Tannah Maclean

Abortion Ethics And Rights

As of 2017, studies show 30% of women in America alone have had an abortion before

the age of 45. Needless to say, abortion procedures have been a crucial medical practice for

many people. There are still countries all around the world that have either banned or put a

restriction on access to abortion procedures. In the U.S, there are only nine states that have no

restrictions on abortions, while others states have restrictions as to when you can get an

abortion(Biggs, Rowland, McCulloch, Foster, 2016.) For example, eight states including

Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska and Arizona have banned

abortions at 22 weeks, while one state, North Dakota, has banned abortions at as little as 6 weeks

after a woman's last menstrual date (WOW, 2016). In addition, abortion is completely banned in

certain countries. The denial of abortion violates women's fundamental rights, affects their

mental health and in some cases can even ruin their lives. It is important for people to know and

be aware of these laws around the world because woman often die from complications of an

unprofessional abortion procedure, due to the fact that they are denied a professional procedure

by a healthcare official. Not only that, but women who aren't financially stable enough to have a

baby are sometimes forced into caring for a child(Biggs, Rowland, McCulloch, Foster, 2016.) It

is important for patients who either are going through an unwanted pregnancy or who come from

backgrounds where abortion is illegal, to know that they are not alone and that their decisions do

not define them (Biggs, Rowland, McCulloch, Foster, 2016.) The long lasting fight on abortions

and whether they are ethic or not is extremely interesting to me as well as hearing everyone's

perspective and learning about people's struggles and stories. Abortion procedures around the
world is a topic that's very serious and important as well as it contains a lot of stories,

backgrounds and worldwide debates.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an abortion is “a medical procedure used

to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus”(WOW, 2017). Abortions are performed by

professional health care providers like OB/GYNs and can take place for a wide variety of

reasons (Biggs, Rowland, McCulloch, Foster, 2016.) The first being that one may not be

financially ready. Raising a baby is a lot of money and work and sometimes people don't have

enough money to properly care for themselves and a child. Secondly, one may not be in a

relationship with someone who is reliable enough to support a child with(McReynolds-Perez,

2017.) Being a single parent is very mentally and emotionally straining and can be very tough for

someone who is not where they aspire to be in life yet. Third of all, a woman may seek an

abortion if she has already has the desired amount of children and cannot care for anymore

(McReynolds-Perez, 2017.) Lastly, an abortion procedure may take place if a woman’s partner

does not want them carrying out the pregnancy in places where abortions are supported and seen

as ethical, one does not suffer from lack of empathy from others or social hate (McReynolds-

Perez, 2017.) If one seeks an abortion where it is supported, they are supported. One is not

defined for their decisions and they are being trusted for making the best decision for themselves

and the baby's potential life. There are many activist groups and associations that support

abortions and protect those who seek them, one being Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood

is a safe, affordable and confidencial establishment used for a wide variety of medical practices,

including abortions. Their goal is to make everyone feel secure and believe they deserve to be

treated and seen for any issue they are having.

 Although abortions may seem like a normal thing in some places, it's the complete

opposite in other places. Abortions are banned in South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Chile,

Colombia, Haití, Guatemala, México, El Salvador), Sub-Saharan Africa (Uganda, Togo, Benin,

Gabon, Kenya, Mali, Somalia, Senegal, Niger, Nigeria), Middle East and North Africa (Egypt,

Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen), Asian and Pacific countries (Indonesia,

Laos, Bangladesh, Philippines) and in Ireland and Malta (WOW, 2016). In Argentina, the law

states that “abortion is illegal, punishable by a range of sentences from 3 to 15 years in prison or

more” (McReynolds-Perez, 2017) This proposes a question. How are abortions still being done if

medical providers are denying them the procedure? The answer is by unsafe and makeshift

abortion procedures. An unsafe abortion procedure can include anything from a procedure done

with a coat hanger to inappropriate aftercare(Rothkopf, J, 2016.) A “study on maternal mortality

in urban slums in Nairobi estimated the maternal mortality ratio in the slums to be 706 deaths per

100,000 live births with 31 % of these deaths being attributed to abortion complications”

(Mohammed et al, 2015.) Unsafe abortions affect women in a wide variety of ways, ranging

from minor complications, such as minor hemorrhages, to death and remains a leading cause of

mortality in Kenya alone. A few effects unsafe abortions can have on your body include

hemorrhages, sepsis, organ failure and death (Mohammed et al, 2015.) In addition, an unsafe

abortion can affect women mentally and emotionally too. For example, many women develop

post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and relationship problems after their procedure (Biggs,

Rowland, McCulloch, & Foster, 2016). An abortion can be hard emotionally for an individual

due to the fact that their giving up the potential life of their children. The thought of having to do

this is very hard on many people. To make matters worse, women's mental health can be affected

due to the judgement and lack of support they receive from society and their health care
providers (Mohammed et al, 2015.) In many places where abortion is seen as unethical and is

banned, woman get no support from anyone when seeking an abortion. They are denied the

procedure by health care officials and they are persecuted by society(Mohammed et al, 2015.)

For example, those who do not support abortion often view those who seek them as “killers” and

begin to attack them verbally, and in some cases physically, all for wanting a better life for

themselves(Mohammed et al, 2015.)

