Abortion

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Outline

Introduction

Abortion: Overview

Reasons for Pro-Choice Stand

Emerging Issues and Support for Pro-Choice

women’s rights

health risk

the safety of abortion

Conclusion

References

Introduction

Abortion has elicited much controversy as debate within socioeconomic, religious and political settings. In such countries as Canada and the US, the issue has divided the society, leading to emergence of two groupings, pro-choice and pro-life. The underlying issue has been the origin of and right to life, religious beliefs and ethics, legality and safety of the process, human right and medical complications that a pregnant woman may be exposed to.

Emerging Issues and Support for Pro-Choice

Those who support abortion cite several reasons. The outstanding ones comprise need to ensure that the women’s rights’ are guaranteed with regard to termination of pregnancy, need to save the mother’s life in case of life threatening complications and the safety of the process. The support for abortion has mainly stemmed from the need to ensure that the right for all is protected as outlined in the constitution. Those against the process argue that the fetus has right to life and thus should be protected. As such, abortion is likened to murder. However, this is a vague supposition given that the mother too has a right. According to IPAS (2008), due to restrictions on abortion, there have been mane instances of unsafe abortion, what constitutes ‘violation of women’s human rights and dignity reflects a public health crisis and [perpetuates] social injustice”. It is however, worthwhile to let the women make an informed choice based on conviction and conscience. Given that most countries have legalized the process, the issue is nolonger of much societal concern but personal. It is this argument that pro-choice put forward in defense of an abortion. On the issue of beginning of life and murder, pro-choice position is that there is no clear demarcation on the beginning of life. According to Arthur (2001), such disciplines as ‘biology, medicine, law, philosophy, and theology’, have not given a precise and valid answer to this issue. As such the pro-choice view beginning of life as not being during conception but after such a time when the baby’s vital organs have developed. The argument that abortion is akin to murder is not only academic issue that is debatable but also fallacious.

Those against abortion peg their claim on need to protect the life of the fetus at all cost, without much reference to the health state of the mother. However, a public good policy and societal view should be broad based and humane. This way, in case where the mother is faced by health complication that may lead to death if emergency treatment is not procured, the main objective of the intervention should be to save the mother’s life. Fundamentally, the medical experts in such situations have helped the mothers by carrying out an abortion. Evidently, allowing abortion in such situations help to save as opposed to losing of life.

Another reason that calls for legalization of abortion stems from the fact that the practice is very widespread and is carried out, sometimes by quakes, with or without laws in place. According to National Abortion Federating (2010), a good number of women regardless of their background have procured abortion by the age of 45 years. The position of the pro-choice therefore is that legalization of abortion helps to enhance legalized access and the quality as well as safety of the process. This way, the life of women lost in backstreet abortion centers will be saved due to the regulation of the process by the authorities. According to Maria (2003), outlaw of abortion would lead to clandestine abortion; which is largely “unsafe and endanger [the mother’s] health and life’.

Conclusively, an abortion should be legalized as away of enhancing human / women’s right, forcing the authorities to put in place medical facilities and laws to control the process and give women access to emergence treatment when their life is threatened because of pregnancy complications.

References

Arthur, J. (2001).Personhood: Is a Fetus a Human Being? Retrieved July 27, 2010, from

HYPERLINK “http://www.abortionaccess.info/fetusperson.htm” http://www.abortionaccess.info/fetusperson.htm.

IPAS (2008). Ensuring women’s access to safe abortion: a key strategy for reducing

maternal mortality and morbidity as part of women’s right to health. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from HYPERLINK “http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/women/docs/responses/Ipas.pdf” http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/women/docs/responses/Ipas.pdf.

Maria., B. ( 2003). Violence, pregnancy and abortion. Issues of women’s rights and

public health, 2nd edition. Chapel Hill, NC, IPAS. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www.ipas.org/Publications/asset_upload_file299_2460.pdf.

National Abortion Federating (2010). Abortion Facts. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from

http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/index.html.