Tish’s Corner: Should Abortion Be Accepted As A Method Of Birth Control?

Abortion in its simplest form is terminating a pregnancy. According to the American heritage dictionary, it is the “Termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a foetus that is incapable of survival”.

When it comes to abortion, we have the well known Suction aspiration, where a powerful suction tube with a sharp cutting edge is inserted in the womb through the cervix. This suction destroys the body of the developing baby and tears the placenta from the wall of the uterus, sucking blood and other tissues into a bottle.

Abortion has become the norm of life, yet most anti-abortionist says it is killing and killing is a crime. They are fighting so hard to prevent its legalization in many part of the world.

Others see it from a different perspective and thinks legalizing abortion would go a long way to exonerate us all from certain situations, since the penalty for producing an unwanted child outweighs the aborting of a foetus. What are some of these situations they are so much concern about ?

Abortion is frowned upon in the Ghanaian society. Several women who get entangled in pregnancy mess do end up in the hands of quack doctors or use potion, sharp objects, coat hangers, clamps and other instruments that come in handy. This does not put only the baby’s life at risk, but also the mother.

Secondly, birth control and family planning contributes immensely to the success of our economy, the school systems and even the health of the mother.

Again, the increase in birth rate affects family economy, which hampers the social strata of society and has negative impact on the child’s psyche.

Abortion prevents women from repeating mistakes and being forced to raise unwanted babies which in most cases lead to child abuse and a generation full of abusers, murderers, serial killers, rapists, criminals etc.

At this point, you may have be wondering, what about contraceptives? Believe it or not, the use of contraceptives are not very dependable or a 100% guarantee. There are so many contraceptive pills, patches and shots that are not reliable, which makes some women see abortion as a convenient way of controlling birth.

Moreover, there are many instances where fathers do not step forward or take full responsibilities, in such situations, what will the woman opt for?

However, let’s not get comfy with “ almighty abortion”, since it has its disadvantages. Abortion is a sticky and controversial subject to touch, yet it is important to educate the public.

Therefore, you might want to consider the following disadvantages before throwing in your two cents or even deciding the fate of your unborn child.

1. Death- According to World Health Organization, every year in the world, an estimated 40-50 million women faced with an unplanned pregnancy decide to have an abortion. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day. Legal abortion does not mean safe abortion. Abortion is abortion. Death is obviously the most immediate, drastic “complication”, says Randall O’Bannon. According to the voice of revolution, “annually, 46 million babies die from abortion worldwide. That’s approximately one baby being aborted every two seconds” , not to talk about the mothers who bleed to death. Abortion can be brutal and fatal for both the baby and woman.

2. Infertility- Abortion damages the womb, scars up the uterus that hinders implantation. This reduces ones chance of having children in the future. Some end up having their womb completely removed. Seeking “refuge” in abortion can lead to a slim chance of getting pregnant again. Mind you, most marriages collapse due to infertility.

3. Psychological impairment- Depression, living with the guilt and all sorts of disorders destroy women who had had an abortion. They are emotionally, physically and socially traumatized.

Despite all the disadvantages of abortion, many will still deduce that, abortion should be the sole and primary means of birth control, because the right to do with one’s body should be up to the woman and not others to decide whether or not a woman can deem abortion as a reliable form of birth control. ….

What are your views on this issue? Should people rely on abortion as a form of birth control? If yes, why and if no, what are your reasons……

Before writing this post, I did a bit of opinion poll and here’s what the street had to say:

RACHAEL: I don’t believe abortion should be used as birth control. It should only be used for emergency situations, like rape, incest or if the person is very young but otherwise, women should use other forms of BC and be smarter. I am borderline pro choice though. But it can’t be abused just when girls feel it.

LYDIA: If a woman decides to have an abortion, it’s her right, ain’t nobody’s business. What happened to “RIGHTS AND FREEDOM IN THE COUNTRY”? Gush, people should have a life. Talk about anti-abortionist my a**.
JUNIOR (was with Lydia)- There are simpler and less evasive forms people can rely on. Abortion should not be a choice. Everyone should have the right to live, just as every woman has the right to abort a baby.

STEPHANIE: Abortion should be discouraged all over the world except on medical grounds.

ISAAC: Abortion is a cold blooded murder. I totally agree, however, giving birth to an unwanted child, refusing him the best care, abusing him from birth to 18yrs. Or over is the same as aborting it. Child abuse is the worst crime. They turn to the criminals and killers on our streets. It consequences is too great. I support and favour abortion.

Now, what is your take on abortion?