Is Abortion the Best Way Out of an Unwanted Pregnancy?

Prelude

For some reason, it’s been on my mind to write on abortion since the hullabaloo about the Heartbeat Act recently passed in Texas. The law bars abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in the embryo on an ultrasound scan. This typically occurs around the sixth week of pregnancy.

I have so many thoughts on this topic. Is abortion justified in certain circumstances or should it be proscribed completely?  In this piece, I don’t take a side rather I strive to understand both sides and see if there is any merit to either side. So, if you’re interested and want to assuage your curiosity about the topic, let’s go down this rabbit hole together.

Table of Contents

1. What is called Abortion?
2. Why Abortion Happens
3. Abortion Methods
4. Quick Pregnancy Facts
5. Abortions Laws
6. Why Abortion Should Not Be Illegal
7. Why Abortion Should Not Be Legal
8. The Two Sides of the Divide: Pro-Life or Pro-Choice
9. Abortion or Contraception
10. Pro-Life or Pro-Choice – My Opinion
11. Survey – What’s your stance on abortion?

What is called Abortion?

Abortion, in simple terms, is the termination of an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy.

MedlinePlus defines it as “a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus. The procedure is done by a licensed health care professional.”^[1]MedlinePlus, “Abortion”. https://medlineplus.gov/abortion.html

Britannica states that abortion is, “the expulsion of a fetus from the uterus before it has reached the stage of viability (in human beings, usually about the 20^th week of gestation). An abortion may occur spontaneously, in which case it is also called a miscarriage, or it may be brought on purposefully, in which case it is often called an induced abortion.

Induced abortions may be performed for reasons that fall into four general categories:

1. to preserve the life or physical or mental well-being of the mother;
2. to prevent the completion of a pregnancy that has resulted from rape or incest;
3. to prevent the birth of a child with serious deformity, mental deficiency, or genetic abnormality; or
4. to prevent a birth for social or economic reasons (such as the extreme youth of the pregnant female or the sorely strained resources of the family unit).^[2]Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “abortion.” Encyclopedia Britannica, December 27, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/science/abortion-pregnancy

The issue of viability will be discussed in more detail later in this post. Also, this post will focus on induced abortions which will generally be referred to as abortion. Abortion is a polarizing and controversial subject. It’s a complex issue that cannot be swept under the carpet.

Why Abortion Happens

• To save the mother’s life

Abortion is considered therapeutic if the purpose is to save the mother’s life or health. For instance, where the woman has a medical condition such as an ectopic pregnancy that makes continuing a pregnancy life-threatening. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus. If it is not diagnosed before potential complications arise, it can result in a rupture of the fallopian tube.

• To prevent completion of a pregnancy resulting from rape and incest

Rape is a very traumatic experience that can change the trajectory of the survivor’s life. This trauma is aggravated when the rape results in a pregnancy. The child may be viewed by the mother as a painful reminder of her trauma. The woman is therefore faced with the most momentous choice of her life—to embrace or to end the untimely life within her.

• Socioeconomic grounds

Most women who receive abortions do so because they feel the timing is wrong or that they cannot financially provide for their child.^[3]Focus on the Family, “Pro-Life and Pro-Choice: What Does It Mean?” By Kirstie Piper, October 20, 2020. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/pro-life-pro-choice/

Women in domestic violence relationships may consider that the baby would not be safe in such an environment and opt to terminate the pregnancy. Another reason could be that the unborn baby is not the desired gender.

• To prevent the birth of a child with a genetic disorder

From a clinical perspective, a viable pregnancy is one in which the baby can be born and have a reasonable chance of survival. By contrast, a nonviable pregnancy is one in which the fetus or baby has no chance of being born alive. For instance, a congenital defect that makes the survival of the fetus outside of the uterus impossible. When pregnancy is nonviable, it will either miscarry on its own or a surgical procedure, such as dilation and curettage (D&C) or medication may be needed to remove remaining fetal tissue.^[4]How a Viable or Nonviable Pregnancy Is Diagnosed by Krissi Danielsson. Medically reviewed by Brian Levine, MD, MS, FACOG on November 29, 2020. … Continue reading

Abortion Methods

There are two major methods of abortion – medical abortion and surgical method.

