WHAT IS ABORTION ?
The general term "abortion" has traditionally
meant the intentional or unintentional expulsion of
the preborn child from the uterus before he or she reached
the age of viability. The Planned Parenthood Federation
of America (PPFA), the United Nations World Health Organization
(UNWHO), the American Medical Association (AMA), The
American College Of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
(ACOG) and other pro abortion organizations now falsely
define pregnancy as begining at implantation and not
at fertilization. In this manner these groups claim
that abortifacient drugs and devices such as the birth
control pill and the IUD do not cause early abortions,
because they say that a pregnancy does not exist before
actual implantation.
The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is not only
" the expulsion of the immature fetus" but
is also "the killing of the same fetus in any way
and at any time from the moment of conception to birth"
The expulsion of the fetus spontaneously from the uterus
is know as spontaneous abortion or miscarriage and the
expulsion of the fetus from the uterus done intentionally
is known as induced abortion. More innocent lives are
lost due to induced abortion today.
HISTORY
Attitudes towards abortion varied greatly in ancient
societies. Assyrian law required impalement for a woman
who aborted her baby. But in the Roman Empire, at the
time of Jesus, abortion was considered routine. The
Greek Philosopher Plato (428 - 348 BC) thought abortion
was useful in the ideal state. And his student Aristotle
(384 - 322 BC) approved it as a method of population
control, a reason also given today. Infanticide was
even sanctioned in Rome and Greece.
ABORTION LAWS
- Abortion is legally permitted only to save a woman's
life or protect her physical health.
- Abortion is also allowed in cases of rape (r).
- Abortion is also allowed in cases of fetal impairment
(f).
These are the countries where abortion is most restricted
according to the law.
The Americas and the Caribbean.
Argentina (r) |
Chile |
Haiti |
Paraguay |
Bolivia
(r) |
Dominican Republic |
Honduras |
Peru |
Brazil
(r) |
Ecuador
(r) |
Mexico
(r) |
Uruguay
(r) |
Colombia |
El
Salvador |
Nicaragua |
Venezuela |
Costa
Rica |
Guatemala |
Panama
(r, f) |
|
Sub Saharan Africa
Angola |
Ivory Coast |
Lesotho |
Nigeria |
Benin |
Dem. Rep. of Congo |
Madagascar |
Rwanda |
Burkina Faso (r) |
Eritrea |
Mali |
Senegal |
Burundi |
Ethiopia |
Malawi |
Somalia |
Cameroon (r) |
Gabon |
Mauritania |
Tanzania |
Central African Rep |
Guinea |
Mauritius |
Togo |
Chad |
Guinea-Bissau |
Mozambique |
Uganda |
Congo (f) |
Kenya |
Niger |
Zimbabwe (r, f) |
Asia and Pacific
Bangladesh |
Myanmar |
Papua New Guinea |
S. Korea (r, f) |
Indonesia |
Nepal |
Philippines |
Thailand (r) |
Laos |
Pakistan |
Sri Lanka |
|
Europe
Ireland |
Poland (r, f) |
Malta |
Portugal |
Mauritius
Any person who, by any food, drink, medicine,
or by violence, or by any other means procures the miscarriage
of any woman quick with child, or supplies the means
of procuring such miscarriage, whether the woman consents
or not, shall be punished by penal servitude for a term
not exceeding 10 years.
Nepal
It is among those four percent of countries
where abortion is illegal even if pregnancy is a threat
to the mother's health or life. That is why no hospitals
in Nepal perform abortions even as a medical procedure
and for this reason women are forced to seek other methods.
In Nepal, about 4000 women die each year due to illegal
abortions. It comes under the definition of "homicide"
so that women go to jail in case abortion is proved.
In addition to imprisonment, the sentence may also
include the confiscation of all the woman's property.
Penalty for the termination of up to sixth month pregnancy
is 2 years imprisonment and for pregnancy above six
months, is 3 years imprisonment. The punishment for
infanticide is life imprisonment and confiscation of
property. The legal definition of abortion that links
it to homicide is seen in a new light: "Bizarrely,
if a woman kills her rapist within one hour of the assault,
she receives legal immunity - but she goes to jail if
she terminates a pregnancy resulting from the same attack".
Ironically, not a single man has been punished for abortion
in Nepalese legal history. Most of the time, pregnancies
are terminated in the villages in a very brutal manner.
A stick with mud or cow dung and sometimes even poisonous
grass is inserted inside the vagina to induce the contraction
of the uterus and cause the fetus to be expelled. Sometimes
the abdomen of the pregnant woman is massaged with the
hand or the feet so that the fetus is expelled. One
can easily imagine the condition and suffering of those
women who have to suffer such a "procedure".
WORLD-WIDE STATISTICS ON ABORTION:
210 million women world-wide become pregnant each year.
80 million are unplanned pregnancies.
20 million result in abortions.
Pregnancy related causes, kill 5,85,000 women each year.
WHO IS AN ABORTIONIST ?
The current definition of "abortionist" used
by the medical profession is one who performs criminal
abortions (illegal abortions). However, the logical,
truthful and complete definition of "Abortionist"
is anyone who commits direct surgical or chemical abortions,
legal or illegal, whether they be a medical doctor,
nurse, midwife or a layperson. |
