

This is when the foetus is considered viable at this point.

So it means it could live outside the uterus.

So some people might argue that the foetus becomes morally significant at this point because it could be independent of the mother.

Finally, birth in Judaism actually teaches that full personhood is only attained at birth.

But before this, the foetus is still ethically important.

There are a range of views on abortion.

People with a pro-life view believe the foetus life is intrinsically for valuable from conception and are generally opposed to abortion.

They might say the foetus has a right to life from conception, and abortion is morally wrong because it ends a life.

People with a pro-choice view generally support abortion and believe a woman has the right to make decisions about her body.

They might say the woman has the right to terminate a pregnancy if she feels it is the best option for her health, circumstances, or future.

However, many people have a much more nuanced view on abortion, so they might balance both of those arguments.

They might say something like abortion should be an option in some cases, like if the woman's circumstances will be affected, but there should also be some limits.

Let's check your understanding.

Is this statement true or false? Someone who argues that banning abortion limits personal freedom and healthcare choices is pro-life.

Take a moment, think about what the correct answer is.

Is that true or false? And also have a think about why.

Pause the video if you need to and come back when you are ready to check.

So well done if you put false.

Let's have a think about why that's false.

Well, it's false because pro-life means believing the foetus has a right to life and generally opposes abortion.

This statement supports personal freedom, which is a pro-choice view.

So for task A on the nature of abortion, Aisha has started writing an introduction to an essay.

She says, "Abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy.

In the UK, it is legal up to 24 weeks if two doctors agree it would cause less harm than continuing the pregnancy.

There is no time limit if there's a serious risk to the mother or foetus.

Laws vary worldwide.

For example, Canada allows abortion at any stage, Ireland permits it up to 12 weeks, and in the US, some states allow abortion and others ban it.

Views on abortion are varied." I would like you to continue Aisha's work by explaining how different factors might influence someone's view on abortion and what pro-life and pro-choice mean.

So reread what she's written, look carefully at what she's already said, and develop her points now by explaining the range of views there are on abortion, making sure that you use those terms pro-choice and pro-life.

Pause the video, take your time, and come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said views on abortion are varied because they can be influenced by range of factors.

The intrinsic value placed on life can determine whether the foetus or the mother's life is seen as more important.

People's beliefs about when life begins also shape their views with some seeing life starting at conception while others believe it begins later.

Extrinsic factors like the mother's health or financial situation may lead some to consider abortion a necessary choice.

Lastly, societal, religious, and cultural norms play a key role as different collective worldviews influence individuals.

The terms pro-choice and pro-life describe two different views.

Pro-choice means believing that a woman should have the right to choose whether to have an abortion.

Pro-life means believing abortion is wrong because the foetus has a right to life.

Both sides have strong arguments making abortion a controversial issue.

So well done if you've managed to finish off Aisha's introduction by explaining some of the things that influence people's views and also those different perspectives of pro-choice and pro-life.

For the second part of our lesson, we're going to be looking at pro-choice and pro-life arguments.

A 2023 and 2024 survey in asked people whether they were religious and whether they thought abortion should be legal.

The data shows the percentage of people that agreed that it should be legal.

So the data from the US showed that those who were religiously affiliated and who thought that abortion should be legal were 53%, and those who were not affiliated to religion were 86%.

This data was compared with data from other countries.

So in Germany, we had religiously saying it should be legal at 81% and the UK at 76, and in Sweden at 93.

In Germany, we have 89% religiously unaffiliated thinking it should be legal, in the UK, 94, and in Sweden, 97.

So what does this data tell us about the impact of religion on views about abortion? Pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me, and then come back when you are ready to move on.

The data shows that religion impacts views on abortion, but other factors like culture and laws also matter.

Let's check your understanding.

What does this data suggest about views on abortion in the UK? So we have 76% of those who are religiously affiliated saying abortion should be legal, and 94% of those who are religiously unaffiliated saying it should be legal.

So does it suggest A, that religiously-affiliated people are more likely to disagree with abortion than those who are not religiously affiliated? B, religiously-unaffiliated people are more likely to disagree with abortion than those who are religiously affiliated? Or C, that most religiously-affiliated people disagree with abortion? Have a think about the correct answer, pause if you need to, and then come back to check what you have written.

