ABORTION AFFECTS ALL

Jun 01, 2018 Editorial

Abortion is a complex issue. It is one of those issues that surfaces from time to time and on which there has not been consensus. That is because discussions on abortion are usually filled with emotion, as there are strong views for and against it. Religious and pro-life groups are fiercely opposed to abortion, while Pro-choice organizations support abortions and make sure their views and beliefs are known about it. The former believe that human life is a sacred continuous process from conception through pregnancy, birth, growth to adulthood and to natural or accidental death. For them, to deliberately destroy an innocent human life after conception is wrong, plain and simple.
Abortion in Guyana is legal during the first eight weeks of pregnancy, but only if it is done with the consent of the pregnant woman and by a licensed medical practitioner. However, it is illegal after eight weeks, except in cases where it endangers a woman’s health. Abortion can be legally performed between 12 and 16 weeks, but only if the life of the woman or fetus is in danger. After 16 weeks, abortion is only possible in the case of severe health-related issues or if the pregnancy occurred during rape, incest or other unwanted circumstances.
Throughout much of the 20th century, abortion was officially illegal in Guyana, but rarely were the laws against it ever enforced. The World Health Organization found that 67 percent of men and 82 percent of women believe the government should not determine if or when a woman should end her pregnancy, and 76 percent of men and 74 percent of women are against any change in the law to allow the termination of pregnancy just because the woman does not want a child.
Abortion is the removal of an embryo or fetus in order to end a pregnancy before the fetus (unborn child) can live independently outside the mother. Statistics have shown there is an average of 30,000 reported cases of abortion every year, most of which are repeat abortions as a result of the serious lack of family planning and counselling services. Another 15,000 cases are not reported each year, which gives us the idea that most of these abortions are done privately at home and elsewhere other than in hospitals.
These private abortions are dangerous and unsafe because they are performed in most cases by people who lack the necessary medical skills, or in places that do not meet medical standards, or both.
Contrary to many views, abortion is a difficult procedure, it could lead to complications, and in some cases it could result in death. Most women seeking abortions are under 30 years of age and are either unmarried or are separated from their spouse or feel that they are not ready for the responsibility of raising a child as a single parent. Many are poor and feel that they cannot afford to raise a child properly, or that they are too young and not sufficiently mature to become a mother. Others might want to further their education and develop a career or may be pressured by their parents or even by their partners to have an abortion.
The government should join with other institutions such as the religious organisations to educate the population and to raise the awareness that there is a solution to the issue of abortion, and that to abort a fetus could have long term consequences that in some cases may be difficult to overcome. The truth is, abortion not only affects those who abort fetuses, it affects us all in varying ways.

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