Volume 4, Number 1: April 2020 | Op-Ed
As of today, there are multiple countries in the world that seem to have a negative outlook on abortion. This translates into abortion laws becoming more and more restricting. An example of such a country is the US, where the state of Alabama has passed abortion laws that are stricter than the abortion laws in Saudi Arabia where religion is very influential in politics (Higgins, 2019). The new bill in Alabama denies abortion in cases of rape, foetal impairment and even when there is a risk to the women’s life and health (ibid). Such extremities are justified and supported by arguments such as ‘pro-life’. Pro-life is the assumptions that a foetus has a conscience during most of the developmental stages and thus abortion is practically viewed as murder to an innocent unborn being.
Nearly one third of all abortions after the third month are obtained by teenagers in the US (NAF, 2020). Many teenagers feel too scared to tell their parents or to visit the hospital in fear of someone that they know finding out. They often spend time not believing in the reality that they are in and this often leads to them missing the three-month period for getting an abortion (ibid). Such strict laws on abortion will most likely hinder and slow down the future of many young and bright individuals. Sex-shaming is not a solution and relying heavily on the usage of condoms is not a solution either as they cannot be regulated by law.
Such laws that take place to restrict the populations rights are not ‘pro-life’ as it does not regard the life quality of the person carrying the foetus. A woman of age who is capable of creating a baby is of more use to the nation without a baby as this individual can go to work and support the government with taxes. A baby is a financial liability for the parents and also the government, it is not beneficial for governments to deny abortions as it is financially disadvantages in the short run. It is also disadvantages in the long run as women who birth a unwanted baby most probably is not likely to create a stable environment for the baby to grow up in due to lacking financial and emotional support and therefore both baby and mother are not beneficial citizens as opposed to getting an abortion.
Not allowing a citizen to take a legal action results directly in making someone worse off, which is not the aim of public health legislations. Giving pregnant women the opportunity to legally conduct safe abortions helps to eliminate the risks of self-abortions and other unsafe methods to abortions that can put many lives in unnecessary danger. In countries where abortion is illegal, unsafe abortions is the leading cause of maternal deaths (NAF, 2020). It is estimated that 68,000 women die from unsafe abortions around the world on a yearly basis (ibid). Therefore it is of utmost importance for all countries across the world to provide the right to abortion even after 3 months.
References
Eoin Higgins, 2019, ‘Abortion Laws in Saudi Arabia More Forgiving than in Alabama’, Common Dreams, https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/05/22/abortion-laws-saudi-arabia-more-forgiving-alabama-report
National Abortion Federation (NAF), 2020, ‘Abortion Facts’, https://prochoice.org/education-and-advocacy/about-abortion/abortion-facts/
First of all, I find this article to be a very interesting reading, since the issue you are talking about is extremely current and discussed worldwide. As you mentioned, there are opposing line-ups fighting for different outcomes, but it seems like abortion is more often than not associated with negatives attributes. I believe the main reason why this happens is because abortion is associated with the suppression of life and sometimes therefore criminalized (without legal consequences for the most part). Moreover, it is most likely an increasingly discussed topic in countries where religion plays a key role within the society.
On the other hand, I think that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to reach an agreement on this diatribe. In fact, there are also realities where abortion is completely legal, but the doctor can refuse to proceed because they are allowed by law to do that.
That said, I agree with your opinion that a pregnant woman should have the opportunity to legally conduct safe abortions, in order to reduce the intrinsic risks of unsafe abortions and also because it implicates disadvantages to the government.
I would like to thank you for this op-ed, this text is remarkably well written, and I learned many things from it. In the first place I would like to say that I fully agree with your point. And I also believe that everyone should have the right to abortion.
What you explained about laws in Alabama strikes me, I wasn’t knowing that in a place as developed as USA seems to be, this type of laws where possible.
But if there is those regulation in such a country as USA is maybe because the problem is much deeper than an economic problem only. This rejection of abortion is often linked to extremist religious movements (at least in France).
What you said about these Pro-life movement was also really interesting, but I think you forgot to say that it’s scientifically proven that the fetus doesn’t have the consciousness of a human during the period when abortion is possible. Because I think this is an important point to make to counter the Pro-life arguments.
If someone asks me, ‘should women have the right to abortion?’ My answer would be 100% yes. The reason behind this answer is obvious, I believe in freedom.
However, under a moral point of view, I do believe that there should be a ‘deadline’ to do it. I am convinced that allowing women to abort even after three months is too ‘much’ and unnecessary unless there are serious health reasons.
Indeed after three months, the baby becomes a fetus and from this moment on, he will grow. All the organs begin to develop, which to me, means that he is no longer only a ‘little thing’ inside you.
And allowing this, to me is not respecting the right to life. Nowadays there are billions of ways how to discover if you are pregnant before the first three months are over, and that is why not ‘knowing it’ cannot be considered a reason to do it.
Of course, making abortion illegal is not a solution. Prohibiting leads to unsafety and to higher risks for women.
What would be my solution to it? Before implementing legal abortions, firstly, the government should educate teenagers, young couples. After that, the government should implement abortion.