Why India Does Not Regret Abortions?

George Panamthottam

Induced abortion is a deliberate termination of pregnancy.

Legally it is defined as when a woman gets a pregnancy terminated voluntarily from a service provider. It is legalised in India from 1971 Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act. In January 2020, the union cabinet of India amended this Act. The amendment has raised the upper limit of MTP from 20 weeks to 24 weeks. After the amendment, MTP is now legally available to any woman in India with any circumstance even a failure of contraception.

According to Health Management Information Systems ( HMIS) the total number of induced abortion that took place in India in 2016 – 17 was 9,70,436 ( Nine Lakhs Seventy Thousand Four Hundred and Thirty Six) we have no updated statistics available after the amendment happened on January 2020. It may be gone to a huge hike in its ratio today. The same study states that the abortion rate at 47 abortions per 1000 women aged 15 – 49 years and almost 56% of abortion in India are under the category of Unsafe. We must remember that in the world 26 countries do not permit abortions and 39 allow it only when the mother’s life is at risk. The Central Government of India justified the amendment as an act to protect reproductive rights and gender justice.

The Government of India maintains a deliberate silence about the Rights of the unborn human babies. Let’s see some of the arguments favouring Abortion.

1. Human foetus is not necessarily ‘a person’ with Right to live.
2. It is not always wrong to end life of an innocent being.
3. Foetus is not actual person only potential; so no Rights.
4. Consider only the moral rights of pregnant woman. (Gender Justice).
5. It promotes birth control which is the easiest way of population control.

Let’s go through some of the points what Science speaks about it.

1. When the single sperm enters and meet with the mother’s egg cell, conception occurs. The combined sperm and egg is called a Zygote. The Zygote contains all of the genetic information needed to become a human baby. A new human genome is formed within the physiology of a living cell. The single cell that results from conception ( Zygote) is genetically human, self developing and therefore Zygote stage itself is a HUMAN PERSON.
2. The Embryonic period starts One to Eight weeks after conception. An Embryo is a whole HUMAN PERSON at the early stage of its maturation.
3. The Foetal stage starts Nine weeks after conception. Since the embryonic period is all about the formation of important systems of the body, the foetal stage is typically about 30 millimetres in length from crown rump and weighs about 8 grams is a complete HUMAN PERSON.
4. A foetal heartbeat may first assessed as early as Five to Six weeks. If a being in the womb holds a heartbeat it means the mother is carrying an alive HUMAN PERSON.
5. The first electrical brain activity begin to occur in a baby between Five to Six weeks. So
   the human foetus inside mother’s womb is exposed to everything that the mother experience; both her happiness and stress.

While considering those scientific studies it is found out that the Unborn human babies are unique individuals just like you and me. They have all Rights to live and their life must be protected. It’s again proved that foetus feels pain at the time of abortion. The baby feels he/ she is unwanted while their mother decided to abort. It may be more painful than cutting him/ her to several pieces!!

Why Abortion a Crime?

1. It’s a deliberate killing of a living person just like you and me.
2. The unborn baby is a potential human being with sky is not their limit in future. So, they have Rights to Live a secure life.
3. The foetus experience pain both in mind and body just like you are me.
4. Allowing abortion is legalised killing or Murder.
5. No human has the choice over the life of another human. Baby in mother’s womb is another person with another life script. Mother or father has no choice and right to kill their baby in any circumstances. ( if any clinical choice formed the intention of the doctor must be pure to save both lives with equal importance).
6. Abortion is Killing innocent and defenceless person.
7. Permitting Abortion is not Gender Justice to women since it is defaming Motherhood.
8. It’s an act against human dignity of a woman and child.
9. It causes serious health issues and life threat in many times.
10. It may cause life long psychological depression and sense of guilt to both mother and father. It may turn to behavioural disorders in them.

Why India does not regret Abortions?

Government of India passed the MTP amendment in 2020 is absolutely promoting a criminal act and legalising a crime.

It stimulates increase in moral aberrations in individuals and it will create chaos in society. The dignity of human life is questioned. Human Resource must be considered as the vital resource in the nation. Terminating Human persons are not the means for controlling population. The Cry of the innocent unborn babies will be heard loudly over our nation. Let induced Abortion not yet be happen in anyone’s life even if it is legally permitted.

Why India doesn’t recognise the Rights of the Unborn or even Not Regret Abortions is still an ethical question. It must be answered. A strong protest and loud voice must raise against Induced Abortion to save our Nation from a Curse.