Medical abortion

According to Mayo Clinic^[5]Mayo Clinic, “Medical Abortion”. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/medical-abortion/about/pac-20394687, Medical abortion is a procedure that uses medication to end a pregnancy. It doesn’t require surgery or anaesthesia. It is considered safer and most effective during the first trimester of pregnancy. The reasons for having a medical abortion include completing an early miscarriage, ending an unwanted pregnancy, or the woman having a medical condition that makes continuing a pregnancy life-threatening.

According to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS)^[6]British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), “What is abortion?” https://www.bpas.org/abortion-care/considering-abortion/what-is-abortion/, there are two types of medical abortion:

1. Abortion pill (also known as early medical abortion) up to 10 weeks – Involves taking medication to cause an early miscarriage (women experience cramping, pain and heavy bleeding).
2. Abortion pill from 10 weeks up to 24 weeks – Involves taking medication to cause the womb to contract and push out the pregnancy.

Surgical abortion

According to BPAS^[7]British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), “What is abortion?” https://www.bpas.org/abortion-care/considering-abortion/what-is-abortion/, there are two types of surgical abortion:

1. Vacuum aspiration up to 15 weeks – Removes the pregnancy by gentle suction. Up to 14 weeks of pregnancy this can be done with local anaesthetic. Up to 15 weeks it can be done with sedation.
2. Dilatation and evacuation (D&E) between 15 and 24 weeks – Carried out with general anaesthetic. The pregnancy is removed using narrow forceps passed through the neck of the womb and some gentle suction.

Some typical reasons a woman might need a D&E include if the baby has a serious abnormality or has died in the womb and would be stillborn. Other possible reasons include if the membranes have ruptured prematurely or if there’s a serious risk to the woman’s health if the pregnancy is continued.^[8]verywellfamily. “How a D&E Differs From a D&C: Both Are Surgeries for Ending an Unhealthy Pregnancy” By Krissi Danielsson. Updated on November 08, 2020. … Continue reading

You can check the YouTube video, What Actually Happens When You Have An Abortion? By AsapSCIENCE for a short audio-visual version of the abortion methods

Quick Pregnancy Facts

• 4 weeks after fertilization, the baby’s eyes and limbs are developing, and their heart can be viewed on an ultrasound scan.
• At 10 weeks, a preborn baby’s brain is growing rapidly, producing almost 250,000 neurons every minute.
• At 14 weeks, a preborn baby has developed enough coordination to suck its thumb.
• Studies have concluded that, at 20 weeks (and possibly much earlier) a preborn baby can feel pain.
• A preborn baby as young as 22 weeks can survive outside the womb.^[9]Focus on the Family, “Pro-Life and Pro-Choice: What Does It Mean?” By Kirstie Piper, October 20, 2020. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/pro-life-pro-choice/

Abortions Laws

Here’s an overview of the laws in the United States of America (USA), Mexico, Malta, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria, on abortion.

USA

A discussion on abortion in the US is incomplete without referring to the landmark cases, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade, a legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on January 22, 1973, ruled (7–2) that unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court disagreed with Roe’s assertion of an absolute right to terminate pregnancy in any way and at any time and attempted to balance a woman’s right of privacy with a state’s interest in regulating abortion.^[10]Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Roe v. Wade.” Encyclopedia Britannica, September 17, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/event/Roe-v-Wade

To balance women’s rights to privacy and state governments’ interests in protecting mothers’ health and prenatal life, the Court created a framework based on the three trimesters of pregnancy.^[11]Wikipedia, “Roe v. Wade”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade#Abortion_and_right_to_privacy

The Roe trimester framework completely forbade states from regulating abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy, permitted regulations designed to protect a woman’s health in the second trimester, and permitted prohibitions on abortion during the third trimester (when the fetus becomes viable) under the justification of fetal protection, and so long as the life or health of the mother was not at risk.^[12]Wikipedia, “Planned Parenthood v. Casey”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_Parenthood_v._Casey#Upholding_the_%22essential_holding%22_in_Roe

Update on Roe v. Wade

On Friday, 24 June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling, thus ending the federal constitutional right to abortion.

