A report on the problems of obtaining an abortion.

Doctors, lawyers and MPs gather at the House of Commons to debate a change in the abortion laws.

A female doctor gives her opinion on the current legislation. She says that a woman's state of mental and physical health is paramount when doctors consult to make decisions on whether to perform the operation - many doctors refuse on ethical grounds. She gives information on how a woman might seek an abortion on the NHS.

A woman who already has ten children is pregnant again, and wants an abortion. She describes how she was given pills by her GP to induce an abortion. These didn't work and she was referred to several doctors, none of whom would agree to perform the operation. She recounts how she was told that her husband's permission was necessary before she could have an abortion but she was still unable to find a doctor to perform the operation. No reasons were given; she assumed it was because it was against the law. She says that she feels she will go mad when she has the eleventh child. She could have had a back street abortion for £20, but she could not afford it - and she says that her financial problems were of greater concern than the physical care of the child.

Another wealthier woman has two children, but she and her husband have decided that a third child would be inconvenient, and she too wants an abortion. She describes a visit to a doctor in Harley Street. She was told to see two psychiatrists who had to testify that having a child would contribute to mental illness. She had to cry and behave hysterically to convince the psychiatrists that she would become mentally ill if she had the child. She describes the comfort and luxury of the private nursing home which performed the operation. She paid £150 for the private abortion.

A third woman was refused an NHS abortion but was recommended to seek a private one and referred to Harley Street. The gynaecologist asked for money in advance and made an appointment for her at a nursing home. The woman speaks of the dirty conditions, unqualified and indifferent staff and rudimentary techniques.

A student living in a bedsit describes how she had three illegal abortions while at college, her most recent a week ago at a back street abortionist in London. She comments that back street abortionists do not want to offer support or advice following the operation and she worries about this. She believes pregnancies to be common among students; men do not want to use contraception.

In a residential street in the Midlands, a man practiced illegal abortions for ten years. He was imprisoned for eight years and died in jail. His widow speaks of the women from all walks of life who came to her husband. She has no regrets of the life they led, only that she can no longer help women because her husband never showed her or discussed his technique.

A girl describes the excruciating pain and fear she suffered at the hands of a back street abortionist.