Abortion And Its Legality

Abortion and its legality

To begin this essay we define abortion, the World Health Organization defines abortion as "the interruption of pregnancy when the fetus is not yet viable outside the womb". In the same way, WHO defines dangerous abortion as “an intervention for the interruption of pregnancy practiced by people who lack the necessary preparation in an environment that does not meet the minimum medical conditions of security”. (Ganatra, B. et al.)

Let’s see abortion from a global context, the World Health Organization reveals that about 50 million abortions are practiced per year of which approximately 20 million are illegal, which due to their low health and risk conditions lead to thedeath of 78,000 women a year. WHO also makes a curious fact known, despite radical differences in abortion legislation in different countries abortion rates remain similar among these countries, being 34 to 39 abortions for every 1000 pregnancies both in countriesin which abortion is legal as in countries in which it is illegal.

The main discussions, ethically speaking, that arise when discussing abortion are the beginning of human life;the right of women to control their bodies and the responsibilities of the State to interfere or not. Various sources like Dra. Sagot reveal that the concept of life is not unique, eternal or universal and that it varies depending on the time and culture. Sagot states that the scientific community shares this thought because it has not been able to unify a vision about when human life begins, some say that life begins when the fetus can move in the uterus, others think that life begins with the formation of the formation of theNervous system, with the first beat, when it can survive independently of the mother’s body, among others.

When in reality the question of the legality or illegality of abortion should not be a discussion about the moment in which life begins, as the anti -abortionists want to see, the legality of abortion is a matter of public health and about the right of thewoman to lead a life free of violence.

We denied now, with a scientific basis, based on Scielo magazine, myths about abortion. Most, if not, all, people who oppose the decriminalization of abortion are based on myths created by pseudoscientific ideas and others created to cause fear among women. From these myths, the following stand out, the post -abortion trauma;The American Psychology Society conducted a study published in 2000 in which it was announced that 72% of women who had made an abortion are happy and satisfied with their decision, most women testified that everyoneThe feelings they had after finishing their pregnancy that prevailed was relief. The study also reflects that women who had problems after abortion had prior history of depression. The second myth is that of complications in future pregnancies, a study was carried out in 21 countries and it was shown that safe induced abortion does not represent any risk for infant mortality, infertility, ectopic pregnancy or on low birth weight. The third myth is that of breast cancer that has tried to violate fear, but The New England Journal of Medicine conducted an exhaustive study and concluded that “induced abortions have no effect on the risk of cancer ofmother". The last myth and from my point of view the most absurd is that of the medical hazards of safe abortion, in 1999 a study was conducted in which it was concluded that the deaths associated with safe abortion are very unusual, this study made the comparisonbetween the risk of a safe abortion and the risk of a penicillin injection stating that death by penicillin was more likely that death for a safe abortion.

Seeing abortion now from the point of view of millions of women around the world the penalty of abortion, which forces many women to take their pregnancy exposes them to both social and economic consequences, imposing motherhood, when most of the majority ofThese women do not have economic resources to keep a child, or the psychological or emotional maturity that is needed to be a mother. This usually concludes in a desperate woman who uses unhealthy measures for the practice of abortion, in insecure places and by incapacitated personnel, who does not say huge risks for her health and for her life. These risks and desperate measures could be avoided if the woman had the possibility of attending a clinic with suitable security measures and trained personnel.

The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) exposes 10 main reasons to legalize early abortion; The penalty of abortion does not dissuade women to do it and leads them to seek their pregnancy by not appropriate means and that put their life at risk, the penalty of abortion affects, restricts and violates the fundamental human rights of girls, adolescents and women ; The maternal mortality and deterioration of women’s health by insecure abortions increases; negatively impacts access to legal abortions; The impossibility of having a safe abortion causes deaths due to indirect causes; The penalty of abortion has differentiated impact on poor and young women; exposing them to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as well as institutional violence; The penalty opens the doors to a millionaire and clandestine market that profit from women’s autonomy while putting their health and life at risk and finally the penalty of abortion goes against an egalitarian society.

