Abortion: A Global Health Crisis With Severe Consequences - Essay Sample

Introduction

Abortion is a highly debatable and a very heated topic around the world. It is a significant health issue among women around the world. Abortion has severe consequences, especially unsafe abortion, including physical complications such as genital trauma, sepsis and hemorrhage and even deaths (Prada et al. 52). This has led people to oppose abortion around the world. In developed country, among every 1000 reproductive-aged women, around 46 abortions were performed in 1990 which went down to 27 abortions in 2014 as depicted below in the figure (Levy, 1).

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Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/data-mine/articles/2018-03-21/abortion-rates-where-and-why-theyre-falling

This decrease was majorly driven by liberal abortion regulations and laws. However, the developing countries, due to the restrictive regulatory framework for abortions, witnessed a drop of 36% from 39% per 1000 women during the same period (Levy, 1). Also, abortion practices date back from ancient civilization till-to-date, and many countries still see it as a restrictive practice (Frederico et al. 329). Thus, this essay will cover the reasons why people should not have abortions, what are the consequences of abortions and counterclaims regarding them.

Reasons Behind Not Having Abortions

Child abortion is considered a legal practice in 58 out of 193 member countries at the UN. Only seven member countries have made the child abortion illegal, namely Chile, South Sudan, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Malta, and El Salvador. Russia has the highest abortion rate that is 37.4, which means every 37.4 women out of 1000 between the ages of 15 to 44 has gone for abortion. After Russia, Cuba has the highest abortion rate of 28.9 while Kazakhstan is on third number with an abortion rate of 27.4. However, finding the abortion rates around the world is quite difficult, because many countries where abortion practices are illegal do not report rates of child abortion. According to the study from World Population Review, abortion rates are quite higher in countries where such practices are made illegal (Zahra, et al. 542).

There are several risks associated with child abortion practices, including pelvic infection in which bacteria (germs) from cervix move to the uterus causing infection in the pelvic zone; every 1 out of 10 women around the world experience womb infection due to abortion. Another risk is of development of clots of blood in the uterus, which can cause serious cramping issues, and requires a surgical process to remove. Child abortion may also cause severe bleeding issues; hemorrhaging is a serious problem and requires medical treatment or surgery for treatment (Kvamme et al. 68). Damage of cervix may occur when the abortionist tries to stretch it during the abortion process, to allow passing of medical instruments in the uterus. Anesthesia can increase the problem of surgery during the abortion; due to this reason many abortion surgeries do not involve the use of anesthesia, which can cause a lot of pain to the woman's body. Tissue damage can occur if a scar is developed during the abortion surgery; this may result in further damage and condition called Asherman's Syndrome can be developed. The syndrome may result in abnormal menstrual cycles that can cause a great deal of pain, along with infertility problems, and future miscarriages (Takhti et al. 1).

Child abortion can also lead to a number of psychological problems as well and can put an adverse effect on the mental and emotional health of women undergoing abortion surgeries. Psychological problems related to abortion are more common than the physiological problems in women. Child abortion can cause depression, which can lead to permanent mental issues or suicide (Gerdts et al. 55). Abortion may affect relationship status and may develop eating disorders, which can greatly affect the women's body. Also, getting pregnant could be quite difficult without experiencing regular periods (Labandera et al. 7).

According to Takhti eta al. (1-6), there can be several recommendations to avoid physiological and psychological problems in women. It is much better to prevent abortion options as this will save from several problems now as well as in the future. Secondly, it is advised to get help from relevant medical centers if the concerned personnel is facing unplanned pregnancy issues. Moreover, the concerned personnel should consult with health professionals that can understand the problems and provide them with relevant solutions (Ganatra et al. 145). It is also suggested that all sorts of isolation should be avoided when facing abortion issues. Sometimes women do not want to disclose their issues in front of their family members or relatives, which can be really difficult for them (Horvath et al. 77). Therefore, it is better to stay connected with friends and family and discuss the matter openly to prevent isolation.

Contrary to the above arguments, there are always some cases where there is a high probability of losing both the child and mother. Therefore, under such a risky scenario, either of them should be given chance to live (Masumi et al. 7). However, as such decisions are critical, these should be made by only professional doctors while maintaining the records of its officially (Ganatra et al. 145). Moreover, as the rape cases have increased in the last decade, the mother should have the right for abortion under such cases as it will aid in avoiding the tremor that the baby may cause to mother.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be said that child abortion is really a complicated issue. Due to abortion, women can face a lot of risks that can affect their whole life. In many countries, abortion is considered as a version of child murder, but still only seven countries out of 193 countries at United Nations has made child abortion illegal. Basically, the argument on child abortion is mainly a moral issue that has divided people around the world. Therefore, there are arguments in favors of child abortion, and at the same time, the critics are also there.

Works Cited

Frederico, Monica, et al. "Factors influencing abortion decision-making processes among young women." International journal of environmental research and public health 15.2 (2018): 329.

Ganatra, Bela, and Anibal Faundes. "Role of birth spacing, family planning services, safe abortion services and post-abortion care in reducing maternal mortality." Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology 36 (2016): 145-155.

Gerdts, Caitlin, et al. "Side effects, physical health consequences, and mortality associated with abortion and birth after an unwanted pregnancy." Women's Health Issues 26.1 (2016): 55-59.

Horvath, Sarah, and Courtney A. Schreiber. "Unintended pregnancy, induced abortion, and mental health." Current psychiatry reports 19.11 (2017): 77.

Kvamme, Eli, and Siri Ytrehus. "Barriers to health care access among undocumented migrant women in Norway." Society, Health & Vulnerability 6.1 (2015): 28668.

Labandera, Ana, Monica Gorgoroso, and Leonel Briozzo. "Implementation of the risk and harm reduction strategy against unsafe abortion in Uruguay: From a university hospital to the entire country." International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 134.S1 (2016): S7-S11.

Levy, Gabrielle. "Abortion Rates: Where and Why They're Falling." USnews, 21 Mar. 2018, https://www.usnews.com/news/data-mine/articles/2018-03-21/abortion-rates-where-and-why-theyre-falling. Accessed 8 October 2019.

Masumi, Seyedeh Zahra, et al. "Attitude of women in fertility ages to the relationship between fertility status, health and socio-economic with induced and overall abortion." International Journal of Advanced Biotechnology and Research (IJBR) 7.2 (2016): 542-547.

Prada, Elena, et al. "Maternal near-miss due to unsafe abortion and associated short-term health and socio-economic consequences in Nigeria." African journal of reproductive health 19.2 (2015): 52-62.

Takhti, Fahime Khonaki, and Abas Ali Salehi. "Evaluation of abortion from the perspective of Islamic law and jurisprudence." International Journal of Physical and Social Sciences 6.4 (2016): 1-6.