Abortion Law: Protecting Women's Rights And Choices

Abortion laws should be kept in place to protect the bodily autonomy of those who can get pregnant. The criminalisation of abortion does not reduce the number of abortions, but instead pushes people to seek unsafe alternatives. This is particularly true for people from marginalised communities, who face social, economic, and political conditions that hinder their ability to exercise reproductive autonomy. In places where abortion is restricted, people are forced to resort to unsafe methods, which can lead to fatal consequences such as maternal deaths and disabilities. Additionally, abortion laws disproportionately impact young and poor women, as they often do not have access to safe and adequate healthcare.

Abortion is a safe medical procedure that protects lives

Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures available. In fact, it is safer than other common procedures such as wisdom tooth extraction, with a lower complication rate. Abortion pills are also safer than medicines like penicillin, Tylenol, and Viagra. The death rate for legal abortions is 0.7 per 100,000 abortions, compared to 1-2 deaths per 100,000 plastic surgery procedures, 3 deaths per 100,000 colonoscopies, and 3-6 deaths per 100,000 tonsillectomies. Childbirth is even riskier, with 9 deaths per 100,000 deliveries.

Serious problems after an abortion are extremely rare, but as with any medical procedure, there are some risks. The chances of complications increase the later the abortion is performed and if sedation or general anaesthesia is used. However, even in these cases, serious complications are uncommon and usually easily treatable.

In places where abortion is legal and accessible, people can obtain abortions safely and without risk. However, in places where abortion is stigmatised, criminalised, or restricted, people are forced to resort to unsafe abortions, which can lead to fatal consequences such as maternal deaths and disabilities. Restrictive laws and social stigma create barriers that prevent people from seeking safe abortions, endangering their health and lives.

Abortion protects the lives of those who choose to end their pregnancies. It is a basic healthcare procedure needed by millions of women, girls, and people who can become pregnant. It allows them to make informed decisions about their bodies, their future, and their reproductive lives. By ensuring access to safe abortions, we protect their health, well-being, and right to bodily autonomy.

Furthermore, abortion can have positive long-term effects on a person's life. Studies show that most people feel relief after an abortion and do not regret their decision. Abortion enables people to continue their education, participate in the workforce, and provide stable conditions for any children they may have in the future. It can also improve financial stability, with people who have abortions being more likely to be financially stable and set more ambitious goals.

In conclusion, abortion is a safe medical procedure with a lower risk of complications than many other common procedures. By keeping abortion legal, we protect the lives and well-being of those who choose to end their pregnancies, allowing them to make informed decisions about their bodies and their future without endangering their health and lives.

Criminalisation of abortion denies bodily autonomy

Abortion rights are a contentious issue, with strong opposition to the legalisation and decriminalisation of abortion from Catholic moral philosophers and other pro-life advocates. However, the criminalisation of abortion denies bodily autonomy, and this has wide-ranging repercussions.

Abortion as a Safe Medical Procedure

Abortion is a safe medical procedure that is necessary basic healthcare for millions of women, girls, and people who can get pregnant. In places where abortion is legal, people can get abortions safely and without risk. However, the criminalisation of abortion forces people to resort to unsafe abortions, which can lead to fatal consequences such as maternal deaths and disabilities. Almost every death and injury from unsafe abortions is preventable.

Impact on Marginalised Communities

The criminalisation of abortion particularly impacts those from historically marginalised communities, including people on low incomes, refugees, migrants, LGBTI people, and racialised and Indigenous people. Health services are less accessible to these communities, and criminalisation further restricts their ability to seek safe services or access private care.

Denial of Bodily Autonomy

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that "eliminating the rights of women to make decisions about when and whether to have children would have very damaging effects on the economy and would set women back decades." Denying people the right to make decisions about their bodies and their future traps them in a position of permanent and irrevocable subordination.

Health Risks of Denying Abortion

When people are denied abortions, they face increased health risks, including serious health complications and poor physical and mental health for years afterward. They are also more likely to stay with abusive partners and to be raising their children alone.

Impact on Children

Being denied an abortion also negatively impacts the well-being of existing children, as household poverty increases, and there is an inability to cover basic expenses, including food, housing, and transportation.

The Right to Bodily Autonomy

International human rights law states that decisions about your body are yours alone—this is known as bodily autonomy. Forcing someone to carry on an unwanted pregnancy or to seek an unsafe abortion is a violation of their human rights, including the rights to privacy and bodily and reproductive autonomy.

Abortion bans endanger healthcare for those not seeking abortions

In some states, abortion is banned unless the pregnant person's life is at risk. However, the definition of what constitutes a life-threatening condition is often vague, and physicians may be reluctant to provide abortions even when the pregnant person's life is at risk for fear of prosecution. This is especially true for physicians in states that do not include mental health conditions in their health exceptions. Mental health conditions account for over 20% of pregnancy-related deaths in the US, yet almost all states with health exceptions limit them to physical health conditions.

Abortion bans also have a disproportionate impact on people of color, particularly low-income Black women, who are more likely to be denied access to abortions and are already disadvantaged when it comes to accessing healthcare.

The impact of abortion bans on healthcare for those not seeking abortions is complex and far-reaching. The interpretation of abortion laws varies among clinicians, and the fear of prosecution or losing their medical license means that some physicians are reluctant to provide abortions even when the pregnant person's life is at risk. This endangers the lives and well-being of those who are pregnant and seeking abortions for medical reasons.

Abortion is a basic human right

The criminalization of abortion violates the fundamental human rights of women and girls, as it denies them bodily autonomy and reproductive autonomy. Restricting abortion access is dangerous and inhumane, and it does not reduce the number of abortions performed. Instead, it pushes people towards unsafe abortion methods, which can lead to fatal consequences such as maternal deaths and disabilities. In places with less stigma and more accessibility, people can obtain abortions safely and without risk.

Abortion is essential to protecting the right to life, health, and freedom from violence, discrimination, and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. It is a safe medical procedure that protects lives, and nearly a fourth of women in America will have had an abortion by the age of 45. Additionally, abortion is connected to the right to non-discrimination, as denying abortion is a form of gender discrimination against women and girls, as well as anyone else who can get pregnant.

Furthermore, abortion is linked to the right to bodily and reproductive autonomy, as established by international human rights law. Forcing someone to carry an unwanted pregnancy or seek an unsafe abortion is a violation of their human rights, including the rights to privacy, bodily autonomy, and reproductive autonomy.

The right to abortion is also tied to the right to health. Almost every death and injury from unsafe abortions is preventable, and restricting access to abortions does not reduce their occurrence but rather makes them less safe.

Criminalisation of abortion disproportionately impacts poor and young women

The criminalisation of abortion disproportionately impacts young and poor women. In places where abortion is a crime, young, poor, uneducated women facing an unwanted pregnancy are at greater risk of resorting to illegal and unsafe abortions. This can lead to them being investigated, arrested, and prosecuted.

Young and poor women are also more likely to be unable to afford to take time off work for appointments or to travel to another country or state to receive care. This means that criminalisation can prevent them from seeking abortions altogether.

In addition, health services are generally less accessible to people on low incomes, refugees, migrants, LGBTI people, and racialised and Indigenous people. This means that criminalisation can make it more difficult for these groups to seek safe services in another country or to access private care.

The criminalisation of abortion also has a compounding impact on those who are already marginalised. For example, people of colour are especially likely to be negatively impacted by abortion bans.

Frequently asked questions