Abortion law does really matter

THE EDITOR: Yes, the law does matter. It matters to all those poor women who cannot have access to safe services because of the restrictive law. It matters to all women who are treated with disdain when they seek medical care. It matters to all women who are abused in the process of receiving treatment for abortion. It matters to all those women who are voiceless. The truth is that the current law cannot be enforced. The law is not an impediment for many levels in society that ignore it with impunity; but it is a source of great harm to many poor women and many young women. The absence of regulations also means that many women are at the mercy of some providers. There is no regulation and so no standards of care. Further, there are no guidelines for counselling or any structured counselling service in place.

What we need is a civil law and, ideally, one monitored by a vibrant advisory body of interested civilians. We have conveniently learned to look the other way — “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” Well, it’s time to open our eyes, look, speak, and above all, listen. For decades upon decades, everyone has ignored the plight of women who suffer as a result of unsafe abortions. ASPIRE has sustained the dialogue about changing the existing harmful law and is being vilified. One “man of God” wishes that ASPIRE will expire, but we shall prevail! The criminal law is a major cause of the public health problem of abortion. The criminal law is a leading cause of maternal deaths. It is damaging and ruining women’s sexual and reproductive health. Our interpretation of the criminal law is that it makes it impossible for a woman with an unwanted pregnancy to obtain safe medical care in our hospitals.

Our practice of the criminal law is what drives poor women to risk their lives with dangerous procedures. It is the view by some that the criminal law is what discourages more medical practitioners from providing the services to treat women who want an abortion. It is the criminal law that causes the artificially high fees for terminations of pregnancy. It is the criminal law that drives desperate women to clandestine providers and creates the unsafe, unregulated, underground activities whose less fortunate, poor victims enter our public hospitals. Change the law and much of this underground will disappear. More doctors may provide the service. The switch from illegality to legality may reduce prices. And hospitals could provide terminations at a fraction of the costs they currently spend treating complications.

Marches, petitions, international conferences, banners entitled ‘‘Stand Up Against Abortion,’’ wishes of fundamentalists to see ASPIRE expire, shouting from the rooftops that “abortion is murder,” silence of parliamentarians and policy makers will not stop abortions. In fact abortions will continue unabated, life will continue to be devalued. As long as there are forced pregnancies and women’s fundamental human rights are violated, there will continue to be the abandoned children, street children, crime and violence among youth, human suffering and broken families. We need to tackle this situation holistically. The law is an important part of the solution. We need a law that makes sense, a law that will help and not hinder, heal and not harm, mend and not breakdown, be compassionate and not cruel.

ADVOCATES FOR SAFE PARENTHOOD: IMPROVING REPRODUCTIVE EQUITY
P O Box 4881, Tunapuna Post Office
Tunapuna
Email:ttaspire@tstt.net.tt
Website: www.ttaspire.org