Position Paper about Abortion - Pro
Your Choice Matters
Abortion
is one of the most controversial topics here in the Philippines. Abortion is a
procedure to end the pregnancy by removing the fetus or embryo in the uterus of
woman. Abortion remains illegal in the Philippines that’s why some woman are
attempting unsafe abortions privately like drinking herbal medicines, sharp
took with force, or through other traditional methods. Abortion opponents like Catholic
Church frequently contend that a fetus or embryo has a human right to live and
compare this procedure to murder.
Every woman has the rights to decide for
herself especially if the situation may affect her life and health. People tend
to judge a woman who aborted her child disregarding the fact whether the
pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. That woman surely has reasons to do
such act for either being financially, physically, emotionally, or
psychologically unstable. The Philippine government should take measures to
legalize abortion in certain circumstances and provide sexual and reproductive
health information and services, according to the U.N. Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR Committee). In the catholic, church abortion
is a criminalization because they believe in the bible that when kill the fetus
in the embryo of women or when you kill the fetus the equivalent of that is
killing a human being. Article 11 of the 1987 Philippine recognition says, in
part “section 12”. The state “recognize the sanctity of family life and
shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic of autonomous social
institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother of the unborn from
conception”.
Physicians
and midwives who perform abortions in the Philippines with the consent of a
pregnant woman may face up to six years in prison under the Philippine Revised
Penal Code Article 256, 258. 70% of unwanted pregnancies in the Philippines end
in abortion, according to the World Health Organization. Every year about
600,000 Filipino women get abortions, and many resort to unlicensed physicians,
use folk medicine, or try to self-induce themselves. In the Philippines, those
who seek abortions risk not just imprisonment but also the continual threat of
death because free and accessible facilities are out of reach. This leads to an
unsuccessful and risky abortion. Because of the improper and unprofessional way
of abortion, mother’s life may also be affected even after the process of
abortion. It is because Philippines prohibits abortion in medical facilities,
and by this, a pregnant woman may abort her child in any possible way, not
minding the possible effects that may cause health risks. The main point here is
to save women’s lives and prevent disability from unsafe abortion complication.
It was stated that in 2012 alone, 610,000 Filipino women induced abortion, over
100,000 women were hospitalized, and 1000 women died due to unsafe abortion
complications. Thus, if abortion is decriminalized, women will have an access
in safe abortion and post-abortion care in order to avoid maternal death and
complications brought by unsafe abortion.
Permitting abortion is also
respecting a woman’s decision for herself. It is a right of every human to
decide for the actions she’ll take. Decriminalizing abortion will eliminate the
judgmental act towards women who seek for abortion care. Women who are
suffering from unsafe abortion tends to have maternal death because they don’t
seek health care having the fear of prosecution and some are being denied by
the emergency treatment for they see their act of abortion as illegal and
helping them may also put their names in vain. Also, abortion provides incest
and rape survivors and sexually exploited women to have a chance to end their
unwanted pregnancy. The pregnancy may cause trauma, torture and injustice to
rape and incest survivors. And due to the condition that abortion is illegal,
it may lead again to unsafe abortion that later on will fall into complications
and disabilities, or worse, death.
Legalizing abortion in the
Philippines ensures a woman’s safety when faced with unplanned pregnancies,
provides hope for rape victims and helps them in moving on with their lives,
and protects women’s rights. My Body, My Choice. There’s no place for religion
in healthcare. It is one of the rights as a woman to make a decision for her
especially if it is concerning her health and future. No one can decide except
her. The fetus has no rights because it is not a fully developed human. Strictly
speaking, then, society has no legal responsibility to the fetus, but rather to
the mother. If a pregnancy causes a negative condition and complications to a
woman, then abortion is an option, rather than a crime.
Reference:
The
Pro-Choice Argument by Tanya Luhrman from The Harvard Crimson
Abortion
as a Right: Arguments for Pro-Choice from Ultius (2014)
Reasons
Why We Need to Decriminalize Abortion by
Clara Rita A. Padilla of EnGendeRights, Inc.
