Politics and abortion

Can there be a middle ground?

by Amanda Miteniece

A medical procedure has never been as politicised as abortion has been in the last decades. It is a controversial topic on both sides of the political spectrum, often disregarding the medical reality. This complicated politicised issue conceals the fact that abortion is a safe and simple procedure that rather rarely requires a surgical interference. Pro-life or pro-choice, these polarising sides of the political debate are urging people to choose. Is there a middle ground?

Can you be neutral towards this topic?

Let us take a step back into the past. Abortion is not a new medical procedure, but rather an ancient one. The first records date back as far as ancient Egypt. No doubt that back then abortion was highly dangerous. Eventually, the procedure was banned in the ancient civilisations. However, even Aristotle acknowledged that abortion was ethical if performed during the first trimester. No matter if it was legal or not, abortions were very common. Fast forward to the 19th century, with

Abortion pills

© https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-11/abortion-medication-california-college-health-centers-legislation

pro-choice march

© https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/poll-pro-choice-support-increases-840698/

the advances of western medicine abortion becomes easily accessible and legal. However, that did not last for long and this is why. One concept shifted the social perspective that turned abortion into a controversial issue. Quickening is the term that describes when a mother can feel the baby move during her pregnancy. Before anyone acknowledged this notion, the medical procedure was not connected either with politics, morals or religion. It is uncommon to see it that way now, knowing the social and political situation. After that, it was not long until countries started to ban abortions again. However, the reason why a sudden shift took place was not connected to religion or politics. It was profit. Yes, abortion was criminalised based on the doctors who wanted to “push out” their competition, namely the physicians that were carrying out the procedures. They succeeded as legal abortion drugs and the proceedings were banned. This took place in various moments around the world, however, by the year 1880 most countries criminalised abortions either completely or partially. As expected the situation extensively depended on the country. However, the whole world became divided. People had various opinions about the unborn foetus, and with the rise of women’s liberation movement in the 1960s, the advocation for legal abortion began to attract attention. Thus, the two polarising ends of the spectrum that came to be pro-choice and pro-life could not be more different. Today your stance most likely

is based on your background and political views. Is it the woman’s right to choose or the government’s job to interfere? Because these opinions in the contemporary world contribute to the legislative process, people feel the need to advocate for their opinion on this matter. Political views have become louder than facts and, in this battle, there are more casualties than expected. I am lucky enough to live in Europe where abortion is legal in almost every country and accessible to anyone that seeks it in the first trimester. However, there are many countries where abortion is still a criminal offence. The fact of the matter is that abortion procedures will not stop even if they are forbidden by law. =Statistics show that many women die from unsafe abortions chiefly because they don’t have access to safer alternatives. Moreover, if history has taught us anything is that women will not stop seeking a way through which to carry out an abortion. Therefore, the political opinion of prolife highlighting the safety of the woman is not encompassing the facts and possible repercussions. Sadly, the number of people dying or getting harmed by receiving “back alley” procedures remains staggeringly high. Moreover, statistically, women die more often from other simple medical procedures and even from labour itself.

Now you have to ask yourself: what is your opinion about abortion? What is your opinion based on? It does not matter whether you are on the left or right. In the end, it is not your life and not your choice, so why do you feel politically inclined to shout louder than the person next to you? I urge you to learn these facts and not take a person’s opinion as a fact only because they are yelling at the top of their lungs. Knowledge is vital, and ignorance is dangerous. Therefore, to answer the question that I stated at the beginning – being neutral would mean stepping back from this issue completely. Everyone’s opinion is valid, however, it seems almost impossible to have a neutral discussion about abortion. This procedure is the last resort and no one should take this decision lightly, however, to take this decision away only will lead us to repeat the same mistakes. If divided in politics, we should at least see the common sense and give the right to choose as it should not have a political agenda, merely a human one. That is the middle ground we should strive for. A caricature of the current political situation © https://usreligion.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/religion-orpolitics-which-is-to-blame-for-the-ongoing-issue-of-abortionin-the-united-states/