Abortion is a medical procedure that terminates an unplanned pregnancy. It is a vital health need for thousands of women, girls, and other pregnant women. There is an estimated one in four pregnancy outcomes resulting from abortion each year in the world. Have a look at these Facts About Abortion!
While the need to have an abortion is widespread but access to legal and safe abortion facilities is not always assured to those that require abortion services.
Access to abortion is among the most controversial globally, and the debate is obscured by misinformation about the real implications of limiting access to this essential medical treatment.
Here are the most important facts about abortion that every person ought to know.
PEOPLE have abortions EVERY DAY, NO MATTER WHAT the law says.
Aborting an unplanned pregnancy is a frequent choice that millions of women make – each year, about a quarter of all pregnancies terminate with an abortion.
Whether abortions are legal, women have to seek out and frequently access abortion services. As per Guttmacher Institute, a Guttmacher Institute, a US-based reproductive health non-profit organization, the rate of abortion is 37 per 1000 people in countries that ban abortion in all cases or allow abortion only in certain circumstances to save the life of a woman and 34 percent of individuals in countries that generally allow abortions and abortion, a distinction that isn’t statistically significant.
If performed by a certified healthcare professional under sanitary circumstances, abortions are among the most secure medical procedures, even safer than childbirth.
However, when governments limit access to abortions and abortion procedures, women turn to unregulated, unsafe abortions, especially those unable to travel to seek private treatment. That brings us to our next issue.
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The criminalization of abortion does not stop abortion. It just makes abortion FEWER SAFE.
The fact that women and girls are prevented from having abortions doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t need an abortion. Therefore, attempts to restrict or ban abortions don’t decrease how many abortions are performed. They only force individuals to look for unsafe abortions.
Unsafe abortions are classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as “a procedure to end an unintended pregnancy, carried performed by people who lack the required skills, or in the context that doesn’t conform to minimum medical standards or both.”
The researchers estimate around 25 million unsafe abortions occur each year, with the overwhelming majority occurring in countries needing assistance.
In contrast to a legally-approved abortion performed by a trained medical professional, unsafe abortions could result in devastating consequences. This is why unsafe abortions are the 3rd leading reason for maternal deaths worldwide and cause five million mostly preventable disabilities, according to WHO.
The majority of deaths and injuries from unsafe abortion are preventable.
Injuries and deaths caused by unsafe abortions are avoidable. But such deaths are quite common within countries in which access to safe abortions is either restricted or completely prohibited because most females and girls that require abortion as a result of an unplanned pregnancy aren’t allowed to legally obtain one.
In countries that have such limitations, the law usually permits what is known as narrow exceptions to laws that prohibit abortion. This could apply to the case when a pregnancy is triggered by the incest of a woman or from instances of fatal and severe fetal defect, or when there is a danger to the health or life of the pregnant woman. Only a tiny percentage of abortions happen because of these reasons, which means that most girls and women who are subject to the laws may be forced to undergo unsafe abortions, putting their lives and health at risk.
Such laws impact people who are already marginalized because they cannot access safe and legal services in another country or access private health care. This includes girls and women with low incomes and refugees and immigrants, teenagers and bisexuals, lesbian cisgender gender non-conforming women, girls, and women or gender non-conforming persons who are minority or Indigenous women.
The WHO has observed among the primary steps to prevent fatalities and injuries to mothers is to make sure that all women have access to sexual education, have the ability to make use of effective contraception that is legal and safe abortion, and receive prompt treatment for any complications.
Evidence suggests that abortion rates increase in nations with the least access to contraception. The rates of abortion are lower when teens and adults are aware of and able to access modern contraceptive methods and when extensive sexuality education is provided, and access is available to legal and safe abortions on a broad basis.
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A LOT OF COUNTRIES are beginning to modify their laws to allow greater access to abortion.
In the past 25 years, over 50 nations have amended their laws to permit more abortion options and, in some cases, acknowledge the crucial role access to safe abortions can play in safeguarding women’s lives and health. Ireland was added to the list on May 25, 2018, when, through a long-anticipated referendum that was held in the country, citizens voted with an overwhelming majority to abolish the constitutional ban that covers nearly all abortion.
Despite the current trend to reform laws to reduce injury and deaths, some countries, such as Nicaragua and El Salvador, still have discriminatory and draconian laws that prohibit abortions in all situations. In reality, according to WHO that across the globe, 40 percent of women in childbearing reside in countries that have highly restricted abortion laws or in countries where abortion is legal but is not accessible or readily available. These states have abortions that are prohibited or are only allowed in extremely restricted situations, or when legal, it isn’t available due to numerous obstacles to accessing abortion.
Even in states that offer greater access to legal abortions, pregnant women are subject to multiple restrictions and obstacles to accessing services like fees, biased counseling, counseling, and mandatory waiting times. The WHO has issued technical guidelines to states regarding the need to recognize and eliminate such obstacles.
ABORT CRIMINALISING or RESTRICTING PREVENTS doctors from providing basic care
The laws that criminalize and restrict abortions hinder health care providers from performing their duties correctly and providing the most appropriate care options to their patients, following the best medical practices and their professional, ethical responsibilities.
Legalizing abortion causes a “chilling impact,” which means that medical professionals may not comprehend the legal boundaries or might apply the rules in a more restrictive manner than what is permitted by law. This could be due to many factors, including personal beliefs, the stigma associated with abortion, stereotypes that are negative about females and women, or fear of being held accountable for criminals.
This also discourages women from seeking treatment post-abortion for issues arising from unsafe abortions or other pregnancy-related complications.
Claire Malone is an 18-year-old woman from Ireland who was already a mother of 2 children. She shared her heartbreaking story to Amnesty International Ireland of how her health rights were violated due to her inability to obtain an abortion because of the strict laws in Ireland regarding abortion.
