Abortions: Pro-life or Pro-choice?

The topic of abortion is a very delicate one because it has to do with life and procreation, and whenever it is put up for debate, we never seem to find a winner with the best stance on the issue.

Abortion is a deliberate effort towards ending a pregnancy. It involves removal of foetus or embryo at the early stage of pregnancy due to a variety of reasons.

Some persons, in fact, a large number of them think it is a very bad thing to do, while others think women should be allowed to make life choices without being questioned. 

First of all, let's look at this delicate topic from the root. Why do people opt for abortions?

There are number of reasons people opt for abortions. 

People say no one gets pregnant by mistake. This particular statement is true yet flawed, in the sense that certain circumstances are unavoidable.

Because you have access to medical facilities and education doesn't cross out the fact that there are so many people who don't have this privilege.

Not everyone is educated enough to know that there are other modes of contraception other than condoms.

What happens when a girl is raped and unfortunately gets pregnant? Do you still advice her to keep it? Certainly not! If she has that child, she would be traumatized for life because seeing that child everyday reminds her of the sad incident.

There are stories of young girls in boarding schools who got pregnant, not by mistake, but as a result of their quest for adventure. They got rid of the pregnancy using things like hangers and boiling rings. They insert it into their vagina and twist it, thereby distorting the position of the foetus and getting rid of it. This process has led to the damage of the wombs of so many girls who later grow up to become unhappy women due to their inability to have children.

A large number of people who kick against abortion do this based on religious grounds. They believe it is the act of killing another human which is against God's commandments, forgetting that once a child is brought into the world, the parent(s) has to take full responsibility of the child and his/her needs.

What's the use of bringing a child into the world when you can barely take care of yourself as a woman?

At the end, everything falls on the woman. In the Nigerian society, there's this stigma around single mothers.

People have been made to believe that for a woman to be a single mother, she is irresponsible.

Pregnancy also jeopardizes a lot in the future of a young woman. So many women weren't able to reach their full potential in life because of a pregnancy which came as a surprise to them, but not as a mistake. It is common knowledge that the end result of having sexual intercourse is pregnancy if both parties are fertile and proper measures against it aren't taken.

It's a tough decision for many unmarried women, especially the ones who are unable to cater for themselves talk more of a child. Sometimes, they are even able to cater for the child but it is not on the top of their to-do list.

Women should be allowed to make this decision willingly.

Imagine having to abandon your dreams of becoming a lawyer or a surgeon simply because you got pregnant when you weren't supposed to. To top it all up, you now have a child to cater for without a means to do so. How amazing!

Aside not being ready for a child, some women, even married, are given the option of getting rid of their pregnancy because it is risky to their health.

Some may have to abort the child because it has been discovered to be having some abnormalities. Why have an abnormal child when you can just get rid of it when you can?

No matter how much people try to make the world a better place for people with abnormalities, it can never be like it is for normal people. Why bring a child into the world when you know it is coming to suffer?

Abnormalities like cerebral palsy, autism, amongst many others are not ones to let a child go through if you have the power. 

Watching a child go through pains is one of the most painful things any mother would want to experience.

Abortions should be legalized in every country because it is a way forward for women and the society at large. 

It would enable women have safe abortions which would reduce the high rates of deaths and womb damage caused by consulting quack doctors.

Abortions would enable more women achieve their dreams. It would put an end to pregnancy being a stumbling block between women and their dream careers.

It would reduce the rate of children with medical abnormalities in the world.

In addition, abortion would go a long way in containing the population influx in the world.

The decision to have an abortion or not is in the hands of the woman who is pregnant. 

Based on a recent survey, some men and women kick against abortion because, according to them, it is a sin against God and it is taking the life of another. They think no pregnancy is a mistake, and if you have an unwanted pregnancy, you are outrightly irresponsible. Others do not see any issue with having an abortion, but they cannot indulge in it because they feel their conscience would forever judge them.

Whatever your opinion is on this matter, this decision should be left in the hands of the woman who is pregnant and in some cases, her family.

If the lady in question is underaged, her parents can decide to allow her have an abortion as it may be the best decision for her at the time, or they can decide that she would keep the pregnancy. 

To sum this all up, every woman should be given the right to choose to keep a child or get rid of it. 

Young teenagers should be taught about the dangers of unprotected sex and all the methods of contraception available.

In as much as abstinence is preached, they may not always resist the temptation of trying out this "sacred thing" called sex which the society shies away from. The least you can do as an adult is teach them about modes of contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

I would love to hear your opinions about this topic. Please leave a comment below and don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you get to be the first to be notified when I post new content.

Also, please endeavor to share my posts for others to join The Olise family.

The time you spend reading my blog posts, sharing and commenting mean so much to me and I do not take it for granted. Thank you.