With this ruling, the individual States in the US can decide whether to ban abortion. About half of the 50 States in the US are poised to ban abortion outright or pass very restrictive abortion laws.

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey

A legal case, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992, that redefined several provisions regarding abortion rights as established in Roe v. Wade (1973).

In 1988 and 1989 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, led by Governor Robert Casey, enacted new abortion statutes that required that a woman seeking an abortion give her informed consent, that a minor seeking an abortion obtain parental consent (the provision included a judicial waiver option), that a married woman notifies her husband of her intended abortion, and, finally, that clinics provide certain information to a woman seeking an abortion and wait 24 hours before performing the abortion. Before any of these laws could take effect, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania sued the governor, protesting the constitutionality of the statutes.

In a plurality opinion, the Supreme Court affirmed the “essential holding” (i.e., the basic principle) of Roe v. Wade, that women have a right to obtain an abortion prior to fetal viability but rejected Roe’s trimester-based framework for allowing states to curb the availability of abortion in favour of a more flexible medical definition of viability.

The judgment also revised the test that courts use to scrutinize laws relating to abortion, moving to an “undue burden” standard: a law is invalid if its “purpose or effect is to place substantial obstacles in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus attains viability.”

Ultimately, the court upheld all the provisions of the Pennsylvania statute under attack except for the requirement of spousal notification.^[13]Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.” Encyclopedia Britannica, June 29, 2016. … Continue reading

Each of the 50 States in the USA has its own laws on abortion. I will only cite the abortion law in Texas, which has sparked a lot of controversy and uproar recently.

Texas

In May 2021 Texas adopted a law, S.B. 8, that effectively banned almost all abortions beyond the time at which fetal cardiac activity (a “fetal heartbeat”) can be detected, or about the sixth week of pregnancy.

The law was unlike several other fetal-heartbeat statutes passed in other states (and subsequently struck down in the courts) in that it shifted responsibility for enforcing the ban from state officials to private citizens. S.B. 8 empowered any citizen to file a civil suit against anyone who performs an abortion, or “aids or abets” the performance of an abortion, of a fetus more than six weeks old. The citizen plaintiffs, if successful in their suits, would be awarded $10,000 plus legal costs (to be paid by the defendants). The law made no exceptions for rape or incest.^[14]Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Roe v. Wade.” Encyclopedia Britannica, September 17, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/event/Roe-v-Wade

The Texas abortion restriction law (SB 8) came into effect on 1 September 2021. The anti-abortion law is highly contended because it bans termination after 6 weeks of pregnancy when most women don’t know that they are pregnant. Also, an unprecedented enforcement scheme where it is not the State that enforces SB 8 but rather private citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion under the law. This is considered as a way around the Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. SB 8 limits the ability of the US federal government to challenge it in court. The law was blocked and then reinstated by lower courts.

The Texas anti-abortion law is considered by Pro-choice advocates as one of the most restrictive abortion laws in recent American history and a flagrant unconstitutional law that must be blocked by the Supreme Court. They also fear that if the Texas law prevails, other US States may employ this tactic to enact more restrictive abortion laws and to get around federal enforcement.

