A CLEVER scientist has pioneered photographs of a living foetus of 12 weeks. Because of these pictures on the Internet some people are asking for the laws of abortion to be changed, and say the timing should be altered from 24 to 18 weeks.

The danger here is that emotion and sentimentality are likely to get in the way of common sense and reality. The worst thing that can happen is for an unwanted child to be born then be unloved and not properly cared for and to end up a burden to its parents.

Sadly, these days abortion is a kind of contraception. Because of genuine accidents, carelessness, irresponsibility, booze and drugs, girls will become pregnant when it is the last thing they wanted or were thinking about.

Despite massive efforts at sex education our country has one of the worst records in Europe. We are an over-crowded island so there is no need to change the present UK abortion laws.

In some cases there are sound medical and health reasons why a woman should have her pregnancy terminated but the entire subject is fraught with danger and hardship.

David Quarrie,

Lynden Way, York.

Updated: 09:45 Friday, July 02, 2004