As controversial of a topic abortion is, it has gradually become more accepted all around the world. Though it was only legally justified in the United States since the Supreme Court case Roe vs Wade in 1973, it has been knowingly done since the third millennium BCE as described in an ancient Egyptian medical text. Due to limited surgical capabilities, it was not often practiced, but many pharmaceutical methods were very common. These ancient pharmaceutical methods often had a high fatality risk for the birth mother, but most females did not have a significant role in ancient societies resulting in the death being justified. I believe the growth of female significance in society caused the health of females to become more of a concern, which then sparked the topic of abortion. This proves that cultural aspects factor into the development of a country’s view on topics such as abortion, where as a country with a less dominant female presence will not find it to be a significant matter.
A South Asian country that demonstrates the possible connection between male dominance and abortion restrictions is Thailand. Due to male dominance and a historical absence in female roles, women of Thailand were not allowed to obtain official education until merely seventy years ago resulting in their productivity in gender equality to fall slightly behind modern standards. “As history tells us, the majority of Thai women have only had access to formal education for the past seventy years. Furthermore, it has been only in the past fifteen to twenty years that women’s political organizing has emerged as a significant phenomenon” (Costa pg.1). The abortion laws in Thailand are very strict, where legally it is still not allowed unless the situation threatens the physical and mental health of the woman. Grounds such as demand is not accepted as a valid reason to undergo an abortion. Due to strict limitations, illegal abortions have been an ongoing issue. “Although maternal mortality in Thailand has been considerably reduced over the past two decades, wide disparities remain between urban and rural areas with regard to maternal and child health care. Because the increasing number of illegal abortions are performed under unsanitary conditions by unqualified practitioners, hospitalization for complications from illegal abortion has been rising in many hospitals in Thailand” (Costa pg. 4). This provides us with a bond between Thai culture and its modern abortion laws. The culture demonstrates a significant bias opposing female empowerment, thus causing the choice of abortion to be less available and ultimately resulting in a higher demand for unsafe and illegal abortion alternatives.India with its enormous population of 1.2 billion people and rich culture is another country that exploits unsafe abortions just like Thailand. Only different thing is that females have always had power and rights just as much as men. Though based off these two pieces of evidence the argument “culture impacts the country’s view on abortion” seems to be disproved, India is a special case where women are given rights but are still oppressed by the dominant male. Recent problems such as the Triple Talaqed illustrates an astonishing prejudice in male power. “Triple Talaq is a form of divorce that is practiced only amongst Muslim and only the husband can say to this wife, instantly divorcing her and many times leaving her destitute. In many cases, if the woman has been Triple Talaqed outside her home, she is unable to go back to her home and retrieve her belongings, essentially leaving her destitute if she has no family to help her” (Fontaine, pg.1). This practice in no way shape or form demonstrates any form of equality. I believe this proves cultural norms of male dominance is much more potent than the legal rights documented in India. This leaves minimal room for woman to feel empowered which may be why the legality of abortion is not yet known nationwide.
Abortion in India has been legal for almost forty years, yet eighty five percent of the population in Rajasthan (largest state of India) do not know that abortion is legal. “Sometimes women opt for unsafe abortions just because they don’t know abortion is actually legal. Eight-five percent of men and women surveyed in Rajastan didn’t know abortion was legal, and the results in Madhya Pradesh were similar”. The alternatives that woman in India are forced to turn to often risk their health and are unreliable. The few who are aware of the legal status of abortion do turn for professional assistance but are denied due to their situation. Also health clinics are known to refuse women who do not bring the husband with them to confirm the choice of abortion. “Clinics will also turn women away if they don’t have the consent of their husband or other family members - even though this isn’t required by law”. The instability of the law in India concerning abortion and family demonstrates complete male dominance influenced by culture. India is a perfect example of culture based female inferiority causing society to ignore the significance of abortion.
Only two countries have been used to demonstrate the cultural impact on abortion regulations, yet they both illustrate a great deal of connections. When a country is strongly influenced by culture, it is often hard to balance out with modern law. Especially when the topic is gender affiliated, many cultural aspects factor into how significantly it is viewed.
Works Cited
Costa, LeeRay. "Exploring the History of Women's Education and Activism in Thailand." University of Hawaii System. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/explore/v1n2-art4.html>.
Head, Tom. "When Did Abortion Begin - Ancient History of Abortion." Civil Liberties at About.com - Your Guide to Civil Liberties News and Issues. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://civilliberty.about.com/od/abortion/f/When-Did-Abortion-Begin.htm>.
Hernandez, Karen Leslie. Talaq, Talaq, Talaq. 29 May 2006. Web.
"High Number of Unsafe Abortions in Asia | Lovematters." Lovematters | Love Matters Is Produced by Radio Netherlands Worldwide and Influenced by a Dutch View of Sexuality and Sexual Health. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.lovematters.info/high-number-unsafe-abortions-asia>.
Makinwa-Adebusoye, Paulina. "Nigerian Health Professionals' Perceptions About Abortion Practice." Guttmacher Institute: Home Page. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2315597.html>.
"Roe v. Wade." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade>.
It is interesting that you chose to write about how a dominance, especially male dominance effects the views and laws on abortion. As with any other norms in different countries, as soon as culture is involved, culture seems to override the situation.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about this topic, although I would like to see a more in-depth look on how the male dominance really interferes. Otherwise, I firmly stand with your argument.
No matter how educated someone may be, because of cultures and customs, many women choose to go to these unlicensed 'specialists'. This is not exactly stupidity nor ignorance, it is just the complex matter of culture and upbringing.
Amon,
ReplyDeleteYour project about the increasingly controversial topic of abortion really affected the way I look at it especially since I have not taken the time to learn about abortion more in depth than we have in class. Your focus on Thailand is especially interesting to me because it taught me about a side of abortion that is very different from the U.S. I am specifically referring to the difference in treatment of the woman in modern culture and the liberties that they are given or denied. In a way I feel that the situation in Thailand is of great value to the U.S. because it shows how advanced and liberated we can be when it comes to making life changing decisions such as abortion. An interesting line from your project that made me think about what changes we can make to improve upon our system and possibly help others get on the right track is, “The abortion laws in Thailand are very strict, where legally it is still not allowed unless the situation threatens the physical and mental health of the woman.” Upon reading your project I wished to continue reading more but it came to an end. Your project is full of thought provoking ideas and facts that can really affect the mindset of a pregnant woman possibly thinking of getting an abortion.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for finding time in your busy schedule to comment on my post. I agree that culture is a very significant factor, as I proved in my project. I believe culture is the grey spot of what we see often in other countries. We tend to compare to what we see as the dominant social practice and find "flaws" in other systems, when they are not necessarily flaws but culture influenced practices. It is one thing you cannot label as right or wrong, since it is in fact a lifestyle. I also would have liked to look into the male dominant aspect of culture instead of broadening it to just culture. I find male dominance to be a very popular amongst various countries, and by selecting countries that still abide by these customs today, I could have compared better pieces of evidence.