Introduction
Abortion remains one of the most controversial topics in different communities today. Many jurisdictions and nations have unique laws intended to analyze and describe the issue from divergent perspectives. For many years, this debate has attracted attention of scientists, ethicists, and even researchers in the field of healthcare. Abortion needs to be illegalized unless women are facing social challenges, such as poverty. Those whose lives are at risk could be permitted to secure the practice. Criminal activities, such as rape, could present a strong case for abortion. A proper understanding and continuous assessment of these issues could support the formulation of proper laws with reasonable limitations. With abortion resulting in the loss of life, strict guidelines and limitations are critical to meet the needs of more women affected by poverty, health concerns, sexual abuse, or rape.
Supporting Abortion with Limitations
Social Reasons
Diverse Social Problems
From a social perspective, abortion should not be permitted unless the identified women are experiencing diverse social problems, such as poverty, economic disempowerment, and lack of resources. Mosley et al. (443) reported that 10 percept of the global population was living below the agreed poverty line. Most of these victims will at some point become pregnant and eventually give birth to children who might be unable to achieve their goals in life without proper support. Governments in different parts of the world, especially in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, have recorded poor outcomes due to the challenge of poverty (Mosley et al. 445). Some individuals would are unable to climb the social mobility ladder might fail to get decent education or healthcare services. Such people compel the government to incur additional expenses to meet their social and economic demands. The move to permit abortion in such populations becomes plausible if positive national gains are to be realized.
Underage and Number of Children
Proposed laws should discourage abortion unless the identified women are underage, have many children, or are facing challenges to bring them up. Using the lens of sociology, communities can allow the health practice when someone below the age of fifteen becomes pregnant (Foster 409). Under normal circumstances, such a person would be described as a child who does not have adequate financial resources and time to provide good care to the newborn child. Some of these girls could be living on the streets, thereby being unable to provide meaningful support to their young ones. In any just society, it would be appropriate for its members to formulate laws that allow abortion under such conditions. The approach would encourage and make it possible for underage girls to continue pursuing their academic goals. The concept of stakeholder engagement becomes necessary to learn more about the challenges most of these citizens have to go through. The next tactic would be to work with the relevant agencies to empower and support them to have safe abortion.
When the Life of the Mother is at Risk
Endangering Life
Abortion laws need to illegalize abortion unless the pregnancy is endangering the woman’s life. In some countries, such policies have been informed by the occurrence of health challenges throughout the development stages of fetuses. Under certain circumstances, some individuals might report a wide range of medical complications that tend to result in poor health outcomes or experiences (Foster 410). The absence of proper support mechanisms and personalized care could eventually cause unexpected death. Berer relied on this understanding to explain why around 98 percent of countries across the world were embracing the idea, but with specific limitations (15). Some good examples include the United Kingdom, Canada, and the different American states. Continuous review of such policies would be a necessary practice that should be informed by emerging ideas and research findings in the field of maternal health.
Saving Lives and Improving Women’s Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies abortion as a safe and evidence-based procedure that could be performed to help reduce maternal deaths in extreme cases. In a report by Blackshaw and Rodger, it emerged that more lives could be saved if countries followed strict policies to ensure that abortion was followed using medical procedures and clinical guidelines (466). Being a safe practice, it could be possible to pursue it as one of the best strategies for transforming or improving overall women health. Those who choose to ignore the outlined protocols for safe abortion could be endangering other people’s lives. For instance, Mosley et al. observed that one in every six deaths recorded during abortions could be attributed to unsafe practices (442). Such insights support the notion that such a medical practice could be pursued in a professional manner when the life of the mother appears to be at risk.
Abortion and Criminal Activity
Rape and Pregnancy
While criminalizing abortion is a necessary legal approach, exceptions could be made if the specific pregnancy has resulted from crime. Cases of rape remain common in different parts of the world. More often than not, such a malpractice could result in unwanted pregnancy. Under such circumstances, the woman finds it hard to carry the fetus to full term due to the psychological and mental challenges with the experience, such as depression (Mosley et al. 445). Governments should consider progressive laws to address this problem by ensuring that the affected victims of rape are guided to abort in a safe manner. Such beneficiaries would find it easier to record positive psychological outcomes and be in a position to pursue their goals in life.
Child Abuse, Incest, and Pregnancy
Due to the problems of incest and child abuse, young girls who become pregnant could be allowed to access free and safe abortion. The vulnerable nature of underage exposes them to numerous challenges even when they are in their respective homes. Sexual abuse remains a common malpractice that most of these individuals have to go through. Without proper mechanisms to support such people when they become pregnant, chances are high that they will remain troubled and be unable to focus on their studies (Foster 411). Some might become disoriented and eventually remain mentally disturbed. The idea of permitting abortion under such circumstances would be plausible and capable of transforming the expectations of such young girls in a positive manner (Foster et al. 410). The inclusion of supportive laws and social systems could play a crucial role towards dealing with the predicament and guiding more young women to realize their maximum potential.
