ABSTRACT
Women have the right to be informed about abortion before undertaking it. This right has been ratified as an Act in some countries especially in the United States of America. The act of abortion impacts not only the life of the woman bearing the pregnancy but also the life she bears in her womb. Therefore having her well informed perception helps her make an informed decision as well as helping her give consideration to the available alternatives of abortion. Some countries require that a sonogram is performed and the patient allowed to choose the method of abortion they prefer.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Many countries globally have legalized abortion today, and this is with no exception to the United States. The issue of informing women before performing an abortion has led to discrepancies among many people. Some support the right of the woman to receive all information that concerns her course of actions beforehand and others argue that this is a manipulative mechanism to make them change their minds. Pro-abortion agencies for instance believe that some of the informative mechanisms shouldn’t be used. They argue that once a woman goes through a sonogram for instance, or hears the heartbeat or ultra sounds of her child that she is about to abort, it subjects her to a maze and this makes it difficult for her to make up her mind on abortion. On the other hand many states representatives believe that the woman has the right to be informed in order to make a properly informed decision and also be supplied with necessary alternatives.
Performing abortion is a risky activity. It not only leads to the infringement of the rights of the unborn life, but can also lead to excessive hemorrhage for the mother, increased cases of breast cancer, have fatal reaction due to the dye used, and also cause strokes from manipulation of the neck. In some cases, trauma is also a consequence. The U.S.A has a lot of women aborting. Most abortion surgeries performed here have had more cases of success than failure. Nevertheless, the women undertaking abortion need proper knowledge beforehand. This is because it emboldens the woman to make well-versed decision. Apart from being informed about their alternatives, women also are informed of the available methods of abortion and the risks associated with each. The women are also informed of the state agencies that offer alternatives to abortion as well as information on child support.
2.0 HOW TO INFORM THE WOMEN
In the United States, the law requires the doctor to inform the women on details of the abortion 24 hours before she undergoes the abortion. It requires that the woman receives a sonogram before the abortion. During this sonogram, the doctor is required to ensure that his patient sees the images of the fetus and hears the heartbeats. Moreover, the doctor provides verbal explanation to enable the patient understand what is exactly happening. In some states, for instance in Texas, a ruling is made to exempt some women from undergoing these detailed process. These include the victims of rape and sexual assaults, pregnant minors or under age mothers, as well as if the fetus has any physical or general medical abnormalities. .
3.0 CASE STUDY: VIRGINIA AND OKLAHOMA
Recently, in Virginia, a bill was passed to ensure ultrasounds are performed before abortion. This involves insertion of a wand through the vagina. These are however thought to be offensive to the victims of sexual violence, given they’ve gone through enough trauma, hence such victims are exempt. But first they have to be registered with Law Enforcement Agencies as victims of any sort of sexual violation. In the Oklahoma a similar bill was passed in 2010 requiring all the women undertaking abortion, with no exemption of rape victims, to undergo a sonogram which may be trans-vaginal, and that the doctor must ensure the screen is turned to them as he explains the details of the fetus. These procedures upset most women hence this law was considered controversial . Amendments have been made and an establishment of the Heartbeat Informed Consent Act put in place to give women a right to decide whether to hear the heartbeat of the fetus or not, without any compulsion.
In the United States, a Resource Directory with lists of agencies offering alternative to abortion have been made. These agencies have been established all in support of the women’s right to know about abortion. They assist women with services that help them in all stages of child development from the time the fetus is formed till the baby is still reliant. These agencies are fairly distributed worldwide. They include the Adoption Agencies which propose to the mothers the idea of letting someone else bring up the child. Some of these adoption agencies give this mother assistance in housing and catering for their personal expenses. There also are Domestic Violence or Sexual Assaults Agencies which assist especially the victims of rape and domestic violence with necessary services such as housing, legal resources as well as counseling. The Oklahoma Department of Human Resource is an agency that provides financial assistance, meals and medical care to the low-income and poor citizens of Oklahoma. They also provide some pregnant women with basic health care coverage. Other helpful agencies include some maternity homes which serve pregnant women with a broad range of services, Pregnancy Resource Centers, and also the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
4.0 CONCLSUION
The women’s rights to be informed before undertaking an abortion are important not only for successful abortion procedures, but also for the sale of making informed decisions. Women consider abortion under various circumstances. They include fear of the expenses of child support, premature pregnancies, rape, fetus complications, in some cases mother’s survival and also for personal reasons. Some of these reasons can be dealt with alternatively, especially with the upcoming of so many agencies worldwide that are ready to help out. In the extreme cases where an abortion is it be performed, for instance where having the baby in the womb is believed to affect the mother and threaten her life, the doctor should inform her of the available means of abortion and point out the risks in each. Counseling should be given since abortion is an act that affects the women’s psychologies. Hence informing the women at all levels is very vital.
Works Cited
Brennan, Anne. "Knowledge is Power: Women's Right to Know." The American Feminist (2004).
Ertelt, Steven. "Oklahoma Bill: Women Can Hear Baby's Heartbeat Before Abortion." Life News (2012).
Hackley, Sarah. "Whole Woman’s Health: A Woman’s Right to Know." whole woman's health (2012).
James, Suan D. "Oklahoma abortion law: no exception for rape victims." abc News (2010).
McDuffie, Kristin. Women's Right to know. 07 February 2012. 10 March 2012 .
Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision . women's right to know: resource directory. Oklahoma, 2006.
Rachel Benson Gold, Elizabeth Nash. "State Abortion Counseling Policies and the Fundamental Principles of Informed Consent." Guttmacher Policy Review (2007).
