Abortion: What We Need To Know

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As the 40th anniversary of abortion law nears and the Select Committee on Science and Technology meets to hear evidence investigating scientific developments relating to abortion, Dispatches reporter Deborah Davies looks at the latest scientific research into foetal pain and pre-term infant viability.

Featuring a new survey into doctors' opinions on abortion, Dispatches reveals why many doctors want the law changed and lifts the lid on the debate that is happening in private within the medical profession.

Dispatches investigates the latest medical advancements that are impacting on pre term infant survival, including for those born at less than the current legal limit for abortion of 24 weeks gestation.

One of the hotly debated areas of abortion is foetal pain. At what point does foetal movement stop being a reflex and start being what could be a reaction to pain? Leading experts in both the fields of foetal development and nervous systems debate the current timescales.

Scientific developments relating to the Abortion Act 1967: List of written evidence

Deborah Davies & the programme makers took part in an online Forum immediately after the programme.

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