The latest you can have an abortion
In the UK, the latest you can have an abortion is 24 weeks.
Important Weeks
Conception: DNA, and so all genetic characteristics, are fixed.
Week 1: Zygote begins to divide, zygotes reaches the uterus.
Week 3: Zygote settles in the womb lining and becomes an embryo
Week 4: Brain and backbone start to form, and the heart starts to beat.
Week 9: The embryo begins to look human, and becomes a foetus
Week 13: All organs are formed. Foetus can respond to stimuli, including sounds.
Week 17: First movements can be felt by the mother.
Week 22: Small chance the baby would survive if it were born now.
Week 24: Half of babies born at this stage survive. This is the latest an abortion can be legal.
Week 40: Full term - a baby is born.
Week 1: Zygote begins to divide, zygotes reaches the uterus.
Week 3: Zygote settles in the womb lining and becomes an embryo
Week 4: Brain and backbone start to form, and the heart starts to beat.
Week 9: The embryo begins to look human, and becomes a foetus
Week 13: All organs are formed. Foetus can respond to stimuli, including sounds.
Week 17: First movements can be felt by the mother.
Week 22: Small chance the baby would survive if it were born now.
Week 24: Half of babies born at this stage survive. This is the latest an abortion can be legal.
Week 40: Full term - a baby is born.
Christian Beliefs
Christians believe there is something special or holy about human life. Every human, Christians believe, is special to God.
Christians also believe that human life begins at the moment of conception, when the sperm meets the egg and becomes fertilised.
Christians also believe that human life begins at the moment of conception, when the sperm meets the egg and becomes fertilised.
- This is when DNA is fixed - the baby's hair colour, eye colour, certain gifts and talents are all established.
- At this point, the human life receives a soul-ensoulment.
Buddhists Beliefs
Buddhists and some non-religious people believe that all life, not just human life, is special and should be respected, even if it is not given by God. They might put humans first, but only because they are capable of greater suffering if things go badly for them. They show this in various teachings and practices.
Disagreements
Some people disagree with the Christian belief that human life begins at conception, they argue that:
- It begins when the heart beats for itself,
- It begins when the baby is 'viable'; able to survive independently outside the womb,
- It begins when a baby can feel and respond to pain or other stimuli,
- It begins when the baby is fully formed in the womb.