Merciless Kindness

 

Merciless Kindness

 

The action of abortion is known to have existed since ancient time. Even though it is considered to be an extremely immoral action, performing abortion is still the leading option for terminating unwanted pregnancies. According to the report from the World Health Organization (WHO) (2007), approximately 42 million pregnancies are voluntarily terminated each year, and the number is still increasing at a constant rate. For instance, the issue of abortion has gradually become a controversial topic to the public in recent years. In order to combat the worsening situation, several solutions have been proposed for better improvements, including spreading the idea of contraceptive use, implementing abortion related laws, which pertain to the provision of abortion, and providing family planning. 

 

The first solution that comes to mind when thinking of abortion is to increase contraceptive use to non-users. It is the most obvious and convenient strategy that is widely used around the world since approximately more than 40% of women reported that they did not use contraception when they had sex (United Nations Population Division, 2001). However, it is a fact that contraception fails more commonly than not. According to Trussell and Wynn (2005), there are gaps that exist between the way contraception should be used, and the way it is typically used. For example, out of the 3.1 million unintended pregnancies in the USA in 2001, 48% result from contraceptive failure. Religious condemnation is also another hindrance faced by the use of contraceptives. According to Catholicism, such use not only violate various aspects of marriage, but also infringe the will of God to provide an offspring to a married couple. As a result, even though contraception is necessary for avoiding unwanted pregnancies, it is not suitable for religious-based countries.

 

Another solution being proposed is to implement abortion related laws and penalties within countries. The supporters believe that legislation is the one way to forbid abortion and minimize the impact of abortion on society. Ideally, once the law is executed, the action of abortion will be made illegal and the number of abortion will decrease dramatically. However, problems arise with such a solution. One major hindrance is the rising illegal markets for medical abortion. When abortion is no longer a legal solution available to the public, illegal channel is sought. Among 42 million voluntary abortions, 20 million are outside of legal system, which means the abortions are performed by unskilled doctors or in unhygienic conditions, or both (Sedgh, et al., 2007). This illegal service is not only extremely dangerous to perform, but also creates a huge financial burden to the families that seek such services. Therefore, it is essential to reconsider the validity of implementing abortion related laws.

 

Fortunately, among these possible yet inadequate solutions, there is still a chance to fix the problem, which is through family planning services. Family planning services are defined as educational, comprehensive medical or social programs which allow individuals to determine the number of children they want and the methods to achieve the goal (US Dept. of Health, 2000). The major goal of this program is to ensure that women and girls around the world have equal access to quality family planning information, services, and supplies.

       

        Family planning can be divided into three different aspects, which are clinical services, health promotions, and cultural services. In clinical service sector, it offers the latest sexual-related services and information about pregnancy, contraception options, advices on menopause, cervical smear tests, and so on for people from all age groups. With assistances from experienced professionals and experts, individuals will be able to make their sexual life more manageable. In the health promotion section, various promotion units deliver sex-related health education to a wide range of groups and organizations. The focus of these educational sessions is on helping individuals to develop accurate, or socially acceptable, concepts on relationship, sex, and reproduction. In the cultural service section, the services are especially committed to individuals from different cultural backgrounds to improve their sexual-related health by using techniques that are more appropriate for them.

 

Significant challenges stand in the way of promoting family planning services to the world, especially in developing countries. Financial issue is the most important factor that will affect the entire process of the service. Conducting such service requires a large amount of money and capitals in order to accomplish its alternate goal. Yet, most of the money comes from unpredictable donor funding, which may mean the termination of services once the financial support is cut off. Cultural and knowledge barriers between the public and the programmers is also an obstacle to implementing planning service.

 

Still, family planning service is considered to be the best solution due to the fact that the problems presented above can all be overcome through various ways. In spite of unpredictable donor funding, it is suggested that such a program can include cooperation between local governments and businesses in order to stabilize the unsteady financial support and to continue family planning services. Cultural and knowledge barriers can also be minimized once local professionals have joined the services and provided more localized information to the program as a whole. With such knowledge and experience, there will be less occasion for misunderstandings and conflicts. Therefore, this program can certainly be expanded once it is on track.

