Taking the politics out of the abortion debate What has motivated the charity to take such a step? In its press release, it cites not just an upsurge in protests outside clinics, but, first and foremost, "recent comments by ministers." By which it means the new women's minister, Maria Miller, who told this newspaper that it would be "common sense" to lower the abortion limit from 24 to 20 weeks in order to reflect scientific advances, and the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who favours a limit of 12 weeks. Neither was stating official policy - impossible, when there is a free vote on the issue. But still the roof fell in. This latest intervention by bpas (as it trendily describes itself) has the potential to inflame matters further, by politicising the issue in a way that sits oddly with the charity's own function. Is this really about defending the right to an abortion, or making ministers squirm further? After all, the most notable feature of the current debate is not the victimisation of those who have abortions, but the vilification of those who in any way criticise the system. A year ago, for example, the MPs Frank Field and Nadine Dorries introduced an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill, proposing that all women contemplating an abortion be offered independent advice - independent not least from those bodies that actually carry out abortions. They were accused of being motivated not by compassion, but religious fervour. In fact, their point was a good one. Take bpas's new campaign. Is it right that it should act not only as counsellor on abortion, but also provider and now advocate? It takes the wisdom of Solomon for bpas, or Marie Stopes, to advise women absolutely impartially when much of their income derives (via the NHS) from carrying out such procedures. There is a worrying tendency - shown by this newspaper's exposure of those offering illegal termination on grounds of sex selection - in which the keenest advocates of abortion deride or even ignore the law in favour of what they wish the law actually were. But despite campaigners" efforts, abortion is not yet normal: it is a deeply personal and often agonising choice. No one who makes that choice should be shamed; but nor should those who suggest that there might be ways of doing things differently.