Yesterday, I read an article discussing how infanticide is on the rise in Pakistan. This is of course disturbing in and of itself, however, I believe that anti-abortion groups need to take a look at this situation.
The article states that abortion is illegal in Pakistan. So, in desperation women commit infanticide instead. While the effect is the same in abortion and infanticide, I believe that infanticide is worse. One reason abortion is controversial is because different people have different definitions of when the dividing group of cells becomes a baby. Once a women reaches her full term and gives birth, there can be no doubt that it is a baby being killed. Additionally, with abortion, the horror of the act is confined to the mother and the doctor performing the procedure. Can you think how horrible it would be to find a baby dead in the dumpester?
Additionally, making abortion illegal does not stop "back alley" abortions. These can be very dangerous to the mother's health. If a woman is going to get an abortion anyways, then she should have access to safe, clean facilities. Even if one sees abortion as taking a life, having a safe abortion could be seen as saving a life. Furthermore, the life of the mother could be seen as more valuable than that of the fetus/baby because she has created more social connects and thus there are more people that care about what happens to her.
So, pro-lifers in this country can look to countries where abortion is illegal and see the results. Undoubtedly, any country that outlaws abortion will see similar outcome, to a certain degree. While the infanticide in Pakistan can be largely seen as a byproduct of poverty, if abortion were illegal here, then some women would inevitably see infanticide as their only option.
Abortions are like drugs, you can make them illegal, but they will not stop. Illegal abortions could be sought. Others will induce a miscarriage through herbal means. If a woman eats excess amounts of parsley, it can cause a miscarriage. Will parsley have to be outlawed? How do we imprison someone for excess parsley consumption?
Nobody likes the idea of abortion. However, outlawing it will be a greater harm to society than having them legal. While we might label abortion as murder, we cannot truly judge a women for her decision to get an abortion because we are not walking in her shoes. It is the women that has to live with the knowledge of what she has done. If we believe that abortion is a sin, let God be the judge of it, not us.
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