As seen throughout history, the legality or illegality of abortion will not stop women in the interruption of pregnancies and the question to be asked is not whether it is aborted is right or wrong, whether it is sin or not sin,If it should not be what conditions will abortion be carried out? Is it insecurely, in dangerous and humiliating conditions that put the mother’s life at risk? Or will it be safely, with healthy measures, through specialized professionals? Various studies in the United States have shown that after the decriminalization of abortion abortion was eliminated as a cause of maternal mortality. Studies carried out in Romania showed that in the 80s when abortion was illegal, they registered the highest figures in Europe in maternal mortality (159 deaths per 100,000 living births). A year later, with the legalization of abortion, the maternal mortality number decreased to 83 deaths per 100,000 living births. Yes, 76 deaths less in one year! There is no doubt that in places where abortion is illegal complications and mortality from insecure abortions are high, comparing with the places where abortion is legal and safe. It is also important. Among complications toxemia, anemia, hemorrhages and prolonged labor, all this implies serious medical problems.

Let’s talk a bit about the history of abortion and its legalization in the world. The Soviet Union was the first country to legalize abortion on November 10, 1920. It all began with the legislation on the decrees of civil marriage and divorce in 1917, as well as the Code of Laws of Civil Status and domestic relations in 1918. These laws were implemented by the Bolsheviks who sought to free women and match their rights, establishing the legal protection of working women and the right over the workday in which, among other measures, women were granted to the womanMaternity license right.

However, in 1913, before taking by the Bolsheviks, the WHO medical society formulated a proposal in which abortion should not be considered a criminal offense, either for women or for doctors who will do it. The legislation mentioned above was adopted by the Bolshevik government, legalizing abortion and establishing its free practice in hospitals. Together with this legislation, the need to create institutions or homes for young mothers and their infants in which they could reside before delivery and after this, in order to encourage women to continue with pregnancy. Different sources and archives reflect that by 1927 only 24% of abortions were practiced outside hospitals, significantly decreasing clandestine abortions and the death of associated women. In 1924, birth and contraception control was legalized as an abortion alternatives.

In the mid -1930s the Soviet Union, wanting to increase the birth rate prohibited abortion and statistics reflect that birth rate remained stagnant and the mortality of pregnant women increased. At the end of 1938, abortion was legalized again in the Soviet Union and the decrease in the mortality of pregnant women was immediately seen, reaching the minimum figures of the Soviet Union and the current Russia in mortality of pregnant women.

Let’s talk about current Mexico, where it is estimated that there are approximately 4.200.000 pregnancies per year of which only 60% reach term and the remaining 40% (approximately 1,680,000 pregnancies) ends up in abortion, both spontaneous and induced. After the legalization of abortion in the DF. These records also show that the recidivism of legal abortion was less than 1%.

Taking into account everything mentioned above, we can conclude that the penalty of abortion will not stop women in the interruption of pregnancy, but rather will lead them to look for other measures, insecure, in which their health and life will be harmed. This is an important point for what I want to reiterate that health and life risks, as well as legal penalty and social demoralization fall only and exclusively on the woman who performs abortion and even in many women who, for not having accessTo a safe abortion, they decide to carry out their pregnancy, which can also have consequences on their health and life. With the penalty of abortion, motherhood is being taken as a biological obligation towards women and not as a voluntary decision, women are discriminated against by economic conditions, in many cases their needs are ignored and the rights of women such asThe right to health, free and voluntary motherhood, among others. I say that women are discriminated against because in many countries a powerful group, which curiously most of the time is formed by men, imposes on the rest their moral and religious beliefs, preventing freedom of choice and diversity and promoting an environment ofintolerance that in many cases reaches fanaticism. Paradoxically the same ones who want.

Something that I have not seen in the discussions about legality and that it seems curious is that decriminalizing abortion does not reduce individual freedoms but rather increases them, because the woman can decide whether she abort or not. What would mean that if a woman decides to abort can do so without endangering her life and the woman who decides not to abort, does not do so, is completely her decision. But illegal abortion is an unacceptable violation of individual freedoms: it forces women to move forward with pregnancy, regardless of whether or not you want or if it can put their life or physical and moral integrity at risk. That is, who advocates individual freedoms must also advocate the decriminalization of abortion. The decision to abort or should not be individual and personal, a decision that each woman can take.