Introduction:

Abortion is a painful topic for both men and women. Sometimes it is called “termination of pregnancy”. Couples face tough times talking about it, they find themselves facing the moral dilemma of whether or not to terminate a pregnancy. They keep wondering whether if it is morally wrong! And if it is legal or illegal. According to ANSIRH they found that children of women who are denied an abortion had greater odds (72% vs 55%) of living in poverty in comparison with the children of women who received a wanted abortion. Similarly, existing children were more likely (87% vs 70%) to live in a household in which their mother is not able to afford necessary living expenses such as food, housing, and transportation compared to children of women who received a wanted abortion. (BRIEF, 2019).

Claim:

On one hand, child abortion is harmful and has many negative impact on women and children. It has many potential side effects on the woman, such us: regret, anger, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, guilt, shame, sense of loneliness or isolation, loss of self-confidence, nightmares and relationship issues (Adler, 2016). There are women with higher probability of having a negative emotional or psychological side effect such as individuals with previous emotional or psychological concerns, individuals who have been coerced, forced or persuaded to get an abortion, etc. 

Counter Claim:

On the other hand, some people believe that child abortion can be helpful and have positive effects but that does not give them the right to end the fetus life under any circumstances.  Interviews with the women revealed that most of them had knowledge of contraception but were unwilling to use it because of wrong information. Most women did not know that abortion is illegal in Nigeria, but felt that it should be. Measures that could be of value in reducing abortion-associated maternal mortality in Nigeria include training and retraining of physicians in the management of abortion and of abortion complications, family planning education of all fertile women, provision of confidential family planning services and liberalization of the abortion law.

Refutation:

Generally we do differentiate between actual and potential beings, and we distinguish between their rights, too. Many of the rights of a potential person are only potential rights – they only become actual rights when the person becomes an actual person. . So, for instance, a 10-year-old may be a potential elector, and has the potential right to vote, however he or she doesn’t get the particular right to vote till he or she reaches her or his eighteenth birthday and becomes eligible to vote. And another example: the heir to the throne is a potential king, but he doesn’t have the rights of a king until the present monarch dies.

Conclusion:

To conclude, it is obvious that abortion shows many risks to the woman that not only endangers her life, but also the life of the baby in subsequent pregnancies. The risks range from physical, psychological to biological. However, it is very unfortunate that a number of abortion cases, impacts and even those who take part in the action illegally go unreported. There are also many myths going around about the practice. However, even from the religious point of view abortion cannot be justified. Which leads to knowing that no one has the right to end the fetus life and go through abortion, because the fetus deserves to live. Even if it is going to be risky and couples won’t be able to parent him or take care of him, they can send him to an orphanage.

Refrences:

Bibliography

Adler, N. (2016, May). The Emotional Side Effects of Abortion . Retrieved from American Pregnancy Association: https://americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/abortion-emotional-effects/

BRIEF, I. (2019, January). Women’s access to abortion improves children’s lives. Retrieved from ADVANCING NEW STANDARDS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH: https://www.ansirh.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/womens_access_to_abortion_improves_childrens_lives.pdf

The Emotional Side Effects of Abortion . (n.d.). Retrieved from American Pregnancy association : https://americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/abortion-emotional-effects/

Mohamed Tawfik ~ 180028