Free Essay About Concern And Controversy On Abortion

Introduction and Issue Definition

The government is desperately trying to reduce maternal and child mortality rates, which have gradually increased in the recent years. Maternal deaths raise a concern in health law, and the clear definition of safe or unsafe abortion has turned out to be a legal issue. It is argued that every person or child has a right to life. However, there is a legal concern when both the mother and child are in danger. It is a crime to abort, but is accepted by the law if both the mother and the child are in danger. Cases of abortion have risen to worrying heights in recent years. For this reason, the decision of whether to let the mother survive and safely abort the child is a matter that raises legal, ethical, religious, and deeply emotional issues. With the help of a trained health professional, the law renders abortion legal (Theodore, Stanley and Amand 14).

Abortion

It is referred to the ending of pregnancy, either by forcing the fetus out of the womb or removing it through surgery. Some of the legal causes of abortion include miscarriage and cases where the health of the mother is in danger. Other situations that call for abortion include abnormality of the fetus, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, and cancer. In all these cases, abortion is unintentional.
The other form of abortion is induced abortion. Such acts are against the law, and have been criticized for terminating the life of the unborn child. It is considered a violation of the law because everyone has a right to life. Induced abortion is attributed to failure of contraceptive methods, and lack of sex education. Sex education is termed as a bridge that connects women to the knowledge required for their reproductive health.

Safe and Unsafe Abortion

Health law states that safe abortions should be induced using safe substances. These pharmaceuticals are only prescribed by a registered health professional. In most countries, safe abortion is acceptable if the life of the mother or the baby is in danger. A qualified and registered health professional is given the authority to make that decision. The decision-making process depends on moral sense and professional judgment. The final decision is generally based on biological, philosophical, moral, legal, and ethical issues. The decision should be the last option to use if medication and care progress fails and the patient should also be involved in the decision-making process (Theodore, Stanley and Amanda 15).
Unsafe abortion occurs when a fetus is forcefully removed from the womb by illegal processes and other unregistered medication processes. Unsafe abortion, as the name suggests, is considered dangerous affair. This kind of abortion is mainly performed by the unprofessional personnel or traditionally trained mid-wives. It is completely illegal and in many countries, unsafe abortion could mean life sentence behind bars. Some reasons attributed to unsafe abortion include unwanted pregnancy, incest, prevention of early motherhood, and other personal beliefs (Correia L.L. Canadian hotel (2000), 74 D.L.R (4th 277(Que. K.l)

Controversy on Abortion

Many countries around the world have legalized abortion. The American government has been working towards legalizing abortion in many African and Asian countries. A research institution by the name the Guttemacher Institute of Research and Medicine carried out a research and discovered that the number of countries that have accepted abortion is almost equal to the number of countries that do not allow abortion.
Religious entities (Anglicans, Catholics, Protestants, and the Evangelists) oppose the laws that allow safe and legal abortion. According to their Christian morals, human beings cannot give life hence they do not have the right to take one. Religious representatives have criticized the legalization of safe abortion where health professionals are allowed to make a judgment call on whether to abort the baby or not. They term safe abortion as abortion on demand.
The controversy surrounding abortion is as a result of personal or cultural beliefs. The legalization of abortion has raised concern about the proper government authority in a country’s policy. Human right activists have argued that legalizing abortion has given rights and responsibilities to women wishing to abort. Abortion-right movements are basically pushing for legal abortion services, while the anti-abortion movements are pushing for the opposite.
In recent years, unauthorized abortion providers have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Most of them are charged with various forms of crime such as assault, murder, attempted murder and stalking. In American history, between 1993 and 2010, at least four abortion providers have been killed. Still in the United States and Australia, other personnel providing abortion services have been injured, killed, and numerous cases of attempted murder reported.
In terms of court cases, the Supreme Court of the U.S made landmark rulings in the case of Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton. In both, the Court ruled that the interest in life of the fetus forces the health professionals to do the required only at the point of viability. Both rulings did not agree with the idea of sparing the life of the fetus over the life of the mother. For this reason, it was adjudged that abortion can be conducted under the right of privacy. However, health professionals have to use their moral and medical judgment to save the life of the mother (George 378).
The whole idea of saving the mother’s life has made safe abortion acceptable in many countries. Only few areas around the world do not have this exception. Fortunately or unfortunately, a number of countries in Europe and Asia allow abortion at the request.

Discussion questions

In the case of maternal health complications, can a mother accept an abortion to take the life of the fetus but spare her life?
What are the medical implications for doctors for health personnel when a mother refuses safe abortion?

Bibliography

George, K. Legal issues in Maternal Practice: Ethic and Legal Issues Affecting Abortion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, (2012). Print.
The book investigates the major cause of safe abortion. It also touches on the ethical and legal issues discussed in proceedings and religious books. George gives explanations to decision made by courts on abortion.
Theodore, LL., Stanley, KH., Amanda D . The State Mandatory Cancelling and Period law of Abortion. Ames, IA: Iowa UP, 2010. Print.
This book explains the various definitions of abortion. It gives the guide to which the health professionals follow before making irreversible decisions during safe abortion. Theodore and fellow writers give the clear differences between safe and unsafe abortion.
Shah, A. Global trends, incidence, and Challenges of unsafe abortion. Geneva, Switzerland: National Library for Medicine, (2009).Print.
In this book, Shah discusses the statistics obtained from unsafe abortion and illegal acts of abortion. It states that abortion is safer in developed countries and generally unsafe in developing countries. This book discusses the number of abortion in countries where abortion is accepted and countries that it is not. The numbers are quite similar.