Demystifying safe abortion: Getting the FACTS right!

Memory Kadau
Memory Pamela Kadau

By Memory Pamella Kadau

The issue of abortion is often sensitive and divisive. It separates opinions, and this is mostly due to ignorance of the facts surrounding this subject. This article looks at some of the popular MYTHS surrounding abortion and sets out the FACTS as part of enriching debate on the topic. In doing so, the article will pose a question and then highlight a popular myth which and will then counter with factual information from science and practice.

  1. What is abortion?

Myth: There is tendency by anti-abortionists that the procedure is equivalent to murder or infanticide.

FACT: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines abortion as a pregnancy termination prior to 20 weeks gestation. Spontaneous abortion is another term for miscarriage which refers to a pregnancy loss that occurs before the 20th week of gestation or the expulsion of an embryo or foetus weighing 500g or less. In Zimbabwean context abortion is defined as spontaneous or induced termination of pregnancy before 22 weeks of gestation or delivery of a foetus less than 500 grams foetal weight. Pregnancies after this gestation age are called pre-term deliveries.

 

  1. Is giving birth safer than a safe abortion?

Myth: Those opposed to abortion advance the argument that it is safe to give birth than to undergo a safe abortion.

FACT: Medical research shows that the chance of someone suffering injury or death is greater when carrying a pregnancy to term and giving birth than when having a safe abortion. Safe abortion in developed countries is one of the safest procedures in contemporary medical practice.

 

  1. What proportions of abortions are safe across the world?

Myth: Anti-abortion conspiracy theories state that most abortions are done safely and in secret by coordinated groups which are murdering fetuses for medical experiments. These arguments are often shared on social media platforms with large audiences.

FACT: About 50% of abortions in the world are unsafe which risks the lives of women and girls who undergo these procedures. This is due to legal and practical restrictions to abortion which leaves millions of women unable to access safe and hygienic health services. Nearly all of these unsafe abortions (97%) take place in low-and middle-income countries.

  1. Which proportion of women have a higher rate of abortion?

Myth: Those opposed to abortion advance the view that it is main single women who seek abortion across the world.

FACT: Global health research by the World Health Organization shows that married women have a higher rate of abortion (35 per 1000 women) compared to unmarried women (26 per 1000 women).

  1. How do legal restrictions affect the rate of abortion?

Myth: Anti-abortionists claim that laws banning or restricting access to abortion reduces the number of abortions.

FACT: The reality is that abortion rates are similar in countries where abortion is highly restricted and where it is broadly legal. The abortion rate is 37 per 1,000 women in countries that prohibit abortion altogether or allow it only to save a woman’s life, and 34 per 1,000 in countries that allow abortion without restriction as to reason—a difference that is not significant.

  1. What is the legal status of abortion in most African countries?

Myth: Those against abortion in Africa argue that it is a western concept and majority of Africans reject it. They even state that most countries have laws banning or severely restricting the procedure.

FACT: A review of the abortion laws across Africa show that in almost all countries, the law permits abortion to save the woman’s life, and in most of the countries abortion is permitted to preserve the physical and/or mental health of the woman. Of Africa’s 54 nations, only five do not currently allow abortion in at least one circumstance: Madagascar, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mauritania, and Egypt. However, four of five of these have signed and/or ratified the Maputo protocol, which supports abortion provision in several circumstances only Egypt has not.

  1. How is abortion perceived in indigenous cultures and religion?

Myth: Anti-abortionists advance the argument that abortion is not supported by indigenous cultures and major religion, making it immoral and a sin.

FACT: Majority of religions and indigenous cultures developed their core beliefs and values when technology and science to understand the development of a human embryo from fertilization, through all stages of fetal develop, and to birth had not advanced enough to adequately inform society. This means that changing society’s views and perceptions today doesn’t in any way undermine the core beliefs of religions and indigenous cultures as it is simply informed by present scientific understanding, thus abortion is not immoral nor is it a sin.

In conclusion, it is important for civil society, academia, media, and all stakeholders involved in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) work to always share facts to challenge popular myths. This is more important for governments who actions can ultimately ensure access to safe abortion or fail to do. It is an indictment for governments to rely on myths and not fact to deny women a fundamental right such as access to reproductive health needs like abortion.

 

References 

Obstetrics & Gynecology, online January 23, 2012. bit.ly/s3TyE 

PRB. 2021. Abortion Facts and Figures. Available: https://www.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-safe-engage-abortion-facts-and-figures-media-guide.pdf
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