Abortion in woman's dilemma
8. Wouldn't the provision in the 1987 Constitution result in treating women who resort to abortion as criminals?
Why raise that issue now? Abortion has always been illegal or criminal ever since the civil code was made. The Revised Penal Code, in declaring abortion a crime to be punished, considers not just the women as culpable. Those who cause or practice abortion, including physicians, midwives, parents, husband, etc. suffer penalties. As a matter of fact, a much stiffer penalty (reclusion temporal and prision mayor) awaits those who cause abortion- intentional or unintentional - to happen, with or without acts of violence on the person of the pregnant women. The woman herself will undergo correctional custody.
9. But aren't malnutrition and child death which result from poverty - just as wrong and immoral-criminal, even? Isn't abortion the lesser evil?
Malnutrition and child deaths are wrong and immoral and must be addressed, specially at its roots. These are definitely significant problems.But they do not justify the taking of life of the unborn. Allowing abortion will not necessarily lessen poverty, malnutrition, and child deaths in our country; abortion will only be the easier way out of honestly confronting our problem.
The idea of having an abortion rather than bring up the children in hunger, poverty, and ignorance-often ending up in death, anyway-is an argument used by Margaret Sanger, the Mother of Modern Contraception and Planned Parenthood, when she wanted to clean up New York of the negro slums. The argument reveals a refusal of the pro-abortionist to face the fact that unless we begin to protest against unjust economic system and budget allocations, the number of hungry children will increase--not because there are more being born, but because the exploitation is more intensive. Appropriate slogans should be: Child Care, Not Warfare; Stop the Arms Race, Not the Human Race; Ban the Bomb but Not the Baby; or Food, Not Bullets.
10. Isn't abortion better than having an unwanted child?
"Being wanted" is a phrase which implies "having value". The implication seems to be that, in itself, the baby's life is of no value. It awaits someone to want it. When a child is unwanted, abortion is certainly an extremist response - taking the life of the unwanted child. This same rationale shocked the world when millions of unwanted lives were taken under Hitler's direction in World War II.Of course, an unwanted child is certainly a human problem, and we should strive for human solutions. It is a frightening concept to use being "wanted" as a leverage on whether a human life is allowed to live; that the unwanted can be eliminated.
Adoption agencies are loaded with applicants for adoption, meaning that there are many who want the children if the mothers are unable to raise them up for one reason or another.
11. If you know a child will be born deformed or retarded, isn't it better to terminate his or her life before birth?
This presumes that handicapped people enjoy life less than "normal" ones. A well-documented investigation has shown that there is no truth to this: "There is no difference between malformed and normal persons in their degree of life satisfaction, outlook of what lies immediately ahead, and vulnerability to frustration."If death is preferable to living with a handicap, there is no logic or rational line to draw between the killing of pre-born children because they're defective, the killing of post-born children because they're defective.
Even if all such defective children would be aborted, and test might be in error so that a defective child was able to "slip through" (was born), should one then follow the logical course and kill that child after birth? If no after, why before birth?
Defective children, as well as the normal ones, are extremely vulnerable to the damages brought about by inadequate safeguards and care - both before and after birth - that will ensure their development as healthy, critically-aware, competent, and productive members of society. The problem, therefore, requires compassion and support, not condemnation and further oppression. The mother, the father, the whole community, or the whole society can more forcibly demand for the establishment of vital support systems, budgetary support and legislation to protect children (born and unborn); and participate in the restructuring of a new order that is more responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Filipino children.
12. Does the protection of the unborn child conflict with the woman's rights?
The woman's right to exercise control or to determine what she does over her own body is certainly important and must be affirmed. For example, the woman has both the right and ability to determine whether or not she will convince children.Once she has become pregnant, however, it is no longer a question of her body alone. The life of a human individual, distinct and separate from the mother's is now existent.
It is also true that many women assume the consequences of decisions that they have not made, e.g. decisions as to where to establish residence are usually dependent on the father/husband. The fact that they are often not in control or they do not participate in many decisions that crucially affect their lives makes the empowerment of women an important concern.
Unfortunately, the woman's right to exercise control of her body cannot be at the expense of an innocent life - hers.
It should also be noted that society has never permitted man or woman the absolute control of their own bodies. Prostitution, drug abuse, self mutilation, abortion, and the suicide have always been forbidden.
In the following cases, the mother's health or life is seriously endangered by the pregnancy. This is a dilemma with medical and moral implications.
Cases of ectopic pregnancies and cancerous uterus
Even if it has been ascertained that either the mother or the fetus will die, the doctor should maintain the principle of saving both lives. One life may be lost in the process, but only per accident, that is, without intending it.
The situation calls for the upholding of the principle of double affect which allows the performance of an action that "will produce a good effect and an bad effect, provided the good effect and not the evil effect is directly intended; the action itself is good or at least indifferent; the good affect is not produced by means of the evil effect; and there is a proportionate reason for permitting the foreseen evil effect to occur."
However, advances made in the field of medicine seemed to have eliminated such extreme cases as having to choose between the saving the mother's life or that of the fetus.
Also, the situation calls for the state's support - specially among the marginalized sectors - for the treatment of the problem. If funds are available for abortion programs, birth control programs, or population control programs, why not for programs that save lives?