Mexico

Meanwhile in Coahuila, a northern Mexican state which borders Texas, Mexico’s Supreme Court on 7 September 2021, unanimously decriminalized abortion. The decision means that courts can no longer prosecute abortion cases.^[15]Reuters “Mexico’s top court decriminalizes abortion in ‘watershed moment’” By Lizbeth Diaz and Laura Gottesdiener. September 8, 2021. … Continue reading

Two days later, the Supreme Court invalidated a portion of the Sinaloa Constitution that protected life from the moment of conception. In both rulings, the court focused on the reproductive rights of those who are pregnant.

The Coahuila decision was the first time the Supreme Court recognized the right of women and pregnant people to have an abortion, without facing criminal penalties. The Supreme Court’s decision unanimously invalidates the portion of the Coahuila criminal code that punishes consensual abortion with one to three years in prison.

As a result of this decision, the State of Coahuila will become the fifth Mexican state to eliminate its total abortion ban. Four other states permit abortion for any reason for a certain number of weeks into the pregnancy: Mexico City, Oaxaca, Hidalgo, and Veracruz.^[16]Human Rights Watch. “Mexico: Landmark Reproductive Rights Rulings. Women’s Autonomy Should Be at Center of Abortion Regulation” September 14, 2021. … Continue reading

Malta

Malta, which is a Southern European country, has a complete ban on abortion. Women found to have had an abortion face between 18 months and three years in prison.

United Kingdom

Abortions can take place in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy in England, Scotland and Wales. However, they must be approved by two doctors. They must agree having the baby would pose a greater risk to the physical or mental health of the woman than a termination. Abortions were illegal before the introduction of the 1967 Abortion Act, which initially allowed them to take place for up to 28 weeks. This was reduced to 24 weeks in 1990. Abortions after 24 weeks are allowed only if: the woman’s life is in danger, there is a severe fetal abnormality, or the woman is at risk of grave physical and mental injury.^[17]BBC. “What are the UK’s laws on abortion?”. 22 October 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-19856314

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019.

The Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 allow access to abortions up to 12 weeks gestation (11 weeks + 6 days), without conditionality, to be certified by one medical professional that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twelfth week. Abortions beyond 12 weeks gestation are lawful in specified instances, including when severe fetal impairment and fatal fetal abnormalities are detected.^[18]UK Parliament, House of Commons Library. “Abortion in Northern Ireland: recent changes to the legal framework” By Elizabeth Rough. 05 August 2021. … Continue reading

Nigeria

In my home country, abortion is illegal and carries a prison sentence, ranging from three to 14 years, unless it is performed to save the life of the pregnant woman.

Why Abortion Should Not Be Illegal

The liberalization of abortion laws has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of abortions performed in physicians’ offices, clinics, and hospitals. This has diminished the occurrence of septic abortions (i.e. abortion associated with a serious infection of the products of conception and endometrial lining of the uterus, leading to generalized infection) performed at the hands of unscrupulous abortionists and has improved the possibility of safe and uneventful physical recovery from an induced abortion.^[19]The Free Dictionary by Farlex. “Abortion”.  https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/abortion

According to Amnesty International, preventing women and girls from accessing an abortion does not mean they stop needing one. That’s why attempts to ban or restrict abortions do nothing to reduce the number of abortions, it only forces people to seek out unsafe abortions. Unsafe abortions are defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as “a procedure for terminating an unintended pregnancy carried out either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards or both.”^[20]Amnesty International. “Key Facts on Abortion”. https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/sexual-and-reproductive-rights/abortion-facts/

In her article, Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health, Dr Carmel Shalev states that “Unsafe abortion is also a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. There is a correlation between unsafe abortion and high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, presented as haemorrhaging and complications of pregnancy.

The criminalization of abortion is particularly heinous because it not only impairs women’s right to reproductive choice – to make free and responsible decisions concerning matters that are key to control of their lives – but also exposes them to the serious health risks of unsafe abortion, violating their rights to bodily integrity and, in the most extreme cases, to life itself.”^[21]United Nations. “Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health – the ICPD and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women”. By Dr Carmel Shalev, expert member, … Continue reading

Below is an extract from an article by Babafemi Odunsi titled “Abortion and the Law”, which succinctly sums up the reasons why women would want to have an abortion even if it is illegal in their country.

