Induced abortion has always been a subject of many debates. On the one side, there were those who support abortion legalization. On the other side, there are those who are against legalization in any case. I think the majority are those who find themselves somewhere between those two. Their attitude is that induced abortion should be legalized in certain cases. For example, women can abort a pregnancy caused by rape, juvenile pregnancy or if the pregnancy is a risk to her…

Here are induced abortion pros and cons, as well as some of my thoughts on the subject. To all those who are curious about the topic, this article will solve much doubt, and perhaps create some new ones.

Legalization of induced abortion in countries

On abort73.com, we can see that 60% of the global population lives in countries where abortion is legal. Approximately 25% live in countries where it is restricted. Generally speaking, abortion is legal in most of North America and Europe.

Countries FOR abortion

Hundreds of years ago, society considered induced abortion as the murder of an unborn child. Society punished women who aborted in all European countries for several centuries. However, the liberalization of this term comes to light since 1900.

The Soviet Union (1919), Iceland (1935), Sweden (1938) were among the first countries which legalized some or all forms of abortion. In 1935, Nazi Germany legalized induced abortions of women who had some genetic disorders. Still, abortion was strictly prohibited to women who had a pure Arian origin. That isn’t surprising considering the Nazi ideology, isn’t it?

Many Europian countries have legalized abortion since the 1960s. Among them are England, France, the USA, Italy, Spain, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, South Africa, Tunisia and many more.

Countries AGAINST abortion

On the other side, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, Chile, and Salvador don’t legalize abortion.

Countries FOR abortion IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS

Jamaica, Ireland, Venezuela, and Brazil are some of the countries which have legalized abortion but only in the case of rape, incest or the risk of a pregnant woman’s life.

The abortion impact on the global natural increase

According to the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions every year. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day. Many abortion non-supporters justify their attitudes by the information that natality is actually lower by 40-50 million children every year. On the other side, abortion supporters justify their attitudes by the fact that the world population isn’t decreasing. In fact, the world population increases every year according to worldometers.info. Nevertheless, we can conclude that abortions have a good influence on keeping natural increase normal. That is significant because too much population in relation to the space of our planet can lead to natural and social disasters. But, is this conclusion in line with ethics?

Can the reasons justify abortion or not?

The reasons for abortion are different, but most women abort because of pregnancy caused by rape, financial problems, a pregnancy that is at risk to her health or kid’s health, juvenile pregnancy…

Induced abortion pros

In the case of some fetal disorders, abortion supporters consider an abortion as better solution than a child and parents go through life’s difficulties that usually follow certain disorders later. Also, the Theory of evolution explains that only the strongest survive. Therefore, we can conclude that abortions in cases of fetal disorders actually encourage human evolution.

On the other hand, are we different from the Spartans who killed newborn with disorders in order to keep their society strong? The difference is in reasons. The Spartans wanted to make a powerful militaristic society. Now, society has different models. Modern society stands for kid’s happiness although it often doesn’t look like that in practice. However, most doctors and parents think that kids with some genetic disorders are destined for a hard life. Because of that, they justify abortion in cases of fetal disorders. I understand that, but I still don’t share such opinion with them.

Induced abortion cons

On the other side, there is the question of why kids with disabilities are pre-attributed to an unhappy life? Does a disorder make their adaptation to life difficult?

There are many cases that prove that kids with some inborn anomaly are able to adapt to life very well. For example, many kids with disabilities in using hands can perform all daily activities by using legs (visit article about the brain hemispheres). Also, perhaps kids with Down’s syndrome aren’t able to be scientists, but they know to love so much that many scientists can just take their cap off. Does that mean that it’s not difficult for kids with special needs to adapt to society, but that society is still not adapted to them? By that, I am not just thinking about an adaptation of elevators, technical devices or media programs to kids with special needs. First of all, I think on beliefs and feelings toward kids with some disabilities.

Consider a society where people believe that children with special needs are Gods. What you think, would a woman abort when she heard that such a blessed child grows in her? Or, consider, would mothers opt for an abortion if they don’t need to care about whether they’ll be able to raise such children properly. According to my opinion, of course, you don’t have to agree, if we change the prejudices towards kids with special needs to positive thinking about their births and existence, such reasons for abortion would be rare.

Does illegalization prevent induced abortion?

Induced abortion pros

Supporters argue that illegalization doesn’t prevent abortion and I absolutely agree with that attitude. On the contrary, many women also opt for an abortion in countries where abortion is illegitimate. Some go to other countries to abort a pregnancy, as Irish women often go to England. Others opt for unskilled abortion interventions, which often cause serious complications. Also, cases of pregnant women suicides in countries which don’t legalize induced abortion are very often.

