Legalization of Abortion debate

Abortion is the ending of a fetus before it is fully developed. In a constrictive setting, a nation’s rules permit abortion procedures when the mother’s life is in danger. According to their various constitutions, the process is currently legal in 60% of the world’s nations. Abortion opponents contend that doing so amounts to homicide, which violates the child’s rights. However, those who support the practice think that a woman has the right to decide what to do with her body, including whether to become pregnant. Legalization of abortion, as proven by statistics from countries supporting the practice, gives the women an opportunity to procure safe abortions minimizing the risks of infection, bleeding or death in the worst-case scenario.

Abortion and Human Rights

The constitution provides all citizens with the right to information (Dhaka 11). Making abortion illegal prevents the population from accessing information on the process. The government needs to allow the people to obtain information on the vice to enable them to make independent decisions. Countries that do not allow abortion might seem to discriminate on the citizens. The states allow abortion for women whose pregnancy is a threat to their lives. Therefore, abortion in such countries is discriminatory based on the conditions of the pregnancy. The constitution prohibits discrimination of persons based on their color, background or health status. In addition, the doctors have a responsibility to protecting the information of the patients. Any data derived from the patient should be private and confidential. Therefore, making abortion illegal denies the patients the right to privacy. The patient lacks the chance to discuss private issues with the doctor without interference from the constitution.

In some of the situations surrounding abortion, parents try to limit the number of children as well as the spacing. Denying the parents a chance to abort is a violation of their rights with regard to children. The society has the right to enjoy using scientific advancement in the country. Abortion is a scientific procedure that eliminates a pregnancy without risking the safety of the mother. More so, limiting the rights to an abortion prevents the women from exercising their right to liberty (Human Rights Watch 1). The right to liberty allows the women to make independent choices without interference from any person, institution or the government. Abortion is a healthcare process. Citizens in any country have a right to healthcare. From the analysis, it is evident that making abortion illegal infringes on the rights of women with regard to information, scientific inventions, and liberty among others.

Illegalization of Abortion

Countries that restrict abortion offer few exceptions to the practice. For example, countries such as Kenya, Guatemala, South Sudan and Liberia among others, allow abortion when the health of the mother is at stake. The pregnancy might be threatening the mother with death or mental issues. In such instances, the law offers the medical practitioners the permissions to procure an abortion. Other countries such as Germany, Cambodia, and Romania have no restrictions on the process. However, having constraints or lack of thereof does not prevent the citizens from procuring abortions. According to the World Health Organization (1), 25% of all pregnancies in the world end up in abortion. That amounts to 56 million abortions in the periods between 2010 and 2014. Contrary to the expectation, the abortions were more in the countries where the practice is illegal.

Illegalization of abortion makes the process very unsafe. According to the World Health Organization, 75% of the abortions procured in such countries are not safe. Each year, hospitals admitted 7 million patients who suffered from the effects of unsafe abortions. Unsafe abortions result in an expenditure of $553 million annually. Sadly, not all the women from unsafe abortions survive. The World Health Organization (1) places the deaths resulting from abortion at 13%. More than half of the abortions procured worldwide occur in countries where abortion is illegal. In countries where abortion is legal, the residents obtain the services of qualified physicians who offer safe abortions reducing the risks experienced in the developing nations. The continents of Asia and Africa lead in the procurement of abortion with 35.8 million and 8.3 million procurements respectively.

The restrictions placed on abortions from various countries prompt the women to procure the services of unqualified medical practitioners risking their lives. The doctors obtaining illegal abortions undertake the processes in areas without the right medical pieces of equipment as well as low expertise. In such cases, the women suffer from infections due to the poor quality of the apparatus used. The major risks of unsafe abortions are infections and bleeding during and after the process (Faúndes and Barzelatto 36). Apart from the uncertainty presented by the process, the women need post-abortion care, which is not available in countries with the restrictions. Therefore, the women suffer in silence due to lack of an opportunity to access the right medical care for their needs. All these risks undergone by the women are because of the laws restricting abortions in the country.

The statistics presented by the World Health Organizations indicate that abortion rates in the world are high irrespective of the laws in the land. The outstanding difference between the countries allowing abortion and those restricting is the risks that the women undergo. Countries, where abortion is legal, have standardized medical attention for the women making it impossible for them to procure the services of unqualified staff. The qualified care offered to the women makes the process safe for them, and the risks reduce immensely (Weitz et al. 457). Due to the legality of the process, deaths related to abortion are minimal as compared to the developing countries with restrictions on abortion. As such, it is evident that the limits do not prevent the women from procuring abortions; however, the regulations push the women to risk their lives through unqualified physicians.

