Another majestically irritating contribution from pro-life sympathisers today: Dave Cameron, who should know better, tells us that he likes the idea of cutting the time limit for abortion from 24 weeks as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [1] progresses through the House.

A few thoughts:

I wonder if I can stand much more of this tripe from these persons. We're not even talking the real world here - just Nadine Dorries [2] and Ann Widdecombe and other leading lights in Dave's menopausal mafia claiming - I think my notes are correct - to have seen pictures of foetuses walking/dancing/voting conservative [3] at 24 weeks' gestation, and being moved observe that we should save babies of this age simply because we can.

I've never quite got my head around this aspect of the pro-life argument, but let's give it another whirl: as far as I can gather, they're trying to imply that because we're at a point in medical history where doctors are able to save babies born at 24 weeks, aborting other babies at 24 weeks is giving the big finger to human technical advance.

The fact that one procedure has absolutely nothing to do with the other is ignored by those who peddle the above line for political gain. Surely you don't have to be too plugged in to understand that it's possible for two different people to want different things. One woman may be desperate to save a baby born at 24 weeks, while another woman may be desperate to end a pregnancy at the same stage. They have entirely different requirements. They want completely different results. What's not to understand?

The fact that only a very small number of abortions are carried out at 24 weeks (just one percent, I think) is also cheerfully batted aside by pro-lifers. They like to whip up hysteria about abortion by focusing attention on the least-utilised aspect of it. I wonder if anyone's buying.

But enough carping for now. Let's be constructive for once. Diary Saturday week for the fightback. Abortion Rights is holding all-day pro-choice events on Saturday 8 March, thank God. I like these events. They're very well-attended and they're proof that very few people have Jesus and not everybody's crazy. See the Abortion Rights website for more [4].