“As noted earlier, different factors may warrant the desire for abortion apart from threat to the life of a mother. At broad levels, the reasons for the inevitable resort to unsafe abortion can be social, cultural, religious or economic.

In the case of adolescents, fear of negative parental reactions to pregnancy, expulsion from school or dread of stigma or recriminations may lead to the decision to terminate a pregnancy.

Fear of job loss or other career considerations can also propel some people to terminate pregnancies where they amount to constraints.

For some people, religious compulsions such as the need to avoid the shame or stigma of having babies out of wedlock may propel them to abortion. This may particularly be the case where the person involved, in her community, has manifested the impression of religious piety or is from a family that has.

Many of the women engaging in abortion are married or live in a stable union and have several children. In this context, a pregnancy that was originally wanted and planned may become unwanted through changing circumstances such as a breakdown of the relationship, rejection of paternity or sudden and unanticipated economic downturn.

A woman in a stable relationship may be confronted with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, and a natural desire for abortion, due to contraceptive failure. For married women, resorting to abortion for terminating unwanted pregnancies due to contraceptive failure or non-use of contraceptives is apt to occur when they have attained a planned family size and cannot accommodate additional children.

Furthermore, where a woman, married or unmarried, becomes pregnant as a result of rape, it is probable that she will opt for abortion to avoid reliving the trauma of the rape through the pregnancy or the child if the pregnancy is carried to term.

In all the foregoing situations, it is doubtful that legal prohibitions would suppress the desire for abortion.”^[22]Law Explorer. “Abortion and the Law”. By Babafemi Odunsi. 07 August 2016. https://lawexplores.com/abortion-and-the-law/

Why Abortion Should Not Be Legal

To deny a truth [about when life begins] should not be made a basis for legalizing abortion. – Professor Eugene Diamond

Those who oppose abortion on moral grounds believe that the fetus is human from the moment of conception or potentially human.^[23]The Free Dictionary by Farlex. “Abortion”. https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/abortion And any calculated attempt to abort it is morally reprehensible and ought also to be legally unlawful for the law is a promoter of morals. In which case, what is moral and ethical will be defended by a legislative act.^[24]“Right to Life and Abortion Debate In Nigeria: A Case for the Legislation of the Principle of Double-Effect” By Maurice Okechukwu Izunwa and Sylvia Ifemeje. Page 117

To allow abortion on demand or to legally permit abortion for any kind of maternal indication (health, rape, insanity, incest) is generally to undermine the ultimate value of life which attaches to human life and which many municipal and international laws had fought to defend.

Further, to legally permit abortion for reasons of fetal abnormality and/or deformity amounts to placing value not on life but on its functionality, in which case expediency and not essence becomes the rule and measure of value. Such will mean setting criteria of evaluation by factors exterior to life itself.^[25]“Right to Life and Abortion Debate in Nigeria: A Case for the Legislation of the Principle of Double-Effect” By Maurice Okechukwu Izunwa and Sylvia Ifemeje. Page 125

It must be observed that under strict rational and ethical considerations, the life of the mother is not of any greater value than the life of the child/foetus. To justify abortion on the grounds of maternal indications fails because human life is the same and of equal value whether of the mother or of the unborn. Not even when the subject is defective and/or deformed does it qualify for death by killing. “Care not killing,” says Fagothey is due to the defective foetus. Killing is not therapeutic. It cannot heal. Not even the issue of using “viability” defined in terms of “survivability” to determine the permissibility of abortion is acceptable to the metaphysics of life. Viability rests on the sophistication of external support systems prevailing at a time. It has no relationship with the value of the individual human life. ^[26]“Right to Life and Abortion Debate in Nigeria: A Case for the Legislation of the Principle of Double-Effect” By Maurice Okechukwu Izunwa and Sylvia Ifemeje. Page 127

Every human life has infinite value. Abortion at any stage is wilfully taking a human life. A foetus, from conception, is a human being with a right to life regardless of the manner of conception. His/her life should not be snuffed out because of the health of the mother and/or her convenience. The life and health of the mother are not greater in value with her foetus as every human life has infinite value. Abortion should therefore be treated exactly like murder, as it is a deliberate act of taking the life of a human being.

