Abortion: The double edged sword

Abortion is nothing but the termination of pregnancy by removal or expulsion of fetus from the uterus resulting in or caused by its death. Whether to legalize abortion or not is a question faced by governments and policy makers all over the globe.

Abortion is a life saver for women with complications in their pregnancy. It is always advisable to discontinue such pregnancies at the earliest before they pose a threat to the life of the mother. Abortion is also a blessing in disguise for fetuses with multiple congenital disorders, metabolic or chromosomal disorders. Very often these children once born are not just a burden for the society but also a misery for the young parents. Such children who are mocked and alienated by the society often go in for depression and other psychological disorders. His own life becomes a burden for him. Think about the girls who are victims of rape or sexual abuse. Does anyone advocate that she needs to bear the insult for it throughout her life? She has every right to abort such pregnancies and move forward in life with dignity. This is when abortion becomes a boon for young girls. Moreover, this miracle called abortion has been welcomed by women all over the globe. The monstrous number of abortions done annually itself is self-explanatory. In the very last year the number of abortions done was around 42 million. Think about this 42 million getting added to our already exploding population every year. That is a crisis in itself.

But, not putting any restriction on abortion can also have untold consequences. Preference for the male child which is prevalent in our country since centuries is the main culprit. The sex determination test which could be easily done until a few years ago very often led to abortion once the fetus was found to be a girl. It was once the main cause for the ever deteriorating sex ratios in our country. This way, abortion was misused for a very long time which forced the government to formulate stringent laws against it. Abortion is a serious procedure that has to be done with at most care by a well trained individual. Even then, certain complications cannot be ruled out. In our country where there is an acute shortage of doctors most of the abortions are done by quacks.

The Association of Medical Consultants state that there are around 1.5million quacks practicing in India alone. That is definitely a huge number. The complications become much more significant when abortions are conducted by such quacks. These include risks to subsequent pregnancies, premature births, ectopic pregnancy, uterine perforations, hemorrhage and even death. Mother is the essence of life. Endangering her life is against humanity. Again, the need for abortions in pregnancies resulting from unsafe sex is questionable. Especially after the advent of contraceptives which are widely available these days, abortions can be avoided in majority of these situations.

Abortion is a double edged sword. When used in the right circumstances, their advantages are many not just for the mother, but also for the fetus and society. But when misused, it is 'anti-life' and should be considered in the same lines of murder.

About the Author:

Sara Jaison is a II MBBS student at Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore. She takes acute interest in elocution and essay writing. She completed her primary and higher education in Oman and has contributed write ups to ‘Times of Oman’ as well.

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