 

        Given the previous two less definite solutions, which are spreading the ideas of contraceptive use and implementing abortion related laws, offering family planning services is by far the most suitable solution for combating the issue of abortion. It enables women to make informed decisions about whether and when to have children to reduce maternal and newborn deaths. It also results in fewer unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions, increases opportunities for women, and leads to healthier families and communities. Furthermore, it reduces unwanted pregnancies among women living with HIV, which result in fewer infected babies and orphans. With countless number of advantages, family planning is a smart, sensible, and vital component of global health and development.

 

Reference

Sedgh, G., Singh, S., Henshaw, S., Åhman, E., Shah, I. (2007). Induced abortion: the global reality and avoidable risks. Lancet: Press.

U.S Department of Health, Administration for children and families. (2000). National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System Glossary. United States: Author.

 

Trussell J and Wynn L. (2005). The morning after on the internet: usage of and questions to the Emergency Contraception Website, Contraception (72(1):5-13). United States: Princeton University Press.

 

World health Organization. (2007). Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems.

 

United Nations Population Division. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2001). World abortion policies. New York, United Nations, (wallchart).

What Should I Major In?

What Should I Major in?

Due to my parents’ business, I traveled around the world and have since been exposed to a wide range of diverse cultures and economies. Although constant moving and adapting to the new environments were challenges to me during my childhood, little did I know that these experiences would lead me to pursue the path of international business as my future study. Facing plethora of professional majors in the business school, I am immediately drawn to the major, Global Business System Management (GBSM). GBSM not only allows students to view the world with a global perspective, but also enhances students’ professional knowledge in information technology; last but not least, it provides a wide range of opportunities and gives students a taste of the real world.

 

As the world becomes more globalized, it is essential to have a global perspective while encountering any situation happening in the world. Students in GBSM are taught to be creative thinkers instead of passive learners. A lot of challenging current event problems are passed to the students in order to stimulate their creativity and critical thinking. The goal is not really to find a perfect solution to a particular problem, but to provide students assumed situations that they might encounter in the real world. Also, many guest speakers are invited to classes and to share their experiences with the students. By listening to their experiences, students can learn from these experts and have a more complete view of the business world. The most attractive part of GBSM is that it provides two overseas exchange opportunities for students within one year, which allows them to experience different cultures and environments.

 

Secondly, having an in-depth understanding of information technology (IT) is also needed for solving the real world problems. Right now globalization is spreading with an incredible fast speed throughout the world, and internet diffusion is one of the key reasons that leads to this result. Thus IT becomes a necessary skill especially for those who will be working globally. IT provides an inexpensive option for businesses and services to store and maintain their valuable information, and these data are protected by the strong IT security systems in case of any technical failure. Learning IT allows students to store and retrieve information efficiently and to increase the productivity of any business cost-effectively. In addition, IT helps businesses to develop support-management based information system and conducts the company in a systematic way. Therefore it can be advantageous for students to have such knowledge in order to survive in this computerized world.

 

To really understand the concept of business, practical training also plays a major role. GBSM provides a variety of internship or working opportunities in each semester to enable students to gain first-hand experience of how business functions in the real world. Business world is not just about numbers, but is closely intertwined with international relations, global markets and political concerns. Having these hands-on experiences in actual multinational companies allows students to be more familiar with the business world. Students also can learn from their mistakes and come up with more inventive strategies to cope with future problems.

 

The advantages offered by GBSM should equip me with an in-depth comprehension on the business issues that I will encounter in the future; I also can have the opportunity to learn from respected experts in this field and enhance my knowledge to prepare me for my future career. The major not only offers a strong education in the world of business, but also provides a wide range of opportunities. This is the reason why I choose GBSM as my major.

Infographic- Abortion