Legalization of Abortion

Legalization of abortion entails the removal of all restrictions surrounding the procurement process. Removal of the restrictions would respect the right of women towards liberty. The women would be in a position to make independent decisions without outside interference. The women will also enjoy their right to health and healthcare by accessing all the medical services offered by the professionals without discriminations. Legalization of abortion will ensure women appreciate the technological advancements in the field of medicine. The process of abortion is a technical procedure that utilizes scientific improvements in making the process successful. The law restricting abortion discriminates against the women through infringement of their rights in deciding the number of children to have as well as the spacing between the children. Legalization of abortion would protect the women from violation of their rights.

Besides the appreciation of the rights of women, legalization of abortion would ensure investment is safe abortion procedures in the country. The women would procure abortion services from qualified physicians eliminating any possibility of dealing with unqualified medics. From the statistics, it is evident that unsafe abortions are the reason behind massive deaths of women from the developing countries (Schiavon et al. 2). Legalizing abortion would ensure the doctors operate within the law in offering the best care for the women. For example, the doctors would use sterilized and adequate medical equipment reducing the risks that the women go through an abortion. More so, the doctors would use quality facilities with enough machines to handle any unexpected emergencies ensuring the women are in safe hands. The move would go a long way towards reducing the percentage of women dying while procuring abortions.

Many of the people against abortion claim that legalization would result in misuse of the service. On religious grounds, those against the process claim that abortion is the murder of the innocent child in the womb. Both arguments have a sense of truth in them (Bruess and Jerrold 103). Reducing the number of abortions requires different measures such sensitization of women on the effects of unsafe sex. The awareness will equip the society with the need to practice safe sex to avoid unwanted pregnancies that result in the procurement of abortion. Many people undertake abortions to eliminate unwanted pregnancies. The solution to misuse of the abortion is a reduction of unintended pregnancies through sensitization of the society. More so, the women in marriage should find effective contraceptives that keep them from getting unwanted pregnancies. The measures will help reduce the demand for abortions in the society.

Lastly, legalization of abortion would have a positive impact on the economy. The World Health Organization pointed out that the funds used on procuring abortion are over $500 million. Most of the money goes unscrupulous medical practitioners who conduct the unsafe procedures. Legalization of abortion would refer the women to government hospitals, which generate income for the government. The government would be able to earn from the process and put the unqualified medics out of business. Secondly, legal abortion would help in trimming the population of the country. Overpopulation overstretched the economy due to the heightened demand for the resources within the land. Abortion would help the families cut the number and avoid overcrowding the country. Economically, a stable population would avoid overstretching the economy and keep the economy steady.

Conclusion

Restriction on abortion is the reason behind the death rate of 13% of all procured abortions. The percentage is very high bearing in mind that the concentration of the maternal mortality is higher in countries restricting the process. The deaths result from the unsafe abortions conducted by unqualified medics who risk the lives of the women. More so, the restrictions on abortion infringe on the rights of the women in making independent decisions and accessing medical attention among others. Eliminating the risks associated with illegal abortion requires the enactment of laws that permit the medical professionals to conduct the process in a safe environment. The benefits associated with legalization of abortion include economic gain, respect for the rights of women as well as reduction and final elimination of the mortality rate of the women procuring abortions. The fact that countries with legalized abortions have lower maternal mortality rates mean that the legalization ensures safer methods. Therefore, legalization of abortion is the best step for the country.

Works Cited

Bruess, Clint E., and Jerrold S. Greenberg. Sexuality education : theory and practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2004. Print.

Dhaka, Rajvir S. Right to information and good governance. New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co, 2010. Print.

Faúndes, Aníbal, and J Barzelatto. The human drama of abortion : a global search for consensus. Nashville, Tenn: Vanderbilt University Press, 2006. Print.

Human Rights Watch. “Q&A: Human Rights Law and Access to Abortion.” Human Rights Watch, 24 July 2017, www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/24/qa-human-rights-law-and-access-abortion.

Schiavon, Raffaela, Erika Troncoso, and Gerardo Polo. “Analysis of maternal and abortion‐related mortality in Mexico over the last two decades, 1990–2008.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 118.S2 (2012).

Weitz, Tracy A., et al. “Safety of aspiration abortion performed by nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants under a California legal waiver.” American journal of public health 103.3 (2013): 454-461.

World Health Organization. “Preventing Unsafe Abortion.” World Health Organization, 2017, www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs388/en/.