On the 25th of January 2022, a woman residing at Residence Chebel was arrested for having had an abortion illegally. She was six months pregnant and confessed to the police that she had ingested 15 ‘Cytotec’ pills in order to terminate the pregnancy. She then hid the dead foetus in her garden.
Abortion remains one of the most controversial issues of all time. It is often bracketed with capital punishment and mercy-killing. Abortion is defined as the removal of a foetus from the mother’s womb and results in the termination of pregnancy. According to the WHO, around 73 million induced abortions take place each year. Around 45% of all abortions are unsafe, of which 97% take place in developing countries. Therefore, should abortion be left to a woman and should we support a woman’s right to choose?
A woman may opt for having an abortion if she has fallen pregnant due to rape or incest. The woman may not be emotionally and mentally prepared to take care of the child due to the traumatic experience. The woman will have to become a single parent and may not be able to raise the child alone. In some cases, the child may remind the mother of the person who had raped her. Also, single mothers may be subject to discrimination in the community.
Another reason for a woman to terminate her pregnancy if it is an ectopic one. According to the WHO, an ectopic pregnancy is defined as “a pregnancy in which the implantation of the embryo occurs outside the uterine cavity, most frequently in one of the two fallopian tubes or, more rarely, in the abdominal cavity.” If a fertilized egg has implanted itself in the fallopian tube of the mother, it will grow and may burst or rupture the fallopian tube. This can lead to severe internal bleeding and eventually cause the death of the mother. Ectopic pregnancies occur in 1-2 % of all pregnancies worldwide.
Abortion may lead to complications in a woman especially when it is unsafe. One of the methods of unsafe abortion includes trying to break the amniotic sac by using a sharp object such as a clothes hanger or needle. The uterus softens during pregnancy therefore it is easier to pierce it. This can result in perforating the uterus or the intestines leading to internal bleeding and eventually death. Some try to terminate their pregnancy by taking abortifacients without medical supervision or can take medications that are known to cause a miscarriage or contraction of the uterus. These medications can cause irregular heartbeat, hypertension, hypotension, cardiovascular problems and even death. Other methods include giving abdominal massages, taking toxic chemicals and by causing trauma to the abdomen among others. It is estimated that 220 women per 100,000 die each year in developing countries due to unsafe abortion.
Secondly, why abort a child when it can be given up for adoption. Instead of having an abortion, women who do not want to be forced into parenthood due to poverty or other reasons, can leave their child at a safe location so that it can be adopted or put into foster care. Many celebrities have adopted children including Angelina Jolie, Madonna and Sushmita Sen. There are many childless couples who long to have children but cannot because of infertility. Actor Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness have adopted two children as they found out they could not have children naturally.
Abortion can become a life-long remorse for a woman. Many women may feel relieved after having an abortion as they do not need to parent and can now work towards their goals, finish university or look after of children already in their care. But for others, it may be a sad memory that can haunt them for life. A woman may feel like she has made the wrong choice because maybe she was forced to have the abortion and was not given enough time to rethink her decision. She may also think that she has taken the life of an innocent. X Factor talent show judge, Sharon Osbourne, once revealed that she had an abortion at 18 and was terrified to tell her parents. She then said that she would advise others to terminate their pregnancy as “it returns to haunt you”. In 2014, rapper Nicki Minaj also revealed that she had an abortion when she was in high school. She said that her choice has “haunted me all my life.”
It can be concluded that we should support a woman’s right to choose only if she has been a victim of rape or incest, she is poor, she is a teenager, she has an ectopic pregnancy or if the baby has congenital abnormalities. Unwanted pregnancies can be reduced by introducing comprehensive sexuality education in schools and it must include medically accurate information about abstinence and contraception. Abortion should be legally restricted to cases of risk to woman's life, to her health, rape, fetal impairment, or socioeconomic factors.
Name: Muhammad Farhaan Azmatally
コメント