Abortion is looked at as a taboo
thing to many cultures. So many people consider it as murder and are completely
against it. However, there have been many instances in which women get
abortions or somehow give themselves abortions and it has led to very dangerous
outcomes. The United States has made abortion legal up to a certain stage of
pregnancy, but many countries have yet to do this. Countries like Burma where
abortion is illegal are facing issues with illegal pregnancies and their
potential consequences. Young poor women are getting pregnant and abandoned by
the baby’s father, the women have no means of raising he child.
The only
times abortion is legal in Burma is when it involves saving the life of the
mother. In other words, if the mother is having complications with the
pregnancy, and can lead to both her and the baby dying, then terminating the
pregnancy is permissible. However, when it comes to just terminating the
pregnancy for other reasons, then there are extreme consequences that may come
from it. The legal repercussions from having or assisting in an abortion vary.
Some punishments are jailtime and others are just fines, it all depends on the
stage of the pregnancy.
For most
abortions done on purpose, the punishment is 3 years of imprisonment. If the
mother was caused to miscarry because of someone else causing it, only the
culprit will receive punishment, but if both parties were involved then both
will. The punishment becomes more severe with the longer pregnancies,
punishment can be up to seven or ten years. That amount or years of punishment
is the same for people who also kill the mother during the abortion whether it
be intentional or not. It’s interesting that the time of imprisonment is only
ten years for something that is essentially considered murder. Women who get
pregnant and do not want to be, go through some very traumatizing experiences
attempting to abort the child.
A lot of
Burmese women will attempt dangerous abortions, and will not even succeed in
terminating the pregnancy. Many women will go to people who do not have any
actual experience in properly giving abortions, and often will result in the
women having to go elsewhere to receive proper care. Most times the expectant
mothers are given a combination of things to kill the baby and then perform
pummeling, insertion, or abdomen massaging to finish killing the baby. When
these methods do not work, the women will cross the border to Thailand to a
clinic that will treat them. Some women are in such bad condition that there is
no hope for them, and others are able to recover from the failed abortion. This
is why having abortions be illegal can have a lot of consequences.
Even if
there is a vast majority of the population who are against abortion, it only
makes since to legalize it in order to prevent dangerous at home abortions.
Hopefully, with time more countries will realize this and legalize abortion and
in turn be able to regulate it better. For now, these women will continue to
risk their lives in order to terminate their pregnancies. Abortion policies are
much different here, but still have problems.
In 2007,
the United States banned abortions in the second trimester of pregnancy. Even
though doctors have said that it is better for the mother’s health to do it
during the second trimester. Being that a lot of politicians are prolife, has
made it so most health insurances do not cover abortions, unless being done to
save the mother. In order to prevent abortions, people need to have better sex
education, and better access to contraceptives. However, certain laws have made
it quite hard for women to get abortions even within the 20-week mark. When a woman
goes to get an abortion, they are forced to take a class that tells them about
the negatives sides to getting an abortion. The women also need to have at
least two appointments before getting the actual abortion. Which, may risk them
not having enough time to get the abortion and potentially having to keep the
baby.
The United
States is a country that prides itself on freedom, and pursuit of happiness.
However, the United States cannot be all that free, when women are barely even
allowed to make their own decision, and lack the same rights to that of a man. The
United States needs to take a look at other developed countries and consider
the differences and why the United States is behind in some areas, when it is
as developed in should be in line with these other countries.
Sources:
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/types-attacks
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