Daily Times

In this age of globalisation and postmodernism, one finds it tempting to talk about everything on the cyber space with ease. We celebrate women with incredible stories on media, and support them to publicly share their stories of sexual harassment. This year, we saw the Aurat March, with women carrying placards with bold captions. It was never like that before.

So, generally, we have become pretty good at hearing stories about sufferings of others, and accept their braveness when they talk about controversial things openly. Yet we dare not to talk about the social taboo: abortion. According to a research, one quarter to one third of all Australian women undergo abortion in their lifetime. In some Australian states it is a risk to even step into a clinic to get an abortion. Because of the fear of stigmas, even progressive women prefer not to talk about it. This is perhaps our cultural constraint, and also an institutional one.

Lately, we have been reading about HIV cases in rural areas where people are not that knowledgeable of the fact that the reason of HIV infection is not only an extramarital affair. Globally, the ethical, social and political meaning of terminating a pregnancy varies from culture to culture and different social groups. Lately, the topic of women access and right to abortion is under discussion. In many countries of Latin America, the demand of having the right to abortion has been raised by pregnant women in the face of a viral infection, which if contracted could cause fatal abnormalities.

After the 2016 elections, among other issues this problem was also raised in the USA. Under the Trump administration, quite a few states in the USA have started to enact laws against abortion. This stimulated a nationwide debate and a heated argument. Amy Goodman, a radio host, and an investigative journalist, in her show told the audience, “Women who have an abortion could get death penalty.” The governor of the state of Alabama signed a bill that awards life imprisonment to doctors who would perform an abortion. The Alabama anti-abortion law is the most aggressive. Even in cases of rape and incest, exception is made only when the mother’s life is in danger.

While the abortion debate is gaining attention internationally we ought to give this issue some serious consideration at home as well

Following Alabama, eight more states-Utah, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and Ohio-have signed anti-abortion bills. These growing restrictive abortions legislations are deepening a gap between the liberal and conservative states. It is reshaping the abortion access in America. This has become a very serious situation not only in America but globally.

Currently, the situation varies from country to country. In western countries, mainstream feminist advocacy has the approach of ‘choice’ and ‘rights’ to support women’s autonomy in making decisions about their bodies, taking the position that unwanted pregnancies is a medical issue, not a moral or a legal one. There are also cultural factors that influence this act. In the third world countries, pressure to bear sons leads to sex-selective abortions.

There are unavoidable reasons of terminating a pregnancy in the case of rape or incest, mostly in marginalised societies where morality becomes a secondary issue. Women in an abusive relationship and others may not be ready to be a mother. Apart from that, there are medical complications that may lead to the inevitable procedure of terminating a pregnancy.

It is dreadful to inflict restrictions on a woman; she owns her body, and she shouldn’t need to go begging some fanatics for her rights. It is not only about abortion. It is about autonomy of taking a decision about her body and her life. We can’t deny that forced birth is the extension of the ‘rape culture’. We are already good at using women as a commodity, so her body shouldn’t be under the surveillance of the state.

Frankly, we live in a society where men get away with any kind of harassment and sexual violence. So why should a woman be imprisoned or looked down upon if something is happening against her will? It is not asking about ‘sexual’ freedom for women; the matter is more serious because it is about freedom of choice. It is important to break the painful silence. Sexual oppression and cultural paranoia have always kept people down. Now we have to talk about the basic humanity that is being stripped away by people who force their girls into underage marriages, or to forcefully bear children.

Unfortunately, in this patriarchal society, you are not allowed to talk about personal preferences or personal tragedies. You are supposed to not talk about childhood molestation, because if we commit the crime of telling the most gruesome details of our lives, we are supposed to be ashamed. Therefore, we need some decent clarity here. Women are not ‘things’, and they have a sense of choice.

While the abortion debate is gaining attention internationally we ought to give this issue some serious consideration at home as well. The factors that are going to play a vital role are cultural and religious values, but we must refrain to ignore a woman’s right. We should urge upon the lawmakers to take a rational decision, and deal with this ‘social taboo’. We are well aware that abortions have been performed in back alleys and illegal clinics since long. These clinics put lives of women at risk owing to limited resources. Women, the voiceless segment of society, must be heard and protected by laws. We ought not to forget that they are equal citizens of the republic.

The writer can be reached at Faryalbaloch04@gmail.com