The Two Sides of the Divide: Pro-Life or Pro-Choice

Opponents of abortion, or of abortion for any reason other than to save the life of the mother, argue that there is no rational basis for distinguishing the fetus from a newborn infant; each is totally dependent and potentially a member of society, and each possesses a degree of humanity.

Proponents of liberalized regulation of abortion hold that only a woman herself, rather than the state, has the right to manage her pregnancy and that the alternative to legal, medically supervised abortion is illegal and demonstrably dangerous, if not deadly abortion.^[27]Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “abortion.” Encyclopedia Britannica, December 27, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/science/abortion-pregnancy

Let’s delve further into both points of view:

Pro-Choice Viewpoint

Pro-choice (adj): the belief that every woman should be endowed with the right to her own life and body. Therefore, denying a woman an abortion is denying her the right to bodily autonomy.^[28]Focus on the Family. “Pro-Life and Pro-Choice: What Does It Mean?” By Kirstie Piper, October 20, 2020. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/pro-life-pro-choice/)

Autonomy means the right of a woman to make decisions concerning her fertility and sexuality free of coercion and violence. “Autonomy” also means that a woman seeking health care in relation to her fertility and sexuality is entitled to be treated as an individual in her own right – the sole client of the health care provider, and fully competent to make decisions concerning her own health. This is a matter, among other things, of the woman’s right to equality before the law as to her legal capacity.^[29]United Nations. “Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health – the ICPD and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women” By Dr Carmel Shalev, expert member, … Continue reading

Women have the right to control their reproductive lives, which requires having the right to not have a baby against one’s will.^[30]ScienceDirect. “Feminism and Bioethics” By A.B. Wolf, in Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences, 2014. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/reproductive-rights

The pro-choice movement also argues that abortion falls within a person’s constitutional right to privacy, believing the choice to terminate an “unborn fetus” lies with the woman and her doctor. People’s personal decisions should be respected without being subject to morality.

Pro-choice advocates also assert that life begins at viability, at birth, or until there is the capacity for social interaction.

Pro-Life Perspective

Pro-life (adj): the belief that all human life is created equal regardless of size, level of development, education, and degree of dependency. Therefore, taking the life of a preborn baby is a violation of the fundamental right to life.

Whether you are a preborn baby, a newborn, an elderly person, or someone with disabilities and special needs, your life matters. At its core, the pro-life movement is about the value and equality of all human beings.

There are no humane abortions. We can come to this conclusion by researching abortion procedures and asking ourselves if the same procedure would be considered humane if performed on a post-born person.^[31]Focus on the Family, “Pro-Life and Pro-Choice: What Does It Mean?” By Kirstie Piper, October 20, 2020. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/pro-life-pro-choice/

Click the links below to see why pro-life supporters consider abortion methods inhumane:

• The Reality of 1st Trimester Surgical Abortions by Dr Norman MacLean NZOM. In this short YouTube video, Dr MacLean illustrates the horrific process of 1^st trimester surgical-only abortions (approximately 5 – 13 weeks).
• The Reality of 2nd Trimester Surgical Abortions by Dr Norman MacLean NZOM. Dr MacLean, in this YouTube video, depicts the macabre process of 2^nd trimester surgical-only abortions (approximately 13 – 24 weeks).

