Boyfriend in British Secret Abortion Case Wanted the Baby
by Maria Gallagher
LifeNews.com Staff Writer
May 19, 2004
London, England (LifeNews.com) — In a case that is sending shockwaves throughout Great Britain, the boyfriend of a 14-year-old British girl who had a secret abortion has revealed that he wanted to keep the baby.
The boy’s mother told the BBC that the teenager, who is also 14, is extremely upset about the loss of his unborn child.
His girlfriend, Melissa Smith, had a chemical abortion without her mother’s knowledge. The abortion was arranged, without parental knowledge, by a health outreach worker at The Brunts School, where she attended classes.
Police have interviewed both Melissa and her boyfriend, but no charges have been filed against them for engaging in underage sex.
The boy’s mother says the family will have to move out of the Mansfield area because of the furor caused by the incident.
"I’m very hurt because I think it is very one-sided," the woman told the BBC.
"It does take two and I think he’s already gone through enough without having to go to police station again and discuss it again, which is very hard for him and very hard for us as a family to cope with.
"I don’t agree with the law — I have to be present while the police question him, but I didn’t have to be present, nor did the girl’s mum, for them to sign for the abortion," the boyfriend’s mother added.
Melissa changed her mind after taking the first of the two pills required for the chemical abortion. But by then, doctors informed her and her mother that it was too late to save the baby.
The girl’s family may take legal action because they believe Melissa did not properly consent to the abortion.
The case has led to a national outcry in the United Kingdom, with parents charging that schools are trying to usurp their parental rights by arranging for medical care without their knowledge.
The girl’s mother has noted that Melissa will have to deal with the emotional aftermath of the abortion for the rest of her life.
And, despite the claims of the abortion industry, pro-life leaders point out that abortions can be dangerous for the mother, leading to a number of possible complications, including sterility and death.
The Smith family is now considering pushing for changes in British law in order to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring to another family.
According to the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, a British pro-life group, despite the controversy generated by the case, the government plans to go ahead with an advertising campaign reminding children under age 16 that they can ask for an abortion without their parents being notified.
Archbishop Peter Smith, chairman of the Department of Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has called the case "an appalling affront to the proper rights and responsibilities of parents."
The archbishop said, "It undermines the values of family life and in particular the rights of parents to nurture, guide and at times properly make decisions in the best interests of their children."
Related web sites:
Society for the Protection of Unborn Children – https://www.spuc.org.uk