The Question of Abortion
A Debate Position
Is it a &=
nbsp; MORAL &n=
bsp; =
; RELIGIOUS =
; ETHICAL <=
/span>
MED=
ICAL &=
nbsp; LEGAL &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; EXISTENTIAL
PRACTICAL &=
nbsp; ECONOMIC
SOCIO CULTURAL <=
/span>or
RACIAL (eugenic) issue?
We have heard arguments along each of these lines
numerous times. There are arguments re - foetal
/ maternal conflict; foetal rights - and there have even been published
papers raising the subject of foetal confidentiality - whether the foetus h=
as a
right to confidentiality in respect of blood test results performed in utero which perhaps the parents should not know about=
- in my mind this represents the height =
of the
ridiculous!
Are people legally or morally ‘entitled’ to abortion or to=
choice.
Do people ‘own’ their own bodies and therefore do they have the righ=
t to
do what they want to their bodies - (parallel scenarios exist in relation t=
o drugs
self harm etc)
So is the foetus
part of your own body and if not when does it stop being part of mother=
and
become a new being - introducing the concept of self or ‘personh=
ood.’
In considering the question of abortion and the ethics involved there are a=
lso ‘Fudging’ issues such as tim=
ing -
1st trimester (the earlier the more OK it seems)
reasons
- OK? Rape
maternal illness
=
&nb=
sp; &=
nbsp; not so OK? Girls age
not OK single financial limit nu=
mber
children
Ser=
vice
issues - include access to services and availability -=
the
control of access to services =
can be
a subtle way of effecting an imposition of others ideas by limitation of
access. There are always conflicts between the issues of conscientious
objectors versus the concept of duty to provide best possible care.
One could tackle the question of abortion from a=
n academic viewpoint or from moralistic preaching of my person=
al
views. One could also become tied up in statistics and papers - opinions and
figures. This is a fertile ground for dogma and people taking a
‘stance’ a pose which can nearly always be backed up by product=
ion of
some statistics and rates - B=
ut how
does this relate to PEOPLE to REAL PEOPLE - what we would call=
case
histories, although the term itself belies their individual nature as feeli=
ng,
hurting people.
When I was a medical student I spent time at
Looking at Young
People - Decisions are hard, it can be agonising to choose abortion but
sometimes it is the right choice. But who makes the decisions? Sometimes th=
ere
are conflicts within the family or with a boyfriend and it can be equally
disastrous for a young girl to have an abortion against her own will or to =
be
denied one because of other’s views and feelings. Timing is also an important factor. Girls conceal or deny pregn=
ancy
through fear of the consequences or to protect their boyfriends with the re=
sult
that often those whose need for termination is greatest are denied or are t=
oo late
for an abortion or have the most dangerous (later) procedures. Decision making is complex and dep=
ends
on the emotional and psychological development of the girl - an example of =
two
sisters illustrates this. Carol and Susan became pregnant in similar
circumstances but Carol had dropped out of school and had no prospects for a
bright future - she became a schoolgirl mother at 15. Susan had done well in
exams, was the bright hope of the family - they had invested a lot in her
future and she was promised a good career - a baby at 15 was not in anyone&=
#8217;s
plans and so she bravely waited until her 16th birthday and then
came for abortion counselling. Her decision was not easy but it was the rig=
ht
one for her - she was looking at her future - but in order to do so you nee=
d to
have a sense of future which some young people have not yet acquired, and y=
ou
also need a future worth investing in.
What is the Motivation
behind the abortion question? Most if not all of factors involved in the de=
cision
making process surrounding the abortion debate have in fact nothing to do w=
ith the
foetus or developing child. A=
rguments
purporting to consider the welfare of the foetus are in effect merely used =
emotively
as justification of a position=
and
as a displacement of true feel=
ings
and motivations.
If in fact one truly cared about the foetus - wo=
uld one
not look at the quality of life for
the child of an unwanted pregn=
ancy -
apart from the obvious cases of children with a congenital defect - apparen=
tly ‘normal’
children born of an unwanted pregnancy have been reported to suffer from a
catalogue of difficulties such as ill health and are more likely to suffer =
non
accidental injury.
For example a girl who kept her baby ‘for =
her
boyfriend’ watched as he held the four week child under a hot tap cau=
sing
severe scalds. Having babies =
is not
all happiness and fun .. Dora was depressed thro=
ughout
pregnancy, hinted she would like an abortion but could not bring herself to
discuss it - her baby was the result of incest with her father. Another girl
was forced by her pastor to keep her child conceived through sexual abuse b=
y a
neighbour. SPUC talks of ‘violence against the innocent’ is this
not violence against the innocent? These girls are further abused by being
forced to carry their babies to term and give birth to unwanted children.
Unwanted children are also more likely to suffer=
increased
socio-economic difficulty; have less Education and less stable marriages (parents
and child) - they are subject to rejection and many end up in the care syst=
em.
Our answers to the abortion question are dependa=
nt
on how we perceive the child? What=
do we
attribute to the foetus? Invest in the foetus. This is based on our own=
‘inner
world’ - Looking at the concept of inner child, inner adult and inner
parent -
P
A practical, knowl=
edge
facts
C
a yo=
ung
abused rejected girl will identify with and see the foetus as an ‘int=
ernal
object ... inner self .. inner child. Such over-=
identification
will result in a feeling of - if I was rejected - how can I now reject R=
16;myself’
the foetus is seen as part of herself - she cannot therefore make a decisio=
n to
terminate her pregnancy even if logically this is the best course of action=
for
her.
For all of us to an extent, there is a similar
mechanism - the developing foetus is felt as part of ourselves - leading to=
the
male feeling of rejection (of sperm .. bible see=
d) .. get rid of my baby .. get r=
id of
me. This feeling can extend t=
o the
third party - for example professional or anti abortion campaigner who may =
be
identifying with the rejection and thus bringing their own personal agenda =
into
the argument. They are arguing for themselves - not for the ‘foetus’.
Symbolism - what does the child stand for - part=
of
me - inner child or part of h=
im ...
bit he left behind leading to feelings like - ‘at least I’ll ha=
ve
something when he’s gone’ the foetus becomes ‘something to
keep hold of’ and ̵=
6;maybe
he won’t leave me now’.
When others become emotional about abortion they=
are
bringing their own inner feelings and concepts into the equation rather than
seeking true answers to the question of abortion. These feelings also encom=
pass
anger punishment and retribution with a need to control - as in the mother =
who
insisted her daughter carry her baby to term because she herself was forced=
to
do the same as a teenager ‘your bed, lie on it!’. Jealousy and
vindictiveness can surface when those who want a child are faced with what =
they
see as ‘someone getting rid of’ a baby - thus verbal attacks on
girls in gynaecology wards by women having infertility treatment.
So we have a situation where others attempt to
control and impose their own standards, ‘morals’ and feelings on
others - instead of exercising compassion and looking at each individual re=
membering
that ‘there but for grace of God go I’.
*