Legalised Abortions

To some women, motherhood is a blessing. They look forward to it and think of it as the best time of their lives. But some women don’t. They want to focus on their own life. Either way, women should be allowed to become mothers when or if they want. They should be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not they’re ready to have a child. 

Being able to get an abortion on demand, to be able to decide when you do or don’t want to be a mother is a privilege most of the women in our world don’t get. Out of the 195 countries in the world, 26 do not allow abortion, no matter the circumstances, and 99 allow it only when the mother’s life or health is threatened. This means that only 70 countries give women rights to their own bodies. The right to decide what happens to their bodies, or in this case, what doesn’t.

In many countries, abortion is allowed only in case of a rape victim conceiving a child. In other words, you have to be violated in order to be able to be in control of your own body. Luckily, in India, abortion is legal in most circumstances and pregnant women, if above 18 and mentally stable, do not need parental or spousal consent to terminate the pregnancy. This is a great way to support the notion that the wife is not the husband’s property, a line of thinking which is very, very prevalent in India.

People from all over the world are protesting to help women get the rights to their own bodies. Petitions are being filed, rallies are being conducted, and in some countries, they are giving women the joy of finally being able to control their bodies. On May 26, Ireland held a nationwide voting to repeal the ban on abortion. Irish citizens from all over the world flew back home to vote. Activists chanted “Repeal the 8th” for weeks to gather support, referring to the 8th Amendment, which prohibits abortion except in life-threatening cases. More than two-thirds of the voters voted ‘YES’ and now, a reform is in process. On June 14, after 23 hours of debate, Argentina’s lower house of Congress approved a bill liberalising abortion. The joy on the faces of Argentinian women waiting outside the house was unmatched when they were informed that the bill had been passed. They cried tears of joy and hugged each other and even though this decision did not and would not affect me in any way, seeing videos of these women made me cry.

Legalising abortion is a huge step towards women empowerment. Empowering women to stand up for themselves, to stand beside men in all aspects of life and to actualise their full potential is one thing, but empowering them to let be themselves as they deem fit is everything a woman could ask for.  Although the words “rights to their own bodies” have been mentioned one too many times in this article, there is no greater joy for a woman to know that her body is hers and hers only. That she can do whatever with her body that she decides to. That she can mother a child when she knows that she’s ready and she can choose not to when she knows she’s not. What greater privilege, what greater triumph could you ask for than to be the master of your own self?