The reality of abortion is gruesome. It must be understood that every abortion entails the killing and death of a living being. Dr Norman MacLean NZOM said that “There is no question that in each and every termination of pregnancy, at whatever stage of pregnancy or whichever method is used – hormone pills, or operative, the baby’s heartbeat stops and therefore dies, And because this procedure was performed in deliberation, the baby was killed.”

Advocates of pro-life tacitly hold to the scientific claim that by twenty-five days, the heart is beating already and that by thirty days the brain is fully formed and all the organs are set for action.^[32]“Right to Life and Abortion Debate in Nigeria: A Case for the Legislation of the Principle of Double-Effect” By Maurice Okechukwu Izunwa and Sylvia Ifemeje. Page 117

Quality of Fetal Life

The emphasis, the anti-abortionist, maintains should be levied not on the quality of life but on its sacredness. It is the sacredness of life that makes it integral.

To the pro-abortionist question, “Isn’t it cruel to allow a handicapped child to be born to a miserable life? The anti-abortionists respond to the effect that: “Though it may be both common and fashionable to believe that the malformed, enjoy life less than normal, this appears to lack both empirical and theoretical support.” In the face of these grounds, they maintain that any attempt at the fetal life for any reason is but murderous, inhuman and outrightly unjust.^[33]“Right to Life and Abortion Debate in Nigeria: A Case for the Legislation of the Principle of Double-Effect” By Maurice Okechukwu Izunwa and Sylvia Ifemeje. Page 119

Maternal Indications

There is no differential value between the life of the foetus and that of the mother. Anti-abortionists, frown at any kind of abortion especially those performed at maternal indications because it treats humanity as a means to a selfish end. Kant in his categorical imperative echoed that we should: “act so that you treat humanity whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. ^[34]“Right to Life and Abortion Debate in Nigeria: A Case for the Legislation of the Principle of Double-Effect” By Maurice Okechukwu Izunwa and Sylvia Ifemeje. Page 120

Viability Standard

Viability criteria take fetal life as a thing that begins at viability, probably about the third month of pregnancy. In this connection, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that: “the state could not forbid to have an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy….” This is intolerable to the anti-abortionists. They argued that undeveloped potentials, as in the case of the fetal intellectual and volitional capacities, do not imply the absence of such potentials and do not make life violable.

30 years ago fetal viability was about thirty weeks but presently it is as early as twenty weeks. In twenty years to come, it may still come down to ten or twelve weeks. What this then means is that viability is but the sophistication of external life support systems, the essence of life remains the same and inviolable. In that case with technological advancement, it can be possible to have 3-4 weeks foetus surviving outside the womb. Therefore, viability is not indicative of the value and real personhood of the foetus.^[35]“Right to Life and Abortion Debate in Nigeria: A Case for the Legislation of the Principle of Double-Effect” By Maurice Okechukwu Izunwa and Sylvia Ifemeje. Page 123

The pro-life vs pro-choice debate can be an intimidating issue. It appears that no matter where one stands, something valuable is lost. For this reason, it is highly encouraged that you carry out your own in-depth research before casting a vote in either direction. After all, millions of lives are impacted by this issue.^[36]Focus on the Family, “Pro-Life and Pro-Choice: What Does It Mean?” By Kirstie Piper, October 20, 2020. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/pro-life-pro-choice/

Abortion or Contraception

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) over 40 per cent of pregnancies worldwide are unplanned due to non-use of contraception, ineffective contraceptive use, or method failure.^[37]Law Explorer. “Abortion and the Law”. By Babafemi Odunsi. 07 August 2016. https://lawexplores.com/abortion-and-the-law/

The WHO further states that:

1. Around 25% of maternal deaths could be averted if all women wishing to avoid pregnancy could use modern methods of contraception
2. 85% of sexually active women are at risk of getting pregnant.
3. 87,000,000 women worldwide become pregnant unintentionally because of underuse of modern contraceptives.^[38]World Health Organization Western Pacific. “Reproductive health in the Western Pacific” https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/reproductive-health

Most abortions result from unintended pregnancy. Levels of both unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion could be reduced if a country’s government increased efforts to expand and promote family planning programs as well as sexuality and family life education. Programs should offer high-quality care that includes counselling on a wide range of contraceptive methods and the ability to easily switch methods when needed.^[39]Guttmacher Institute. “Abortion in Nigeria”. https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/abortion-nigeria Do check out my article, Is Sterilization the Right Contraception for Me? which deals with a permanent form of contraception.

