Posted on 11/10/2017 4:26:23 PM PST by Ennis85
A pregnant woman was dropped from a BBC television debate on abortion after being told that she might upset others taking part. Former nurse Sarah Costerton was interviewed as a potential panellist for a new BBC2 programme called Abortion On Trial, hosted by presenter Anne Robinson. Mrs Costerton said programme-makers had seemed keen for her to participate but after being told her pregnancy might distress other participants or restrict what they felt able to say, she was informed that she would not be required.
The married mother of three said: ‘They were worried it would inhibit people speaking freely or cause upset; that me being pregnant would offend people who opted for a termination. That’s what was said.’ She said the programme-makers had given no explanation for not selecting her, but added: ‘It seemed that me that being pregnant was a stumbling block.’ She said that she did not see how a debate could fully represent all views on abortion if none of the participants was pregnant, and the programme makers had ‘missed an opportunity’ by not inviting her to take part. Abortion On Trial, which is due to be broadcast on October 16, is billed as a debate among nine people with conflicting views about terminations to mark 50 years since the passing of the Abortion Act. It was filmed over a weekend at Anne Robinson’s country home in Gloucestershire. The anniversary has triggered a fierce national debate over the future of the law, with pro-choice campaigners intensifying their efforts to force decriminalisation of abortion, which many fear will result in abortion on demand.
Mrs Costerton, from south London, was at first considered for the programme because she refused to have the abortion suggested by doctors when she discovered her second daughter, Beth, now four, had Down’s syndrome.
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