13. How about pregnancies resulting from rape?
Pregnancies resulting from rape are so rare as to be virtually non-existent. There are several factors contributing to this. However, medical research indicates that an extremely high percentage of women exposed to severe emotional trauma will not ovulate. The rape itself acts as a psychological "birth control."How much does killing the child help the raped women? Righting a wrong with another wrong isn't the answer. What is needed is immediate medical care and counseling. Rape victims need our help to overcome their emotional problems, even if they do not become pregnant. The few who do become pregnant need additional help, i.e. financial, medical, and moral support. Abortion, as a solution, "not only kills the fetus, but also kills any care and love that society could have offered the aggrieved mother."
While it is true that many pregnancies even within marriage occur due to sexual exploitation or intimidation, abortion is still not the answer. Education and discipline in sexual responsibilities should be emphasized.
Our country should begin to put up Rape Treatment Centers for emergency assistance to rape victims. A non-judgmental and compassionate staff must be trained to run these centers.
14. Would legalizing abortion help restrict the damage done to women by "clandestine" or back-alley" abortions that endanger their health and even their lives?
Legalized abortion does not reduce the number of illegal abortions. Drs Hilgers and Shearin of the Mayo Clinic discovered that when permissive abortion laws were passed in eight European countries, the number of illegal abortions stayed about the same. In two other countries, the number of illegal abortions actually increased."There are several reasons attributed to this:
- Suppose you are poor and your man has left you. There is long waiting list at the public hospital and much red tape you don't understand. You are frantic to "get rid or it." A friend tells you of someone who will. You go there.
- Suppose you are a married woman, and you become pregnant by another man. Your husband has been away for some time, and he knows this would not be his child. He must never know that you've become pregnant, so you have it done illegally.
- Suppose you are a prominent citizen and you (or your daughter) get pregnant out of wedlock. You wish to avoid scandal. Hospital procedures are available, but you cannot take the risk of disclosure, so you have it done in the privacy of an illegal situation.
15. What are some of the risks taken by women when they have abortion?
Women exposes themselves to the risk of complications. The most common complication is sepsis and hemorrhage. This is because abortion procedures such as insertion of a catheter, instrumentation, insertion of foreign bodies, were not aseptically done.Other complications include uterine perforation, shock related to surgery, anesthesia complications, cervical laceration. Death is also reportedly caused by severe anemia, septicimia, thrombobo- cytopenic purpura, and complicating pneumonia.
Other effects of abortion on subsequent pregnancies and subsequent children are:
- Sterility. Some older women would not mind if they become sterile, but more abortions are done in young ladies.
In Dra. Valenzuela's study, most cases of induced and spontaneous abortions are centered within the 20-29 age group. The proportion of teen-agers who had induced abortions (16.5%) is greater than among women who had normal deliveries (11.5%) and almost triple those with spontaneous abortions (6.2%).
In 1971 documented report of induced abortions, it was mentioned that once you've had an abortion, it would be harder to get pregnant in the future even if you want to.
- Subsequent habitual spontaneous miscarriage. Studies indicated that after having had an abortion, women did had spontaneous miscarriage and continued to have habitual miscarriage in later pregnancies.
- Increase in tubal pregnancies . The suction and scraping of the uterine lining sometimes causes scarring, so that later on, the fertilized egg cannot move normally down and out of the tube to nest in the uterine wall. The growing zygote then nests and starts to grow in the mother's tube. Within a few weeks, this causes an acute abdominal pain with internal hemorrhage necessitating an emergency operation and removal of the tube.
The substantial increase of the number of premature birth to women with a history of abortion is supported in several countries, i.e. Hungary were the overall prematurity rate increased from 7 per cent in 1954 to 12 percent in 1968; abortion was legalized in 1956.
16. What services and means of protection are to be given to the mother and her unborn child?
For a women coping with unexpected/unwanted/unplanned pregnancy. This created a crisis that profoundly affect her future and her child's. A pregnancy is more than just a physical happening. It is an emotional and psychological experience, with emotional stress shared by those concerned individuals close to her: the father, her parents, and friends.Special care and support systems are essential to protect the well being of both mother and child. These include special services in the areas of: medical, residential, educational, legal, counseling, prenatal and post-natal guidance, and if desired, adoption information, day care, and other foster home care and community resources.
Protection of the mother and the unborn child also includes adequate family planning services, where man and woman are oriented to become responsible sexual partners, are fully informed of their fertility potential so that they can make appropriate decisions based in their own capabilities, and become open to each gift of a new life, living within the faith dimension that their own Creator has called them to be co-creators of God's children on earth.
If the mother and the unborn child deserve special protection and care, it is because both are specially vulnerable to the damages brought about by the existing order.
Attempts at safeguarding their interest must extend beyond the framework of improving maternal and child care and other service deliveries. Programs and action must also contribute in the restructuring of the present social order that pushes people to become more weak and defenseless.
Ratification of the 1986 Constitution (within which is enshrined the protection for the unborn) will not be sufficient to stop abortion. Congress will have to pass supportive laws that will effectively deter criminal abortion and establish support systems for the protection of both mother and unborn child.
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