Is Abortion Wrong?

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo, resulting in or caused by its death (Dutt, T and Matthews, M.P.: 1998)

According to the Sri Lankan law, abortion is permitted only if there is a threat to woman’s life. It is not permitted if the pregnancy was caused due to rape, if there are fetal defects, reasons of physical and mental heath, socio-economic factors and on request. (Wikipedia: 2010)

By performing an abortion, the right to life of the fetus is denied. But in many a cases not allowing to perform an abortion deny the right of the woman to take decisions that relate to her body.

What is the future of a woman who has been rapped and conceived? Isn’t that woman victimized for the rest of her life? The child will also known as a ‘bastered’ and will have to face various injustice and stigmatizations.

In the instances where children get pregnant, Probation Department have provided options where pregnant children could be institutionalized till the date of child birth. As soon as the child is born, the child is separated from mother and kept in a different institution, which is equalent to a baby farm. These infants lack proper care and nutrition. Then the children are given for adoption.

If a child is born with a serious disability, this child, parents and family members suffer rest of their lives in caring for the child. It also becomes a burden for the state to support such families.

There are many families, who find it difficult to support their off-springs, particularly single mothers who don’t have a proper means of income. Such families tend to take in to streets and to beg for a living. If there are children in the streets, these children are seen as juveniles who are in conflict with the law and are sent into institutions. If the mother of these children had an option for an abortion, wont she be happier to avoid the pregnancy rather than seeing her children suffer.

Isn’t it better to avoid an unwanted child birth rather than giving birth to a child and letting him/ her suffer rest of the life?


Shouldn’t the woman have the right to make decisions about her body? Woman who is going to perform the abortion can decide the spiritual and moral obligations of the act rather than state deciding on be half of her.


Recommendations

Rather than punishing the doctors who conduct abortion, if abortion is legalized, centres that perform abortions could be legalized, where the risk to life of the woman could be minimised.

Allowing to perform ethical abortion can also reduce social issues, such as street children, children with severe disability, unwanted children.

Reference

Dutt, T. and Matthews, M.P. (1998) Gynaecology for Lawyers. UK: Cavendish Publishing Limited

Buddharorala, P. (2010) Gynaecologist Arrested for Abortion. The Sunday Leader. 31st January 2010.

Wikipedia. Abortion Law.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_law (Retrieved on 31st January 2010)


For Further Reading-

Abortion Facts. Com-
http://www.abortionfacts.com/

Planned Parenthood-
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion-4260.htm