THE abortion issue continues to divide the island 10 years to the day after the States agreed to legalise it. The 1910 Abortion Law, which forbade anyone to have a termination on the island, was repealed on 13 June 1996.

Health minister Peter Roffey was a reporter for BBC Radio Guernsey at the time and remembers how the issue split public opinion.

‘It is one of the most divisive issues in local politics that I can remember,’ he said. ‘It split the island into two camps.’

One of the most vivid memories he has of the time was a public debate held at St Peter Port School in July 1995 at which TV agony aunt Claire Rayner was on the panel.

‘There was a really electric atmosphere – both camps were heckling each other. Two 15-year-old girls stood up holding hands and explained why they thought that it should be legalised. It was a courageous act in what was a very intimidating atmosphere.’

After the debate the two girls, Sarah Guille and Melanie Sharpe, presented Deputy Jean Pritchard with a petition signed by at least 300 people supporting a woman’s right to choose.

Ten years on, some people’s feelings are just as strong. Angela Meadowcroft was at the time a member of Channel Islands Right to Life. She is now its chairwoman. She said 13 June 1996 was a day that she would never forget.

‘I was devastated,’ she said. ‘It made me frightened for the unborn child. A mother’s womb should be the safest place on earth and it had now been made into the most dangerous.’

She said the law had had a detrimental effect on the island and that as a result people have a much more relaxed attitude towards abortion.

‘The law has encouraged people to think that it is OK to kill a baby. In general, it doesn’t carry the same stigma that it did before.’

She said that Guernsey was a worse place because of the legislation change and she felt let down by the States because it had gone back on promises made at the time.

‘It said that the health scheme would not cover the cost of an abortion and now they are being paid for by the States.’

But Deputy Jean Pritchard – who was president of the Children Board at the time – defended the decision of a few years ago to include abortions in the health insurance scheme.

‘I think it was right,’ she said. ‘If it’s being done for medical reasons, then you couldn’t argue that it shouldn’t be done under medical specialist care.’

She said the debate was very emotional.

‘We knew that it wouldn’t be easy – it is a very highly-charged subject.’

She said the law had needed to be changed. Women had been going to the UK on their own to get abortions and to do so were borrowing money and getting into difficulties. She had even heard of a woman sleeping on a park bench before her operation because she could not afford to stay anywhere.

‘We knew that abortions were taking place. We had to face up to our own responsibility.’

Deputy Roffey said that the law was a necessary step forward in that it stopped women having to go through the trauma of seeking a termination in the UK.

‘Overall, there is no doubt that it is a far more civilised arrangement. It has also led to women having terminations earlier in their pregnancies, which is also an advantage.’

He said that since the law was passed there had been about 100 to 120 abortions every year.

‘The anti-abortion lobby predicted that the number of abortions would sky-rocket.

‘It has fluctuated a bit from year to year but it has remained pretty much steady over the last 10.’

Mrs Meadowcroft still firmly believes that the local abortion legislation should be rescinded.

‘Guernsey will then be reinstated as a place where the most helpless and vulnerable in our society will have our protection and respect,’ she said.

* The 1910 Abortion Law said that any woman who had a termination would face life imprisonment and anyone who helped her would face up to three years in jail.

* From 1990 to 1994, an average of 128 local women a year went to the UK to have an abortion.

The majority were aged between 20 and 29.