Unwanted Pregnancy: To Kill or Not to Kill

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We often see homeless street children pleading for money or a filthy sick- looking baby in the arms of a malnourished woman in most unlikely places. We sympathize with kids having unspeakable conditions way beyond treatment. We feel outrage with parents abusing their own children. Sometimes in our own grief for these souls, some of us question, would it had been better for them if they were not born-  safe from the world’s madness, from pain or sickness or from a troubled parent’s cruelty?

In most part of the world, abortion is legal. Although it is still regarded as ‘murder of the innocent’, certain instances are considered. Whether this could be political or health reasons, ironically, abortion is said to be the best answer for the well being of the mother and the unborn.

Political Aspect

Poverty is one of the reasons why most countries agree for abortion. If a single parent or a woman having already many kids, cannot feed or support a child, this situation can be a problem for both of the child and the mother. Matters get worse if the parent doesn’t want the child. Several studies, conducted in countries like in U.S., Czechoslovakia, and Sweden, have documented the long-term developmental problems suffered by children whose mothers did not want to bear them. The findings reveal emotional, educational and functional disorders that get worse as children become adults. While the majority of unwanted children who were born to poor, unhealthy, unmarried or teenage mothers, these difficulties are also observed for kids born to healthy, adult women who have stable marriages and good economic resources.  So as the study stated, an unwanted child becomes an unwanted adult.  And with this state, an unwanted child can only be a liability to a country.

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In addition, unsafe abortion is also one of the concerns of the government. Most women would undergo risks in ending unwanted pregnancy. In countries like Netherlands, Canada, U.S. and Sweden, abortion has been legalized to save these women from killing themselves. And surprisingly, some of these countries have lower abortion rates. Holland for example, has the lowest abortion rate in the world, about 6 abortions per 1000 women per year. This is for the reason that contraception is widely available and covered by the national health insurance plan. They carry out public education on contraception, family planning, and sexuality. More to this, responsibility for one’s sexual activity is strongly promoted. Of course, some people say that teaching kids about sex and contraception will only encourage them to have lots of sex. But teenagers from this country were observed to have less frequent sex, starting at an older age.