Sociology, in a few words, looks at people and the society in general. It tries to explain why we do what we do and goes on to examine our social institutions such as families, the condition and societal relationships like gender and customs in order to help make sense of how we as individuals see and understand our vibrant world. It examines what social processes are and how they affect our behavior as individuals and in groups and what exactly that means. Sociology looks into those societal factors that make us behave in the way we do (Jonathan 2001).
A social issue is a situation that at least some people in a society or the whole society see as a matter of concern. Some individuals in a society may agree with certain issues such as traffic deaths but some people may see a problem in what others regard as desirable. For the purpose of this thesis, abortion will be considered as a social problem with further elaboration. An abortion by definition is the expulsion of the fetus from the womb during the first twenty-eight (28) weeks of pregnancy. According to (Jonathan 2001), some individuals in the society particularly the religious ones see abortion as a vice affecting every corner of the world.
Most cases of abortion in women are recorded during their adolescent stage and this can be attributed to myriad of reasons ranging from poverty, illiteracy, incompetence and others. Abortion may be legal or illegal depending on the stipulated laws of the countries. While in the developed nations abortion may be permitted for economic or social reasons, in most developing nations it is seen as a vice and restrictive laws have been enacted (Blacker 2001).
Abortion is not a fast, easy process that is completed without some negative impacts. One is exposed to various risks during abortion. Abortion may be the reason of minor and major complications for a woman or both. Major complications include infections, perforation of uterus, convulsions, and endotoxic shock. Minor complications include minor infections, bleeding, and fever to name a few. Abortion has not only physical effects, but emotional ones as well. Many women suffer from Post Abortion Syndrome, which at its worst repercussions can lead to suicide. The major effect of abortion for most women is the feeling of guilt that brings about stress wondering what life would be like if they had kept that baby (Jonathan 2001).
Abortion was once a very perilous practice but now it is quite safe. Nowadays abortion is carried out by qualified doctors, and it is even rare to see a woman dying of abortion. It is now said to be among the safest surgical procedures available as it is done professionally. Many women and teenage girls are not able to cope with having a baby who is disabled mentally or physically or who is a result of rape. These are serious reasons and the only choice they have is to make an abortion (Blacker 2001).
Individuals are influenced by what they see, read or hear. The media houses cannot be absolved from causing this problem given the fact that they encourage the spread of pornographic content, sexually stimulated discussions and stories. This information easily reaches kids who tend to practice what they see on television. Ignorance is another factor that causes the problem of abortion. It has been observed that individuals with low level of education are affected more with this social problem (Jonathan 2001).
Most parents do not devote enough time to sex education. Another factor that has been found to cause abortion is the economic crisis. Many young women go out as commercial sex workers to earn extra financial resources thereby indulging themselves to pre-marital sex. The attitude of the male counterparts to a large extent determines whether the pregnancy is terminated (Jonathan 2001).
Abortion is a very serious concern in the modern society that people all over the world are trying to address. Opponents of abortion suppose that this act should be regarded as illegal since it takes the life of an innocent. Advocates tend to think that it should stay legal because it can help to maintain low death levels since illegal abortions cause deceases. In my opinion, abortion is a very vicious act as you are killing a baby who has not even had a chance to see the outside world. The only women whose abortion should be legally enacted are those whose lives (or babies lives are) in danger or those who have undergone rape incidences. It is clear that too many babies out there are killed because their mothers are allowed to have an abortion (Blacker 2001).
On the other hand, there are also too many people wishing to have a kid of their own but they are not even fertile. Getting pregnant is a matter of choice and no one is forced to do so except of rape cases (Jonathan 2001). This is to mean that, if one goes out and gets pregnant in the first place, then she should bear the consequences and look after the kid, or at least give it to someone else who might be in dire need for a child. Every child should have the right to come into the world, grow up with a loving family and, at least, find out later in their life that they were adopted than being killed at the age of just eight weeks.
Reference List
Blacker, Zolese. 2001. The psychology of complications of therapeutic abortion. British Journal of Psychiatry 160: 742 – 749.
Jonathan, Jeje. 2001. Teenage pregnancy and abortion. Nigeria: State University of Lagos Publication Press.