Politics, Religion & Abortion
I am a Christian but I often ask myself if religion has a place in politics and the answer is always NO, because of the negative effects that it has on people’s rights. Laws should be put in place to protect the rights of every individual in society and not restrict them. A separation of the church and the state should be mandatory. There has never been a positive impact on politics from religion, but there are many negative influences as it does nothing to advance individual liberty or freedom. Religion in politics has damaged the reputations and legal rights of women to take abortion, for example.
Unmet need for Contraception in 2010. rhrealitycheck.org
Most African states have punitive measures in place against abortion, except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger—something that may have to be confirmed by more than one doctor. I find these laws to be extraneous, given that African women have the highest unmet need for contraception in the world, and which leads to high rates of unwanted pregnancies. According to Ipas in most African countries, only between 5% and 8% of women have access to contraception, with South Africa being a country where only 15% of women have to access contraception. In addition, laws have never stopped abortions, merely only making what illegal abortions they do have especially unsafe for women. These anti-abortion laws are often motivated by religious beliefs and the belief that abortion is immoral, rather than by understanding the impact of the laws.
In states where abortion is illegal, women resort to back street abortions from traditional healers and illegal clinics, some of whom use crude devices such as a hanger to remove the fetus. In the process, women may have their uterus punctured, sustain heavy bleeding, or succumb to infections that can lead to death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) data, more than five million African women have unsafe abortions each year, and more than half of the 67,000 global deaths from unsafe abortions occur on the continent.
kractivist.wordpress.com
Only three African countries (Cape Verde, South Africa, & Tunisia) give unrestricted legal access to abortion to women, and studies have shown that countries that have liberal abortion laws have a positive impact on women’s health, with South Africa an example, where deaths from abortion were reduced by 91% after the country enacted the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act. So, why would countries cling on to laws that are detrimental to the health of women all in the name of religion and morality? Is now really the time to “moralize”, when rape, sexual abuse and coercion often lead to unwanted pregnancies that are not supported by the girl’s/woman’s partners, families or communities?
Access to legal and safe abortion services is essential to the protection of women’s rights, to non-discrimination and equality—and Christian doctrine should not be the reason and excuse to discriminate and take away women’s rights.
What Ideas do you have to Progress this debate?
I've often asked, if we have God given rights, why then do we need laws to set out those rights.
Here we have a story that sets out, that three countries have successfully, let the people take ownership and yet we call these countries, undeveloped, when these countries have been existent many more eon's than most. We can learn from them, if we want too, but we tend to look down on them, as undeveloped.
It's really hard not to see the church as a controlling figure when you see the Vatican sending an active message around the world challenging individual country's politics with the prescribed church doctrine. Or other "religious" figures telling a woman that she has to submit to some kind of "test", as though she's no better than an animal. This conversation doesn't change until we all start looking at one another, man and woman, as more than our physicality.
This abortion decision is a personal decision, just like the poster above says, and those who choose it live with what comes. Yes, man and woman get together to have a child, sometimes through uncontrolled circumstances. But it's the child that is the one to ultimately suffer whether it is born or aborted. We need to get over the hypocrisy of sex as it's portrayed in religion to see its full spectrum. Kids need to be taught about it responsibly. Adults need to be reminded of the potential life-long repercussions of casual without responsibility. It's not a game.
I also worry that any religion that chooses to control man's actions can pose a danger that the religion will ignore by invoking the name of God. If the government wants to play in personal politics, then it will suffer the consequences of financially supporting any outcome (like overpopulation, welfare, abandonment, bodily harm, and other injustices that come from limiting people's options). Government, religion, society all work hand-in-hand. Destruction happens when one takes on too much power over all else.
Christopher Hitchens liked to argue that the best way to get a country out of poverty is giving women control over their reproductive rights. Essentially his argument stems from the fact that in many impoverished areas men spend a great deal of their money on alcohol and not on their children's education. If a woman can control the number of children she has then she is able to more easily control how much money can go towards bettering them.
Kiva has the same sort of stance in giving micro loans to women, because they are better at handling money for the same reasons.
>>"There has never been a positive impact on politics from religion...". Really?
Anyway, another question, especially regarding developed societies, is child support. If a woman has a right to choose if she wishes to birth a child, or chooses to abort a fetus, then should not a man have the right to choose if he shall financially support, not the child, but the decision of the mother?
Will Schmidt So you are arguing, in a case where a woman doesn't want to have an abortion, but the man wants her to have an abortion the man should not be required to pay child support? I think that is fair and if the woman takes him to court over it and it is legal to have abortions then that should be taken into account.
However, in a developed country where the ability to restrict the rights of women to get an abortion are going into effect, like the US, then I see no reason why that argument should hold water. Especially since men are the ones forcing women to have children they do not want.
kapsar My position would only apply if women have the right to choose is she wishes to birth the child, or choose to abort the fetus. In the event they do not have such protections under the law, then the man is also a victim under the law.
Will Schmidtkapsar
I think your argument trivialises the decision to have an abortion. Even in places where women have the right to choose, that choice is never easy. Abortion is not just another form of birth control. Adding the pressure of the other party being able to totally walk away from the responsibility for one of the consequences of sex if they choose too is a pretty harsh position to leave women in.
Mtinkheni, I think your article highlights some really important issues. Access to contraception and safe abortions is really not much to ask for.
KosalKong Will Schmidt
Really, both sides are rather tricky moral arguments. I don't think that it's an easy choice at all. Personally, I feel that it's down to the woman's choice and the man, unless in a committed relationship, will need to accept the choice. However, it's also not exactly right to force a man to care for a child that he had no desire to have when the woman decides to keep it.
These questions can't really just be answered with a single article or conversation. The goal is, as you say, increase accessibility and education for young adults in general.
KosalKong kapsar I'm sorry, but this is so crass. Women want the right to choose--but when given that right, they are still the victims. If during a consensual sexual encounter a women becomes pregnant (sex is to procreate, not for entertainment--as humans, we abuse the system for our own hedonistic gain, so deal with the repercussions should things go wrongly), she had a part in this pregnancy. If she, with complete control over whether the child will be birthed or not, chooses to go contrary to the man's wishes, as she as the right to, the man shouldn't be forced to pay for something that was A) At first consensual between both parties, and B) Later unconsensual via the right of choice of the woman.
Will Schmidt I believe Will makes a very strong, if harsh point here. That is provided, as he states, the encounter is consensual, the right to abortion is fully legal, and there is enough time to forsee the abortion option. As difficult as abortion may be for a woman (and I imagine the emotional impact differs for each case and is influenced by the stage of pregnancy), if she has the choice and the man does not want a child, he should not necessarily have to pay for what is a decision entirely in the woman's hands.
AlexanderPhillips Will Schmidt This whole conversation points to Mtinkheni's point that religion and politics don't mix well. If we had proper sex education, open conversations between men and women, open availability of protection, and respect for sex (as Will says) and one another, then the abortion issue would be less of a possibility. Both men and women should have equal say, because it takes two to do such a potentially life-altering deed. But it's still scary for women to have some unknown guy telling them what to do with their bodies through mindless religious doctrines or abusive manipulative laws, and that's got nothing to do with a victim attitude. Once you lose one freedom, the others tend to fall like dominoes.
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