Abortion is a Human Right

Written by Remika Sirikulthada | Edited by Akkaraosrn Opilan | Designed by Akkaraosrn Opilan, Pimmada Kladphuang

It is currently estimated that 1 in roughly every 4 women will undergo an abortion before the age of 45 and so, it is because this very reason that the increase in abortion bans absolutely terrifies me. First and foremost, abortion bans aren’t very effective. According to the World Health Organization, even when abortions are banned in certain countries, the rate of abortions that take place are nearly if not the exact same rate. The only difference is that the level of security and safety for the woman decreases significantly.

Once abortion services are denied or limited to only certain circumstances such as rape or incest, those in need of an abortion will turn to toxic and highly unsafe herbal medicines, coat hangers (self-induced abortions) or unqualified practitioners while those who are professionally trained are quick to be criminalized.

The only way to ensure safe abortion practice is for governments to stop decriminalizing abortions, positive social conditions must be created and implicated into society so that people can make pregnancy-related decisions free of discrimination, oppression, violence or even criminal charges. With government control, abortions can be performed in a safer manner with all the necessary medical equipments. The way I see it, these bans are designed to take control of a woman’s body. Therefore this completely contradicts the idea of human rights seeing as one can never be free if they lack control over what happens to their own body.

I don’t know about you but that scares me, as a young female teenager knowing that other women in El Salvador, Poland or in certain states in the US which have recently banned abortion including but not limited to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and several other countries in the world, are unable to decide what is best for their futures and their bodies. At the core of the issue, it’s a debate about a person’s right to make decisions about what happens to their own body. Governments must create safe, lawful and affordable abortions open to the public, and by doing so they will be preventing countless deaths, life-changing injuries along with life-long trauma. This right is extremely critical in enabling all women who can get pregnant to fully claim and exercise their human rights. We all have a role to play, and that role is to reclaim our rights and the rights of those who need it most.