Induced abortion cons

Non-supporters are aware that illegalization doesn’t prevent mothers from aborting. Although, they claim that it certainly reduces the number of induced abortions. However, we don’t have precise information about the number of women who illegally abort, therefore it is not easy to research how legalization impacts the number of abortions. They abort without registration, precisely because that is not allowed. However, the abortion non-supporters claim that punishing mothers who abort pregnancies is just. Mothers can illegally abort a pregnancy, but it’s important for a just society that she is persecuted for her crime, i.e. the murder of an unborn child.

It’s absolutely crucial that women often go for induced abortion regardless if they are legalized or not. That fact gives us the clear conclusion that illegalization doesn’t prevent this phenomenon. Does this mean that we should actually ask the question, not about the legalization of abortion, but how many women and men are familiar with this problem? Perhaps the key to solving this problem is to increase awareness of how to prevent unwanted pregnancy, or how much birth of a child should bring, regardless of whether it was a result of rape or the child has some special needs.

Induced abortions pros and cons in relation to complications

Induced abortion cons

Non-supporters claim that abortion isn’t a simple procedure and can result in numerous complications. Among complications are mental disorders in women. Namely, whether due to the hormones imbalance or a tragic experience of abortion, the depression of a woman is normal after it. Is depression, as an accompanying condition of abortion, a sign that even women who opt for abortion still consider abortion as an unjust act somewhere in her subconscious? Are women depressed after abortion because of guilt or a feeling of helplessness because they think that it can not be different?

Induced abortion pros

In the utility of induced abortion in relation to complications, the state is that the sun always comes after the rain. Life is often cruel, but important is the result of cruelty. Of course, abortions aren’t pleasant events for women but many support abortion as a way to avoid more depressing situations, such as situations where parents have no basis for a normal child’s life or deterioration of a woman’s health or her death.

The most severe complications of abortion include mother’s death, sterility or various disorders in a future pregnancy. However, supporters claim that abortion is a simple, day-to-day procedure and that the severe complications are very rare. As for fertility, there is not even scientific evidence that it is caused by abortion, many scientists claim.

I think that complications of abortion aren’t a measure of whether abortion is just. All surgeries can cause complications, but if they are significant for our health, of course, they are needed. Labour can also lead to perhaps more numerous and more serious complications. Still, imagine that we forbid childbirths because of possible complications? It’s crazy, isn’t?

Is the embryo a human or when does it become a human?

This question is crucial in the discussion about abortion pros and cons. In fact, if we would have the right answer to those, we would resolve most of the problems about abortion.

Induced abortion pros

Induced abortion pros include the opinion that a woman has the right to decide about abortion because the embryo is a part of her body for a certain period. They consider that the embryo is not a human. It’s the tissue, a bloody mass or an aggregate of cells. As a part of a woman, she has a right to decide whether the embryo will develop into a being or not. That makes attitudes that a man has no right to decide whether a woman will abort or not. An embryo is part of a woman’s body, not a man’s.

Induced abortion cons

On the other side, abortion non-supporters argue that the fetus is a living being from the conception originated from a man and a woman. He isn’t part of a mother because it has own genes that are the basis for its development. In addition, the fetus in the meantime also receives blood that can be a different blood type compared to the mother’s and doesn’t interfere with the mother’s blood due to the placenta. That is why non-supporters of abortion consider that a fetus isn’t part of a mother, but a particular organism in her. That’s why they consider abortion as the murder of another human being. Also, their attitude is that the man also has the right to decisions about his still unborn child. He/she develops in a mother, but a man also has an impact on his/her creation from the beginning. Therefore, the embryo is his child from conception too.

Support depends on situations

Between induced abortion pros and cons, there is the opinion that the embryo isn’t a being from conception, but it becomes one from a certain gestational period. Since that moment, abortions are not acceptable to them.

However, there are also great differences in thinking about the moment the embryo becomes a living being. Many claim that it is a living being from the period when its heart starts to beat (about 18 days). The others think that a fetus becomes a being when its brain becomes active (from 24 weeks). There are many experts who believe that a living being is one who has a developed cardiac function, brain activity, but also a respiratory ability. The respiratory system develops during the entire pregnancy, but a fetus is ready for breathing outside of the mother’s womb from 20 weeks. Still, many people believe that an embryo becomes a human when it develops into a fetus, i.e. from 12 weeks.

It’s true that this confusion arises precisely because of such important issues on which we can only guess the answers. What is life? How does it happen? What is a living being and what is a man? Is there anything that determines our destiny or we create destiny by our will and acts? If we would have reliable answers to these questions, we would surely be able to determine what is right: support for induced abortion, induced abortion prohibition or something in between these two.

Recommendation

To every book lover who wants to know something more about induced abortion pros and cons, I recommend the books in the presentation below. These interesting and useful books discover not only induced abortion pros and cons but many other different facts about abortion as well.

P.S.

What are your attitudes about abortion? Do you know some more induced abortion pros or cons?