Abortion Ban in US: Revoking of Roe Vs Wade landmark judgement by the United States’ top court should be seen in the light of World Health Organization’s estimate that around 23,000 women die of unsafe abortion each year and tens of thousands more experience significant health complications. What protesters object is just not about the right of women over their bodies but there is looming fear of mushrooming growth of illegal abortions as the legal restrictions on abortion do not necessarily result in fewer abortions, instead they compel women to risk their lives and health by seeking out unsafe abortion care. People claim. overturning of the case has pushed the so called the most “Progressive” country-United States of America 70 years back in time.
The argument which looms out of the entire debate over scraping of abortion right hovers around the fundamental rights of an individual. Overturning of the 1973 verdict by the American Supreme Court, takes away a woman’s legal right to abortion generally borne out of a decision to terminate pregnancy on grounds of rape, incest or deformities of the embryo in the womb has led to eruption of the debate that ultimately leads us to question a women’s freedom and human rights.
Advocates of human rights say, revoking the verdict snatches away the fundamental right of women over their body. People argue that abortion and pregnancy are the most intense personal decisions for any women which are now subjected to the whims and fancies of the supreme court judges where women make only 30 per cent of workforce. This ruling essentially attacks the freedom of Americans.
The right to safe and legal abortion is considered as a fundamental human right protected under numerous international and regional human rights treaties and also through constitutions by various countries.
Different countries have different abortion laws, it is time to revisit how world over, the nations are safeguarding this important human rights for their female citizenry. The Center For Reproductive Rights says, around 60 per cent of women of reproductive age live in countries that broadly allow abortion, while 40 per cent still live under restrictive laws.
Abortion Laws in different countries
Abortion laws around the world, are categorized into different categories. Some totally prohibit and terms abortion as legal crime, some permits it on different medical grounds.
Countries where Abortion is legally prohibited.
According to the global advocacy group Center for Reproductive Rights, abortion is illegal in 24 countries, where approximately 90 million or 5% of women of reproductive age live.
In Asia, countries where abortion is prohibited are Laos and the Philippine. Other countries include El Salvador, Honduras and Poland and Malta in Central America and Europe respectively.
In Africa, Djibouti, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal all prohibit it.
Late term abortions are also still prohibited in Honduras, Nicaragua, Suriname, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
In these countries, the legal system abolish abortion completely and do not permit even if there is a risk to the health of Woman’s life.
The only nation in the European Union that outright prohibits abortions is Malta.
Abortion Over Health Emergencies
There are several countries who allow abortions on certain medical conditions such as saving the women’s life, to safeguard health or on request.
There are 42 countries in the world whose legal system permits abortion when woman’s life is at risk. These 42 countries account for 22 % of women of reproductive age. Some countries which fall into this category include Brazil, Bhutan,Chile and Indonesia.
There are 51 countries in the world which allows abortion on the basis of health or therapeutic grounds. Around 13% of women of reproductive age are impacted in this category. Countries in this category are Argentina, Chad, Niger, Monaco and Mauritius.
There are several countries which allow abortion on legal requests. The gestational limit is generally 12 weeks, but it varies. There are 73 countries in the world, where abortion is allowed on request. These countries include Uruguay, Cambodia, Switzerland, Nepal and Ireland.
India’s Abortion Law- MTP Act, 1971
According to the Govt. Of India, The Act regulates the conditions under which a pregnancy may be aborted. The Bill increases the time period within which abortion may be carried out.
Currently, abortion requires the opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of conception and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks. The Bill allows abortion to be done on the advice of one doctor up to 20 weeks, and two doctors in the case of certain categories of women between 20 and 24 weeks. The Bill sets up state level Medical Boards to decide if a pregnancy may be terminated after 24 weeks in cases of substantial fetal abnormalities.
The abortion laws in India are far more unrestricted than the other developed countries and the process is relatively easier. Evidence shows that restricting access to abortions does not reduce the number of abortions; however, it does affect whether the abortions that women and girls attain are safe and dignified. Affordable, accessible and easy abortions must be a legal right for all the women in the world. Any government, law or any other institution should not intervene between a woman and her body.
We live in the 21st century modern world where we are progressing so fast, our infrastructure growing, robots taking over and world being framed into feminist collective. But, still in some parts of the world, women are not allowed to take agencies of their bodies, they aren’t allowed to take decisions for their own body and yet we term ourselves “Progressive and Modern World”