Reproductive Choice – Family Planning

According to Dr Carmel Shalev, the right to family planning education, information and services is key to reproductive choice, and central to women’s sexual and reproductive health, especially given the risk of maternal mortality and the illegality of abortion in many countries.

Family planning services are particularly important where abortion is illegal. Arguably, where the state does not allow for safe legal abortion, its core obligation is to at least provide itself with those family planning services that guarantee women their right to exercise reproductive choice.

Even in countries where abortion is legal, prevention of pregnancy is preferable to termination in terms of women’s health. However, in many instances, the legal option of abortion is not supported by adequate family planning measures.^[40]United Nations. “Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health – the ICPD and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women”. By Dr Carmel Shalev, expert member, … Continue reading

Pro-Life or Pro-Choice – My Opinion

Rather than choosing a side, I would rather ask that we show love, empathy, and support to our family members, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, with unintended pregnancies. The decision to have an abortion is often driven and taken out of fear. Fear of people finding out, embarrassment, disownment, rejection by family, being isolated, stigmatised, judged by friends for being sexually careless, being gossiped about, or being made fun of over their unplanned pregnancy. Forcing the pregnant woman into a marriage of convenience or kicking her out of the house doesn’t help either.

Abortion often arises from the absence of community. Josiah Friedman says that we can build a culture of human connection with women we know have unintended pregnancies in three ways:

1. Changing the way, we react to unplanned pregnancy
2. Making it clear that we will be there for them.
3. Sharing our stories. Real healing comes from courageously opening up about an unplanned pregnancy or abortion.

Do check out the TEDx Talks YouTube video, A conversation around abortion and community by Josiah Friedman as he explores what we can do to build a culture of vulnerability that overcomes isolation and shame with a real human connection.

Post Abortion Recovery

Post-abortive women may experience emotional and mental health complications from the decision they made to abort their baby. They may feel regret, hatred, shame, guilt, depression, and nurse suicidal thoughts as well as having lingering trust issues with themselves and others. Some of them are in self-denial or live a life of pretence that the abortion didn’t happen. It, therefore, remains a dark secret that negatively impacts their lives. They require a safe place to deal with the loss. A place to heal mentally and emotionally and come to terms with their abortion decision.

The pro-life or pro-choice camps aren’t usually a safe place for a woman wrestling with post-abortion turmoil. On the one hand, she has a fear of being judged and condemned by pro-life supporters. On the other hand, the pro-choice camp may not want to hear about negative fallout from having an abortion as they promote the arguments of “My body my choice”, or abortion as a way out of a tight spot, or an option that’s supposed to bring relief not grief.

A woman in facing her abortion decision needs to work through her grief, depression, and trauma, as well as address her feelings of bitterness, self-loathing, and anger so that she can find healing, hope, and forgiveness.

Post-abortive women need our love, compassion, and support, not our judgment and condemnation.  Don’t shame them as they already carry the feeling of shame of their own action.

So, the next time you come across a woman that you know has an unplanned pregnancy or has had an abortion, don’t be quick to judge or make fun of them or gossip about them rather show them love and empathy.

Do check out the YouTube video, The Dark Secret: Life After Abortion by 100huntley, where 3 post-abortive women are interviewed about their journey of facing their abortion decision and finding hope and forgiveness.

I would love to receive your feedback on this post. Please share your thoughts in the comments section. Also, please I would appreciate it if you could please fill out the below survey about your abortion stance and your reason for your position:

Survey