So the correct answer is A, religiously-affiliated people are more likely to disagree with abortion than those who are not.

Well done if you've got that correct.

As a young liberal MP in the 1960s, David Steel introduced the private members bill that became the Abortion Act of 1967.

Here we can see a parliamentary photograph of him from 2019.

For much of British history, abortion was illegal in the UK under the offences against the Person Act of 1861.

This made it a criminal offence, punishable by life imprisonment.

So with no legal alternatives, many women resorted to backstreet abortions or self-induced procedures, often with life-threatening consequences.

There was a stark divide in access to abortion services based on financial means as wealthier women had more options.

They could access private doctors willing to perform abortions discreetly for a fee.

A significant legal turning point came in 1938 when Dr.

Aleck Bourne, a London gynaecologist, performed an abortion on a 14-year-old girl who had been raped by soldiers.

He was prosecuted but acquitted, setting a precedent that allowed abortion in cases where continuing the pregnancy posed a serious risk to the woman's life.

By the 1960s, campaigners began calling for a change to the law.

The Abortion Law Reform Association, known as the ALRA, argued that the law disproportionately harmed poorer women who could not afford private procedures.

Diane Munday, who had herself undergone an abortion before legislation, became a key advocate for the pro-choice movement, arguing that legalising abortion would improve women's health and allow them greater autonomy over their reproductive choices.

Campaigners highlighted cases of pregnancies resulting from rape as well as the risks associated with legal termination.

In contrast, pro-life groups opposed the bill arguing that abortion involved ending a human life and that legislation would lead to it being widely used as a form of birth control.

In 1967, David Steel, a liberal MP introduced a private member's bill to legalise abortion, and the Abortion Act was passed.

It legalised abortion up to 28 weeks, provided that two doctors agreed it was necessary to protect the woman's physical or mental health, and that it took place in a registered clinic.

The act aimed to provide safer and more regulated access to abortion while maintaining some level of medical oversight.

In the years that followed, further legal changes were introduced.

In 1990, the time limit for most abortions was reduced to 24 weeks, which reflected advances in neonatal care.

However, terminations remain legal beyond this point in cases of severe foetal abnormality or whether mother's life was at risk.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, temporary measures were introduced to allow early medical abortion, which is up to 10 weeks, at home rather than in a clinic.

And in 2022, this change was made permanent in England and Wales.

Abortion remains a subjective debate.

Pro-life campaigners continue to advocate for greater restrictions with figures such as Heidi Crowter, a disability rights activist with Down syndrome, challenging the law that allows abortion after 24 weeks in cases of foetal disability.

Crowter and her supporters argue that this aspect of the law is discriminatory and devalues the lives of disabled people.

In 2022, her legal challenge reached the court of appeal, but was unsuccessful.

At the same time, pro-choice campaigners continue to push for further changes, arguing that abortion should be treated as a standard part of healthcare rather than a criminal offence requiring medical approval.

Some groups advocate for the removal of legal restrictions altogether, allowing abortion on requests without requiring approval from doctors.

Another area of debate has been the introduction of buffer zones around clinics which legally prevent protests and demonstrations near abortion providers.

Supporters argue that buffer zones protect women from harassment while opponents claim they infringe on free speech rights.

Abortion law in the UK has changed significantly since 1967, but the issue remains deeply contested.

While abortion is now widely available within the legal framework, discussions continue about whether it should be further restricted or fully integrated into the healthcare system.

How do the arguments used by pro-life and pro-choice groups today compare to those that were used in the 1960s? Take some time to have a think about that, talk to somebody nearby if you can, or you can pause and talk to me.

Rejoin when you're ready to move on.

Pro-choice arguments centre around a woman's right to choose.

Financial and social circumstances affect a woman's ability to raise a child.

Pregnancy has physical, emotional, and mental health implications.

And a woman has a right to make decisions about her own body.

Pro-life arguments centre around the fetus's right to life.

Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion.

Life begins at conception.

The foetus has a right to life.

Sam and Jun are talking to Brandon.

"Does the life of a foetus have intrinsic value?" "Do women have the right to choose an abortion?" Brandon says, "As a humanist, I believe abortion should be a normal part of medical care because a woman has the right to make decisions about her own body.

