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).