There are currently many activist groups, associations, and laws trying to be passed to

permit abortions all around the world(McReynolds-Pérez, 2016.) Some activist groups that

currently support pro-choice decisions and abortions include, The National Network Of Abortion

Funds, The Guttmacher Institute, The Center For Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood

(Rothkopf, 2016). These are groups that are trying to raise funds for nonprofit organizations and

attend meetings to fully support abortion and pro-choice decisions. They defend the reproductive

rights of women and fight laws that ban abortions or restrict women from accessing

them(McReynolds-Pérez, 2016.) Some nonprofit associations that are active right now include

Planned Parenthood, Abortion Fund, Feminist Majority foundation, and Catholics For

Choice(McReynolds-Pérez, 2016.) These are associations that are active by donations, due to the

fact that they want to fight against and end the war on abortions while fully supporting them.

Along with activist groups and associations, society in 2017 is becoming much more supportive

and accepting in some places. The truth about abortions and the risks of not having access to

them is getting around and becoming eye-opening. More people are becoming understanding and

are supportive of those who want to seek abortion, rather than ridicuing them for it(McReynolds-

Pérez, 2016.) People are starting to support laws being passed to promote abortions and

supporting organizations fighting to put an end to the crisis. As well as supporting abortions, a
lot of people have chosen to mind their own business and let people do what they want to do.

The death rates for unsafe abortions and the consequences of carrying out a pregnancy women

aren't ready for are far more important than the views of people who are not in one's shoes.

Abortions are a crucial thing to offer to women around the world and should never be

denied(McReynolds-Pérez, 2016.)

Research was conducted to show that women who go through with an abortion procedure

are at higher risk of developing PTSD (Biggs, Rowland, McCulloch, Foster, 2016). They

assessed 956 women from 30 abortion facilities in the U.S and placed a logistic mixed-effects

regression analyses to indicate whether or not they had PTSD (Biggs, Rowland, McCulloch,

Foster, 2016.) The results showed that 39% of women showed signs of the disorder(Biggs,

Rowland, McCulloch, Foster, 2016.) This research is country-specific due to the fact that they

only tested women in the U.S. In order to have more accurate data, the experiements should have

included women from countries around the world in order to have more factual results and

percentages of women showing signs of the disorder. Furthermore, a majority of the abortion

restrictions around the world state that abortion is only permitted if the mother's life is in

danger(Worrell, M., 2016.) This should not be the only reason abortion is permitted as the baby's

potential life should be taken into account too. If one can not care for a child and give them the

basic necessities to live and be healthy, they should not be having a child. Therefore, abortion

should be an option for those who are in that situation.

Difficulty accessing safe abortions is affecting women worldwide and is essentially a life

threatening crisis(Mohamed, S. F., Izugbara, C., Moore, A. M., Mutua, 2015.) The consequences

of unsafe abortions and denied access is dangerous and can range from morbidity, to mental

health disorders, and even to death(Mohamed, S. F., Izugbara, C., Moore, A. M., Mutua, 2015.)
The world war involving abortions is very serious and should be taken into account. No woman

should have to choose death/morbidity or potentially raising a child she can't provide the proper

life for(Mohamed, S. F., Izugbara, C., Moore, A. M., Mutua, 2015.) The difference in countries,

when it comes to health care providers providing abortions, is drastic and needs to be

changed(Loi, U. R., Gemzell-Danielsson, K., Faxelid, 2015.) In my future career, I will educate

my patients and people surrounding me about the dangers of unsafe abortions and where to go to

get the appropriate procedures done, with appropriate aftercare. I hope to make my patients

realize that they are not alone and that their decision does not define who they are as a person. I

will also inform those around me about what is going on around the world when it comes to

abortions, how some people are suffering from denied abortions and how they can help make a

change. Also, i am going to encourage everyone to research and stay “in the know” and up to

date with abortions and the ever changing laws being passed. By doing these things I hope to

slowly help improve this global issue, with goals of it coming to a complete stop. The denial of

abortion access violates women's fundamental rights, affects their mental health and in some

cases, can even ruin lives. I fully support all laws, activist groups and associations who support

and want to end this crisis on abortion.

 References

Biggs, M. A., Rowland, B., Mcculloch, C. E., & Foster, D. G. (2016). Does abortion increase

womens risk for post-traumatic stress? Findings from a prospective longitudinal cohort

study. BMJ Open, 6(2). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-00969

Loi, U. R., Gemzell-Danielsson, K., Faxelid, E., & Klingberg-Allvin, M. (2015). Health care

providers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards induced abortions in sub-Saharan Africa

and Southeast Asia: A systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative data.

BMC public health, 15(1), 139. DOI 10.1186/s12889-015-1502-2

McReynolds-Pérez, J. (2017). Abortion as empowerment: Reproductive rights activism in a legally

restricted context. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 17(2), 350. DOI 10.1186/s12884-017-

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Mohamed, S. F., Izugbara, C., Moore, A. M., Mutua, M., Kimani-Murage, E. W., Ziraba, A. K.,

... & Egesa, C. (2015). The estimated incidence of induced abortion in Kenya: A cross-

sectional study. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 15(1), 185. DOI 10.1186/s12884-015-

0621-1

Rothkopf, J. (2016, November 09). A List of Pro-Women, Pro-Immigrant, Pro-Earth, Anti-Bigotry

Organizations That Need Your Support. Retrieved from https://jezebel.com/a-list-of-pro-

women-pro-immigrant-pro-earth-anti-big-1788752078

Worrell, M. (n.d.). The organization. Retrieved from

https://www.womenonweb.org/en/page/619/abortion-laws-worldwide