One of the hot topics currently up for political debate is that of the abortion limit. MP's are campaigning to reduce the upper limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks due to the medical advances that have led hospitals to saving the life of a baby in one department whilst destroying it in another. There are many reasons why a woman or a couple will decide upon the route of abortion and is never a decision to be made lightly.

To this end, another associated topic being debated is the imminent occurrence of abortion pills being made available by the nurse at our local GP's practice. We're not talking morning after pill here but pills that need to be taken 48 hours apart that will induce a miscarriage up to nine weeks gestation. This will be available to girls as young as fourteen and does not take into account the emotional fall out such actions can have. There is concern that it will be seen as a lazy contraceptive rather than a possible life-changing and soul destroying action.

According to statistics, one in five pregnancies across Europe will end in abortion for one reason or another. That's 1.16 million abortions a year - higher than the population of Cyprus. MP's across Europe are united in the fact that one abortion every 27 seconds is unacceptable.

This article is neither intended to be pro or anti abortion, but simply to look into the other facets of life that this decision will encroach upon. One of those aspects is sure to be your sexual relationships, whether that be with the man who got you pregnant or future partners. And this can have a devastating effect on a marriage or relationship.

In the best possible scenario a couple will sit down together and weigh up all the pros and cons of the situation they find themselves in. If abortion is decided upon, then the woman will have the full support of her partner through the physical and emotional aspects of what lies ahead.

If that is the case, at some point in the future it often occurs that one party or the other will feel regret or guilt over those actions and the sexual relationship will suffer. They may also fear getting into that situation again and hold back from regaining the sexual relationship they once enjoyed.

Further down the scale we have the woman who feels pressured by her partner into an abortion. She may fear losing the relationship if she decides to keep the baby and goes along with the wishes of her partner. This, of course, works both ways, when the man wants the baby but feels sidelined when the woman goes ahead with the abortion. In both situations, either party will feel aggrieved and the loss of a sexual relationship is often a sign that something else is wrong in the relationship even if nothing is said.

At the other end of the scale, we have a much sadder picture. The single woman who feels she has no choice but to abort her baby because she has no support from a partner. When this happens, future sexual relationships are often set to suffer because of the emotional fallout that afflicts her. This is not something that can be foreseen but an issue that will need to be dealt with and counselling should always be taken up when going through this difficult time.