Abstract
Though decriminalization of abortion began in the 19th century, abortions remain hazardous to women’s mental and physical health and dangerous to the cultural perceptions of human life. According to official data from 2010 to 2014, 45% of all abortions were hazardous, illustrating the magnitude of the problem. The principal causes for the abortion problem are the social cause, which mandates ethical attitudes; the political cause, which affects legislation; and the environmental cause, which illuminates the initial stages of human development. This paper analyzes the scope, size, and seriousness of the abortion issue and provides possible solutions to the problem.
Introduction
The issue of abortion continues to remain subject to debate. Abortions did not start to be legalized by governments till the end of the 19th century. Nevertheless, comprehensive abortion research and scholarly materials indicate the restrictions on abortions might be more useful in terms of psychological and physiological impact on women’s health and cultural conditions. Still, despite 100 years of lobbying for abortion restrictions, the topic continues to be one of the most important matters because of its impact on maternal health, cultural perspectives, and environmental aspects.
Scope, Size, and Seriousness of the Problem
Abortion is a medical procedure intended to be performed by a medical expert to terminate a pregnancy. While it can be argued that throughout the years abortion procedures have become safer, they still remain dangerous for maternal and child health. According to official figures from 2010 to 2014, 45% of all abortions were dangerous, indicating the major size of the matter (World Health Organization, 2021). One-third of all abortions were conducted under the least reliable settings, that is, by inexperienced individuals utilizing harmful and intrusive procedures. As for the scope of the issue, 97% of all illegal abortions occur in developing nations (World Health Organization, 2021). Over half of all botched abortions are performed in Asia, with the majority occurring in South and Central regions (World Health Organization, 2021). About three out of every four abortions in Latin America and Africa are dangerous (World Health Organization, 2021). In Africa, approximately half of all abortions take place in the most dangerous conditions (World Health Organization, 2021). As a result, such statistics demonstrate that the matter of abortions is a serious public health issue.
The Likely Causes of the Problem
There are several likely causes of anti-abortion sentiments, and the major cause is the social one that dictates ethical perspectives. Some people often reject the process for ethical concerns, claiming that it equates to the murder of what they regard to be a living organism (Berer, 2017). Additionally, abortions tend to be more harmful, and abortion providers often damage women’s health, putting their reproductive system at risk, which indicates the political cause. As a result, the policies were designed to protect women who still pursued abortion and put themselves in danger while doing so (Berer, 2017). In a similar manner, the last cause of the problem is the environmental one. Conception is the beginning of the cellular division stage that results in a person’s development at the time a genetic material fertilizes an egg. Since it possesses unique DNA, which is separate from both of its biological parents in addition to other human cells, the first cell is physiologically unique (Berer, 2017). In this sense, abortion can be regarded as a process of deliberate destruction of a living organism with already functioning unique cells.
The Likely Effects of the Problem
Considering the causes mentioned above regarding the abortion issue, there are many repercussions that stem from such factors and might cause a butterfly effect, influencing not just socioeconomic but political matters. When it comes to a social cause, it might result in the brutalization of culture. Fully accessible abortion will create a perception that any human life is disposable and that not every human being deserves to live. Abortion produces a mentality in which a person’s life is seen as useless at its most crucial stage and shows a lack of respect for the dignity of human life (Marquis, 2017). This concept emphasizes the need for a quick fix to a challenging issue for low-income women.
Furthermore, the effect of the environmental cause of abortions leads to mental health issues for mothers. It is evident that certain women encounter despair, frustration, and a sense of loss after obtaining an abortion, and some experience major clinical illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, according to the report of the American Psychological Association (Reardon, 2018). In fact, it was noted that 38% of the 1177 relevant female participants, who made up 1.5% at 2 years, showed all the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder unique to abortion (Reardon, 2018). Additionally, it was discovered that the involved remnant’s levels of sadness and adverse responses were much higher after 2 years than they were at 1-month post-abortion evaluations, while their rates of favorable responses, relief, and choice satisfaction were substantially lower (Reardon, 2018). This indicates that women naturally have a sense of loss after an abortion.
Lastly, political causes of the abortion issue often lead to violence toward women who seek the procedure. In Great Britain, legal causes for abortion were defined as exemptions to the criminal procedure in the 1967 Abortion Legislation. Still, the 1861 act remains in effect and is being used to punish unlawful abortions presently (Berer, 2017). The United States has also seen an increase in abortion-related aggression, with numerous persons associated with abortion services being attacked and even murdered (Francome, 2017). Thus, if abortions are more restricted and instead, women are provided with proper healthcare to reduce the need for abortion, less violence and ostracization will be inflicted on females.
Possible Solutions
When it comes to possible solutions to the issue, much of the effort should be aimed toward regulations. However, there is also a necessity to bring change to the abortion topic from a social perspective. Among possible measures that might be taken is a shift in the education system that will target better awareness of pregnancy and abortion. Additionally, President Bush encouraged chastity as a possible solution to teenage pregnancy (Francome, 2017). Furthermore, more encouragement for creating new or promoting contemporary contraceptive measures should be involved. In this sense, less violence, poor mental and physical health, and fewer distorted human life perceptions will result from such measures.
Conclusion
Hence, despite 100 years of controversy around abortion, the issue remains one of the most critical because of its influence on public health, cultural viewpoints, and the environment. One-third of all abortions occurred in the least trustworthy settings, that is, by unskilled personnel using dangerous and invasive methods. Almost half of abortions result in deaths or damaged reproductive systems. The principal causes for the abortion problem are the social cause, which mandates religious and ethical attitudes; the political cause, which affects legislation; and the environmental cause, which illuminates the initial stages of human development. The consequences of such causes include brutalization of culture, poor maternal mental health, and violence.
References
Berer, M. (2017). Abortion law and policy around the world: in search of decriminalization. Health & Human Rights Journal, 19(1), 13–27. Web.
Francome, C. (2017). Abortion in the USA and the UK. Routledge.
Marquis, D. (2017). Why abortion is immoral. In Applied Ethics (pp. 367-373). Routledge.
Reardon, D. C. (2018). The abortion and mental health controversy: A comprehensive literature review of common ground agreements, disagreements, actionable recommendations, and research opportunities. SAGE Open Medicine, 6, 1-38.
World Health Organization. (2021). Abortion. Web.