The dangers of abortion do not end with the damage to the mother’s reproductive life, but they also extend to the social realm. It is also against the law in many countries. Apart from a few countries like Canada where the foetus is not recognised as a person, many African countries do not allow abortion. In Rwanda, abortion is illegal. This is probably out of the desire to give life to the foetus and also protecting the life of the mother. It is also a question of cultural morality. Despite the measures put in place to avoid unwanted pregnancies, some women get pregnant at a time when they are not in the right position to give birth. This can either be by using poor family planning methods, unforeseen life conditions that a mother may feel uncomfortable with and other related situations. Given such situations, some do not imagine what they are putting their lives into. Many complications resulting from abortion may appear later in life. Proffesor Peter Kreeft of Boston College argues that a foetus is a person possessing many rights, including the right to life. He therefore strongly criticizes individuals who deny life to yet to be born babies. He condemns abortion by commenting on the sinful side and effects which a mother can suffer. After insisting much on how sinful it is for a human being to deny life to a fellow human, the professor goes into biology. He argues that although others argued that there are some safe methods of aborting, the whole process ends at forcing the foetus to leave the womb before its right time. He expresses how dangerous it is based on the excessive bleeding mothers may go through while aborting. The bleeding comes as a result of blood loosing destination since it’s meant to be transferred to the foetus which has been removed. In the process, blood is by all means possible, forced to stop which also creates another effect since it clots within the reproductive system. Commenting on the methods, he points out that sometimes, the ovary is affected as the foetus is being forced out. This sometimes leads to its destruction hence failure to produce other ovaries. This is why most women fail to conceive after since the ovary can never produce ovaries. Beatrice, a mother of two, suspects that such a situation might have been her friends` experience. Adding that she did not understand whether she aborted but what she is sure of is that she (her friend) has never conceived. “I cannot say that she aborted, but it’s to my knowledge that she has never conceived ever since she lost her first pregnancy.” Although Beatrice could not disclose more about her friends` health, she says that the friend has been married but with no children for the last three years in marriage. “She married before me, I am now a mother of two but she has not had a child. This has made her uncomfortable in marriage and worried about the future.” However, she also notes that sometimes such cases happen and some blame it on God claiming that “It was God’s plan to conceive once, lose the baby and never conceive again.” The mother of two said that although abortion is a sin, its effects can also be linked to the methods used that causes a lot of harm to the reproductive system. Arguing that some mothers experience such situations but afterwards conceive, for example when the foetus is forced out of the womb before its right time, and doctors prove it has been due to some health problems. In this view, she believes that neither the uterus nor the ovary acquires permanent effects apart from a temporary health condition that forces the foetus out. Beatrice does not differ from Professor Peter Kreeft as she compares legalizing abortion to murder in society. “If the law can give a go-ahead to mothers in denying life to the foetus in their wombs, it will be a contradiction to talk of murder of any other sort.” In Rwanda, abortion is illegal; the law against it applies to anyone who aborts and any effort like a medical worker who helps in the process. It’s however being debated in Parliament. What’s your take? Email: bab_su@yahoo.com
