About Abortion Essay

In Northern Europe, there are seventeen induced abortions for every thousand inhabitants, while there are eighteen for every thousand people in the rest of the country. However, there are associated issues that have culminated in a lively controversy over the legalization of abortion in a society that is concerned about the end of life and its effect on morals. The debate around the issue derives from the World Health Organization's concept of abortion, which defines it as the termination of a pregnancy at the behest of the mother or as a result of a medical emergency. The subject has thus drawn varied views from many allied parties, which only means that while some countries such as Istanbul favor elective abortion, some such as Southern Anatolia have strict guidelines that limit abortion (Çakmak et al., 2014). While the concept of abortion draws ethical and religious concerns from the effect of the termination of pregnancy, it is underscored that abortion is justified under specific situations when it saves the mother from physical and emotional trauma.

One of the primary reasons for the need to legalize abortion is the finding that it leads to reduced maternal mortality. Access to safe abortion is a critical factor because it is established that 13 percent of eternal deaths result from the lack of access to safe abortion (Lüleci, Kaya, Aslan, Şenkal, & Çiçek, 2016). When there are less restrictive measures, women will be in a position to seek medical attention regarding their preference to engage in safe abortion and the medical personnel will engage in procedures that are safe. For example, it has been found that in the 1960s, many of the states in the US started legalizing it and hospital were no longer restrictive of the vice. Within this time, there was a gradual decrease in the maternal mortality rate. A similar trend was observed in England and Wales between the periods of 1982 and 1984 when there were no reported deaths of mothers due to unsafe abortion compared to the high rates that were found before the Abortion Act of 1967 (Stephenson, Wagner, Badea, & Serbanescu, 1992). The inference from these findings is that when the process of abortion is made to be legal, qualified medical personal and safe equipment will be used to perform the procedure. The outcome is that it will reduce the number of deaths of women who are procuring it in privacy under unsafe condition.

The other major reason to justify the pro-abortion stand is on the basis that sometimes it is the best option to save the mother’s health when there is a balance between the mother and the fetus health status. It is a highly sensitive subject to justify the need to sacrifice the fetus’ life for the mother especially when religion is considered in the process. However, studies have since indicated that a growing number of respondents are for the mother than the fetus when the health of the mother is at risk (Okonofua et al., 2009). For example, following a study one the perceptions that medical students have to the dilemma situation, 83 percent of the respondents approved that in case the woman’s physical health is endangered, then abortion should be permitted (Wheeler, Zullig, Reeve, Buga, & Morroni, 2012). The proportion was compared to an eight percent group who disagreed with the idea while nine percent remained neutral. It, therefore, means that abortion should be legalized to emblem easy decision making when the health status is at risk.

Finally, abortion should be legalized because many women end up conceiving from sexual assaults and it can be psychologically traumatizing to deliver a pregnancy gotten this way. A study done in Turkey found that 13.4 percent of the high school students interviewed reported that they had become victims of sexual assault (Lüleci et al., 2016). While this population agreed that abortion is a moral mistake, many thought that it would be psychologically traumatizing to carry a pregnancy that is as a result of sexual assault. The Turkish study came as a consequence of the fact that it is one of the many countries in which the subject of abortion is a widely discussed (Lüleci et al., 2016). It is suggested, therefore, that despite the controversy it is associated with, abortion is justified when it is likely to cause psychological trauma.

The three primary reasons to justify the pro-abortion argument are principally based on the realization that is should be permitted in the case of physical or mental torture to the mother. One of the instances includes when there is a medical emergency so that the health of the mother is at risk. Alternatively, the need for safety practices to reduce maternal mortality warrant the need to promote safe abortion exercise. Finally, abortion is justified when sexual assault results in pregnancy to limit the psychological trauma on the victim. Overall, therefore, it is noted that while the theme of abortion draws varied views, there are instances where it should be permitted for the greater good.

References

Çakmak, B., Metin, F. Z., Özsoy, A. Z., Çıtıl, R., Önder, Y., & Yılmaz Doğru, H. (2014). Opinion of women about elective abortion. Journal of Turkish Society of Obstetric and Gynecology, 11(3), 170–175. http://doi.org/10.4274/tjod.83723

Lüleci, N. E., Kaya, E., Aslan, E., Şenkal, E. S., & Çiçek, Z. N. (2016). Marmara University medical students’ perception on sexual violence against women and induced abortion in Turkey. Balkan Medical Journal, 33(2), 173–180. http://doi.org/10.5152/balkanmedj.2015.15230

Okonofua, F. E., Hammed, A., Nzeribe, E., Saidu, B., Abass, T., Adeboye, G., … Okolocha, C. (2009). Perceptions of Policymakers towards Unsafe Abortion and Maternal Mortality in Nigeria. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35(4), 194–202. http://doi.org/10.2307/25614616

Stephenson, P., Wagner, M., Badea, M., & Serbanescu, F. (2011). Commentary: The public health consequences of restricted induced abortion--lessons from Romania. American Journal of Public Health, 82(10), 1328–1331. http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.82.10.1328

Wheeler, S. B., Zullig, L. L., Reeve, B. B., Buga, G. A., & Morroni, C. (2012). Attitudes and intentions regarding abortion provision among medical school students in South Africa. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 38(3), 154–163. http://doi.org/10.1363/3815412