Claire has several complicated and life-threatening medical conditions, including pulmonary atresia and pulmonary hypertension. She had her lung taken out in the year 2014. If women suffering from developing hypertension pulmonary develop pregnancy and become pregnant, they’re at a high chance of becoming severely ill or dying during pregnancy. Claire is aware of this, and that is why she decided to ask for a termination but was refused by her medical professionals because the law did not allow them to take the decision.
“My doctors told me they could not provide a termination because my life wasn’t in danger in the present, And that was that. I’m aware that they’re legally bound. But I thought waiting until my health was bad enough that I was able to end up dying. It was too late by when it was. What makes a risk to my health as severe as it was already not enough? What do I have to endure before doctors are permitted for me to be treated?”
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It’s not just CISGENDER Women and GIRLS THAT NEED ABORTIONS.
It’s not just cisgender females as well as a girl (women and girls that were born female) that may require access to abortion options; however, some intersex persons are transgender, transgender men, and boys, as well as people of other gender identities that have the ability to reproduce and get pregnant.
One of the biggest obstacles to accessing abortions for these groups and individuals is the lack of access to healthcare. Furthermore, events that get healthcare access ld to be subject to stigma and prejudice when it comes to healthcare and assumptions that they do not require contraception or reproductive-related services and information. In certain situations, 28% of transgender or gender non-conforming persons have reported being harassed in healthcare settings, and 19 percent are denied medical care due to their transgender identity and higher rates in communities of color. This is because of many intertwined aspects of race and poverty and associated discrimination based on intersectional.
Advocates for sexual and reproductive rights and LGBTI rights advocates are battling to increase awareness about this issue and provide abortion services affordable and accessible for all those who need it, without discrimination based on any basis.
CRIMINALISING ABORTION IS A FORM OF DISCRIMINATION. THIS STIMMATES STIGMA
First, refusing medical services that include reproductive health care, which only certain persons require, is discrimination.
The committee responsible for the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, or the Treaty for the Rights of Women) has repeatedly said restrictive abortion laws are discriminatory against women. This is true for all women and those who may become pregnant because the CEDAW Committee has confirmed that the CEDAW Committee is confirming that the protections of CEDAW and the states’ obligations apply to all women. This means that they are discriminatory against bisexuals, lesbians, or transgender, especially in light of the particular gender-based discrimination they have to face.
The second reason is that the stigma surrounding abortion and gender stereotypes are related to the criminalization of abortion and other restrictive abortion laws and policies.
The very notion that abortion is illegal or unmoral can lead to the stigmatization of girls and women by health professionals
and family members, and the judiciary, to name a few. Therefore, girls and women who seek abortions are at risk of being harassed and discriminated against. A few women have reported being bullied and smacked by health care professionals in seeking abortion services or post-abortion treatment.
Access to safe abortion is A issue of HUMAN Rights.
The right to access safe abortion services is an individual right. According to international human rights laws, everybody is entitled to life and a right to health and free of discrimination, violence, torture, or inhumane treatment.
Law on Human Rights clearly states that your body’s decisions are yours to make. This is known as bodily autonomy.
To force someone to have an unplanned pregnancy or force them to look for an unsafe abortion violates their rights as human beings, including their rights to privacy and bodily autonomy.
In many instances, those who are forced to take unsafe abortions are also at risk of being punished and prosecuted, including the possibility of imprisonment. They could also be subjected to cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment and discrimination in, or exclusion from, essential post-abortion health services.
Abortion access is crucially tied to ensuring the rights of girls, women, and other women who may become pregnant and, therefore, attaining gender and social justice.
Amnesty International believes that everyone should be able to exercise their freedom and make the choices regarding their reproductive choices, including the time and date they have children. It is crucial that abortion laws are in line with respect and protect the rights of pregnant women and do not force them to take unsafe abortions.
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General Facts About Abortion
- The choice to have an abortion is yours. Don’t let anyone pressure you into having an abortion. Ensure that you know the procedure and make an informed choice about the best option for your baby and you.
- Abortion isn’t without risks. It is important to know the risks to your physical and emotional health before proceeding with any medical procedure. You have the right to be aware.
- Abortion won’t erase the entire issue. Women often believe that having an abortion will erase all confusion and worries and allow them to move forward with their lives. However, this is not the situation. It’s a life-changing incident that has consequences.
- There are many abortion options, dependent on the stage you’re in your pregnancy. Make sure you be able to discuss all the details of the procedure and know exactly what it means.
- Abortion ends a life. It is a fact that once abortion is over, the baby’s life is ended. The life of the infant can never be recreated.
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The Facts about Abortion in the USA
Guttmacher Institute Guttmacher Institute provides these facts regarding abortions within the United States:
- Abortion rates are declining across the USA and are at the lowest since 1973.
- Half of all pregnancies in American women are unplanned.
- Four out of 10 pregnancies result in the termination of the pregnancy.
- One out of 10 women will undergo an abortion before 20. Three in 10 women will have an abortion before age 45.
- A majority of women are around their mid-20s when they undergo an abortion.
- Teenagers account for 2 out of 10 abortions.
- Six out of 10 women who have had an abortion already have children. They aren’t sure they’re able to take care of another.
- Abortions are most prevalent among the most disadvantaged. 4 out of 10 women earn less than the poverty level.
It is also important to know the details about your child’s development:
- Your baby’s heart begins beating between 18 and 21 days following fertilization. In most women, the baby’s heart has begun to beat to the point that they start wondering whether they’re expecting.
- Your baby’s brainwaves may be observed within the first 40 days after fertilization.
- In the seventh through 10th week (when most abortions are carried out), fingers and genitals are visible, and the child’s face may be observed.