Should unwanted pregnancy abortions be banned

Should unwanted pregnancy abortions be banned

Indian laws lays down that abortion is legal and pregnancy can be terminated if:

1. As a health measure when there is danger to the life or risk to physical or mental health of the women

2. On humanitarian grounds - such as when pregnancy arises from a sex crime like rape or intercourse with a lunatic woman, etc. and

3. Eugenic grounds - where there is a substantial risk that the child, if born, would suffer from deformities and diseases.

However, most of the abortions in India are done not on the basis of the above mentioned conditions but due to a most debated reason called unwanted pregnancy. It is carried out usually when a contraceptive fails or when the couple was not careful enough to take precautions. There are cases when women are forced by the husband or the in-laws to terminate her pregnancy and all these are cases of unwanted pregnancy abortions. The MTP Act, 1971 was passed to liberalize women’s rights and not to kill innocents in the name of law.

Against unwanted pregnancy abortions:
1. The unborn fetus has life and to end the life of an innocent just because the couple is not ready for parenthood is a wrong thing to do. Ethics and religion is given importance in most of the Indian laws and this has to come within it. Killing an innocent is a crime and an unborn fetus is much more innocent than any other living person could be.

2. It is medically proven that the mother who undergoes termination of pregnancy suffers from emotional trauma. For some it goes away with time but for most of them this remains as guilt for the rest of their lives. There are many hospitals and nursing homes that practice abortion without considering the age and other factors of the woman. They not only terminate pregnancy in an unsafe way and endanger the life of the woman but also commit a crime under unauthorized termination of pregnancy.

3. An abortion can lead to complex disorders later in life like high risk of ectopic pregnancies, chances of a miscarriage when the woman conceives later, and high risk of pelvic inflammatory diseases. There are also evidences that show high risk of breast cancer in women who had terminated their pregnancy.

4. It is mostly minors or young girls with very little knowledge of the consequences of their action who resort to unwanted pregnancy abortions. This can leave them infertile for the rest of their life and yet most hospitals willing carry out the process even without proper consent from the girl’s parents.

5. If it is about liberalization of women and empowering them to take decisions about their lives, any sensible woman will be precautionary to avoid a situation such as this. If she is sensible enough to choose the right path for her, she will be careful about the consequences and a woman who did not do so does not have the sensibility to resort to such awful means of avoiding childbirth.

6. Gender discrimination leads to abortion in rural areas and sometimes even amongst highly elite class people with sound knowledge of law and humanity. Legalization of abortion is one of the reasons that promote makes this crime flourish in India.

7. With thousands of infertile parents in India readily eager to adopt a child, why should women ever go for abortion even when she is not ready to take care of a child?

In favor of unwanted pregnancy abortions:

1. For those facing health hazards where the woman might have complication giving birth to a child, abortion seems to be the only way out. In such circumstances abortions must be carried out considering the best health conditions of the mother. The same applies to Eugene grounds and humanitarian grounds.

2. Banning abortions would mean that the government has the right to decide for a woman even if she is not mentally prepared to go through the traumatic period of childbirth. A woman can have genuine reasons for terminating her pregnancy and banning abortions completely can prove to be traumatic for such women who are not in the state of accepting the changes that pregnancy brings. A minor, for instance, cannot be forced to continue with the pregnancy just because the laws do not permit abortion.

3. Illegal practices would be carried out if abortions are banned. There will always be woman not wanting to get pregnant at a particular stage of life and there will be families that would want an unmarried girl to get rid of the pregnancy even if the girl wants to give birth to her child. Illegal practices of abortions would prove hazardous to the life of mother as well as the unborn fetus.

4. Medical science has seen tremendous advancements in terms of safety and safe means of pregnancy termination. Most of the abortions are carried out within the first trimester and they are absolutely safe.

5. Making abortions illegal would make life harder for women who are unable to get justice for rape due to lack of evidences, etc. In these cases it would make the woman’s life harder and she will be bound by law to give birth to the baby without her will.

6. There are evidences that none of the contraceptives are 100% sure. In case of failure of contraceptives, woman who already has a toddler to take care of cannot be forced to deliver another. If a woman has delivered previously though a cesarean section, it is recommended that she should take a break of at least 5 years before she plans her next baby. This law would create chaos in the lives of many.

Conclusion:

A complete ban on abortion would be unjust on the part of women who face many challenges in everyday life. The laws must have relaxations for these cases and abortions must be carried out only after complete authorization by a reputed hospital or a government hospital under strict supervision.