British Girl Who Had Secret Abortion is Pregnant Again, Will Keep Baby 
Email this article
Printer friendly page
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 17, 2004
London, England (LifeNews.com) — A British girl who triggered a national controversy after she had an abortion without her mother’s knowledge is pregnant again. But this time, student Melissa Smith intends to keep the baby.
Her mother Maureen told the BBC, "She’s 15, she made her own mind up. She was hell-bent on replacing the one she lost, basically."
Maureen also told the BBC, "Me and my family are supportive 100 percent. We’ll be there for her — like we said previously."
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the pro-life group known as LIFE, Rachel Heath, said, “It is not uncommon for women who have an abortion to become pregnant again soon after.”
"Many women find the pain of their abortion difficult to bear and go on to have an ‘atonement’ baby. This is often by the same father," Heath said.
"I hope this time the school health worker leaves (the girl), her boyfriend and family alone to prepare themselves for the birth of their child," Heath added.
The baby is due in July.
Melissa’s mother has called for a law which would require parental consent prior to an abortion for British girls under age 16.
Previously, a health worker at school helped Melissa to obtain an abortion without notifying her mother. The mother discovered the abortion only after speaking with one of the girl’s friends.
Melissa changed her mind about the chemical abortion but was forced to continue after being told the unborn child had suffered irreparable damage from pills she had taken to induce the abortion.
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 previously 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:
LIFE – https://lifeuk.org