A foetus has potential, but it does not have intrinsic value.

And so it is the woman's health and wellbeing that matter here." Is Brandon expressing a pro-choice or pro-life argument? Take a moment to reread what he's written.

You can pause and turn and talk to somebody nearby, or you can talk to me and then come back when you're ready to move on.

So Brandon is of course pro-choice because he's valuing the woman's health and autonomy above the life of the foetus.

Sam and Jun are talking to James as well, and they ask him the same questions.

Does the life of a foetus have intrinsic value and do women have the right to choose an abortion? James replies, "A foetus has intrinsic value from conception because life begins at fertilisation.

A woman's rights are important, but abortion ends a human life, so it shouldn't be treated as normal health healthcare.

Instead, we should support women with alternatives like adoption and better care during pregnancy." Have a think about what James has said, turn and talk to somebody nearby if you can, or pause and talk to me.

Is James expressing a pro-choice or a pro-life argument? When you are ready, come back to the lesson.

So James's view is very much pro-life because he's putting the life of the foetus above the right of the woman to choose.

Let's check your understanding.

How might a humanist who is pro-choice view abortion? A, it should be a last resort only in extreme cases, B, it should be treated as a normal part of medical care, C, it should be banned because it harms the foetus, or D, it should only be allowed with strict legal conditions.

So pause if you need to, take a moment to jot down your answer, and come back when you are ready to check.

So well done if you put B, it should be treated as a normal part of medical care.

For part one of task B, think about the statement: a woman should have the right to choose whether to continue with a pregnancy.

I'd like you to complete the table by developing each point into an argument in support of the statement.

A woman has the right to make decisions about her own body.

Pregnancy has physical, emotional, and mental health implications.

Financial and social circumstances affect a woman's ability to raise a child.

So think carefully about each of those points and develop them into an argument supporting the woman's right to choose.

So that means a pro-choice argument.

Pause the video, take time to do this, and then come back when you're ready to see what you might have written.

You could have said a woman has the right to make decisions about her own body.

Forcing her to carry an unwanted pregnancy violates her personal freedom and autonomy.

As individuals, women should have control over what happens to their bodies.

Pregnancy has physical, emotional, and mental health implications.

Some women face physical and mental health challenges when pregnant.

Women should be able to make the decision that is best for their overall wellbeing.

Financial and social circumstances affect a woman's ability to raise a child.

If a woman cannot provide the necessary care for a child due to financial hardship, lack of support, or unstable living conditions, she should have the right to choose an abortion.

So well done if you developed those three points and if you used any of the ideas that are there in the example.

For part two of task B, you're going to be looking at the same statement.

A woman should have the right to choose whether to continue with a pregnancy.

This time, you're going to complete the table by developing each point into an argument against the statement.

So we have the foetus has a right to life.

Abortion can have long-term physical and psychological effects.

And adoption is a viable alternative to abortion.

So take some time to develop and explain each of those points.

Pause the video, come back when you are ready to look at what you might have written.

You could have said the foetus has a right to life from conception.

From conception, the foetus has the potential to become a fully developed human being, and its right to life should be protected.

Abortion can have long-term physical and psychological effects.

Abortion may have a lasting impact on a woman's physical health, including possible complications in future pregnancies and can lead to emotional or psychological distress, such as feelings of regret, guilt, or trauma.

Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion.

There are many couples willing to adopt children who cannot have their own.

Adoption allows the child to have a chance of life and the woman to avoid the challenges of raising an unwanted child.

So well done if you managed to develop any of those points using the ideas in this example.

In our lesson today on ethical arguments related to abortion, we have learned abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy.

In the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act legalised abortion up to 24 weeks under certain conditions.

Abortion is a controversial issue with many people holding a nuanced view.

Views on abortion are influenced by factors such as views on when life begins, societal, religious, and cultural norms. Pro-choice arguments support abortion and focus on a woman's right to make decisions about her body.

Many humanists are pro-choice.

Pro-life arguments oppose abortion and centre it around the intrinsic value of the foetus and its right to life.

Thank you so much for working with me today on this lesson.

Well done.