Counterargument: Reasons for Not Permitting Abortion with Limitations
The decision to allow abortion, even if there are certain exemptions, will result in a moral or ethical dilemma that should be analyzed from the religious worldview perspective. Some scholars and theorists have presented unique concepts to explain why the studied practice needs to be disallowed irrespective of the woman’s position or needs. For example, Berer describes Kantian ethics as a moral principle that compels people to act diligently and pursue actions in accordance with the idea of the categorical imperative (17). Such a practice means that an act or idea would only be allowed depending on the moral or ethical attributes involved.
Proponents of this view argue that abortion results in the death of an innocent human being (Blackshaw and Rodger 469). Such thinkers go further to indicate that people should start to view life differently and accept the fact that it starts from conception. Such an understanding could explain why it would be inappropriate to permit abortion at all cost. The proposed practice will eventually protect God’s creation in accordance with various worldviews.
While the idea to permit abortion under specific circumstances could be acceptable, some loopholes would exist whereby corrupt medical workers do so for personal benefits. Mosley et al. observe that the absence of strict policies and guidelines to pursue abortion could worsen the process (443).
For example, a woman who does not have any good reason to secure an abortion could identify herself as someone who is poor or incapable of supporting the child. This individual might corrupt the system to ensure that her wishes are eventually fulfilled. When such a practice takes place, many ethicists and scientists would acknowledge that it would amount to the death of an innocent unborn child. Without popper legal frameworks, it becomes impossible to pinpoint specific scenarios and situations that could lead to the permission of abortion. Mosley et al. rely on this understanding to explain why analysts and policymakers should present better laws to remove such loopholes (452). Without them, societies should be keen to disallow abortion.
So-What Factor
With these analyses, it becomes clear that abortion is a contentious issue that more people and communities continue to examine from moral, social, economic, and moral perspectives. Many countries at the global level have gone further to implement policies aimed at permitting abortion. In societies whereby such a practice remains illegal, some laws are in place to dictate how it could be done and during what circumstances (Mosley et al. 454). These policy developments have been informed by most of the existing challenges and opportunities in different communities. On top of such legal frameworks, there are groups and activists who believe that abortion is wrong and should never be acceptable in any given situation. The nature of these viewpoints and arguments would explain why the abortion dilemma continues to persist.
Based on such observations, it will be appropriate for all stakeholders to come together to pursue the best solution that serves the interests of the greatest majority. Specifically, the move to permit abortion under specific circumstances and with limitations seems plausible have considering most of the emerging issues. The idea has the potential to prevent the mental pressure and depression associated with the process of giving birth to a child associated with a criminal activity, such as rape. The common issue of incest remains problematic whereby some women might become pregnant after engaging in sexual intercourses with their close relatives (Mosley et al. 451). Under this situation, the involved people could decide to pursue abortion and prevent getting a child who could be having physical deformities, developmental problems, and psychological issues.
The relevant government agencies and departments should consider a balanced view to introduce practical laws capable of guiding individuals who meet the outlined criteria to secure abortions. Such policies need to revolve around the social, ethical, and moral questions associated with abortion. The involvement of different professionals would ensure that women who are eligible for abortion are vetted or examined carefully. The ultimate goal should be to prevent unnecessary abortions that would affect human posterity (Blackshaw and Rodger 468). Through the use of strict guidelines, societies would only have a small percentage of women benefiting from abortion. Such an approach would guide the relevant institutions to identify and report people who could be lying to the system (Blackshaw and Rodger 470).
Practitioners and physicians who support women to abort without proper or acceptable reasons should be identified and disciplined accordingly. The final result is to ensure that abortion remain permissible under strict circumstances or conditions.
Conclusion
The ongoing abortion debate has led to numerous viewpoints that all stakeholders should examine from an informed perspective. The completed argument has revealed that the practice needs to be allowed only under specific circumstances. Social problems, such as poverty and lack of adequate resources, could explain why some women should be able to access safe abortion. Cases of sexual abuse and incest present strong foundations for permitting the practice. Women whose lives could be in danger due to pregnancy could benefit from the evidence-based medical approach. The introduction of adequate restrictions would ensure that people without valid and verifiable reasons are not able to procure abortions.
Works Cited
Berer, Marge. “Abortion Law and Policy around the World.” Health and Human Rights Journal, vol. 19, no. 1, 2017, pp. 13-27.
Blackshaw, Bruce, and Daniel Rodger. “If Fetuses are Persons, Abortion is a Public Health Crisis.” Bioethics, vol. 35, no. 5, 2021, pp. 465-472.
Foster, Diana G., et al. “Socioeconomic Outcomes of Women Who Receive and Women Who Are Denied Wanted Abortions in the United States.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 108, no. 3, 2018, pp. 407-413.
Mosley, Elizabeth A., et al. “Attitudes toward Abortion, Social Welfare Programs, and Gender Roles in the U.S. and South Africa.” Critical Public Health, vol. 30, no. 4, 2018, pp. 441-456.