Choice vs Life? I Don't Think So.
Last month, I read an article regarding Ms. Magazine's decision to publish the names of women who where not ashamed of their decision to have an abortion. I had planned on writing about it then, but got caught up in my "real" life. If you Google 'Ms. Magazine' and 'abortion' you will find a range of news articles and blog posts from the anti-abortion-rights people and the pro- abortion-rights people. (I refuse to use the terms "pro-life and pro-choice because I believe everyone is in favour of both life and choice.) I like the article at MSNBC because it links to a message board that has some very articulate (and some very profane) messages regarding women and their rights. Check it out.
People in favour of a woman's right to choose are probably baffled by the fact that this is still an issue. After all, everyone knows that women have undergone abortions throughout history, with or without the consent of the male leaders of society. The only difference now is the option to have one performed by a competent medical professional as opposed to the infamous "back-alley abortions." I was not able to find any information of Saskatchewan regulations of abortion. However, anecdotally I believe in Saskatchewan abortions can be performed up to 12 weeks. In Alberta it is up to 20 weeks. Images used by anti-abortion-rights groups tend to be from late term abortions, when the foetus is more recognizably human. Late-term abortions are any done after 20 weeks, and are generally not performed unless the health of the mother or foetus is at risk.
I have no problem with people who oppose abortions. They have every right to believe that abortions are wrong. However, their personal beliefs should not impede people who feel that an abortion is the right choice for them. After all, I think that a fat man walking around without a shirt is nasty and wrong, but I'm not going to push for a law banning overweight men from going topless.
This past spring, South Dakota passed a law prohibiting abortion except in cases where the life of the mother was at risk. This included a ban in cases where the woman (or girl) became pregnant due to rape or incest. This ban was later rejected in a referendum during the mid-term elections. There have been other whispers from other states to enact similar laws, however with the Democrats now controlling the House and Senate, it seems unlikely anything will come of it. An example of extreme anti-abortion laws can be seen in El Salvador. There, aborting a foetus is the same as murder for the woman and the person performing the procedure. The rules are so strict, a doctor cannot terminate an ectopic pregnancy until either the foetus dies or the Fallopian tube ruptures, for fear of being charged.
I will end this post with a quote that I believe sums up the state of abortion rights in North America:
powered by ODEO
People in favour of a woman's right to choose are probably baffled by the fact that this is still an issue. After all, everyone knows that women have undergone abortions throughout history, with or without the consent of the male leaders of society. The only difference now is the option to have one performed by a competent medical professional as opposed to the infamous "back-alley abortions." I was not able to find any information of Saskatchewan regulations of abortion. However, anecdotally I believe in Saskatchewan abortions can be performed up to 12 weeks. In Alberta it is up to 20 weeks. Images used by anti-abortion-rights groups tend to be from late term abortions, when the foetus is more recognizably human. Late-term abortions are any done after 20 weeks, and are generally not performed unless the health of the mother or foetus is at risk.
I have no problem with people who oppose abortions. They have every right to believe that abortions are wrong. However, their personal beliefs should not impede people who feel that an abortion is the right choice for them. After all, I think that a fat man walking around without a shirt is nasty and wrong, but I'm not going to push for a law banning overweight men from going topless.
This past spring, South Dakota passed a law prohibiting abortion except in cases where the life of the mother was at risk. This included a ban in cases where the woman (or girl) became pregnant due to rape or incest. This ban was later rejected in a referendum during the mid-term elections. There have been other whispers from other states to enact similar laws, however with the Democrats now controlling the House and Senate, it seems unlikely anything will come of it. An example of extreme anti-abortion laws can be seen in El Salvador. There, aborting a foetus is the same as murder for the woman and the person performing the procedure. The rules are so strict, a doctor cannot terminate an ectopic pregnancy until either the foetus dies or the Fallopian tube ruptures, for fear of being charged.
I will end this post with a quote that I believe sums up the state of abortion rights in North America:
powered by ODEO
posted by Artemis at 1:23 PM
3 comments
