Advances in medical science have proved beyond doubt that the human embryo or foetus is biologically separate from its mother. From the moment of conception, after the sperm penetrates the egg, a new individual comes into existence, genetically different from its mother and father. Far from being part of the mother, the baby is in fact foreign tissue to the mother. But there is a strong emotional bond between the mother and this 'foreign tissue' and as a result of this, abortion can be a traumatic experience.
There are many reasons for deciding to seek an abortion, These commonly include not being ready to raise a child, problems with (or absence of) a male partner, the need to get an education or keep a job, poverty, the need to care for other young children, health problems, lack of social support, the diagnosis of foetal abnormalities, and pregnancy by rape or incest. Doctors are legally required to obtain a patient's informed consent for any medical procedure. Informed consent means that a patient has been given enough information about the procedure's risks, complications and alternatives to make a knowledgeable decision about having it. Informed consent is a well-established part of abortion care today. During the informed consent process, women are told how an abortion is done and about the risks, complications and alternatives. Advice on abortion can be sought from doctors in Ireland, but actual abortion is still illegal. In countries where abortion has been legalized, the patients are given the opportunity to ask questions and to have their questions fully answered. Before a doctor will perform an abortion, he or she will make sure each patient is certain about her decision. Some doctors refuse to perform abortions because of their religion.
It is diffucult to undersrand why any mother would want to abort her child when she is aware that she is killing a part of herself. What drives a woman to do this? Pro-abortionists would argue that it is the mother's right to make this decision, that it is her body and that the law should not prevent her from having an abortion. It is this type of religious and moral point of view which effects the current laws in Ireland and there have been many referenda to try and change existing laws, to no avail. The problem is not confined to the Republic alone, almost 8,000 women in Ulster, including 135 school girls aged 15 and under, have had abortions in the past five years. The number of women having abortions in Northern Ireland has remained steadily the same; in 1996 there were 1,573, in 1997 there were 1,572, in 1998 there were 1,581, in 1999, 1,430 abortions had taken place and in 2000 there were 1,528 abortions.
It is estimated that some 25 per cent of all human pregnancies terminate in abortion, with three out of four abortions occurring during the first three months of pregnancy. The Pro-Life movement defends the right of the unborn child to live and tries to do this by showing the barbaric way in which abortions are performed. These anti-abortionists claim that the foetus suffers pain during the procedure. Films such as "The Silent Scream" deliberately focus on the horror of abortion and tend to exploit the viewer's emotions. Abortion of any kind is illegal in Ireland today and as a result if this, partial birth abortions and backstreet abortions take place regularly and are endangering the lives of women. Many people feel that abortion is wrong. These views may have been influenced by the Roman Catholic church and its anti-abortion teachings. The catholic church teaches that abortion and euthanaisa are contravening one of the ten commandments: "Thou shalt not kill".
Many people oppose abortion because of the horrible way in which it is done. Pro-choice doctors have "tidied up" the way in which they do it nowadays, they can use a pill called RU-486 which kills the child at a very early stage. Abortion also poses a risk to the woman's health. Internal bleeding is caused when the hook that scrapes the foetus out, also scrapes the woman's womb, prohibiting her from having children again. It would appear, therefore, that the abortion debate is not just a moral issue but a very important health issue.Those in favour of abortion are not promoting murder as anti-abortionists would have us believe.They are promoting the woman's right to choose and they are protecting women's health by saving them from backstreet butchers!
The question of legalizing abortion in Ireland is a complex issue which will not be resolved overnight. Ireland is not the only country in which abortion is illegal, it is also illegal in many Catholic and Islamic countries, although it may be carried out in cases where the mother’s life is immediately at risk. Abortion is legal in France and Italy, while in England, Wales, and Scotland abortion has (since the 1967 Abortion Act) been free on demand and is available on the National Health Service. A woman seeking an abortion has to secure the agreement of two doctors rather than just one. This is the only medical procedure in the United Kingdom where this is required. Earlier this year,there was an"abortion boat" that docked off the coast of Dublin, providing abortion services for Irish women. Although the boat was in Irish waters, the Government ignored the fact that women were having abortions "on board" as the boat was not actually on Irish soil. This "turning a blind eye" is ironic when one considers that the same government has refused to legalize abortion despite the obvious demand from the women of Ireland.
Having considered the arguments for and against abortion, I believe that that rights of the unborn child should be defended. If abortion was legalized in Ireland then there would be no hope for these unborn children. At the same time, the Irish Government must not ignore the dangers of backstreet abortions carried out by unqualified people. They must provide more support for women who are seeking abortions and show them that there is an alternative.
