Introduction
For a long time, many Cameroonians have been deprived of their intrinsic right to life. Due to the fast-growing culture of separating sex and childbearing, many youths have indulged in abortion; sometimes willingly or forcefully. As defined by Janet Morana, abortion is the deliberate execution of a separate human being still in the womb. It involves the extinction of an innocent victim.
However, some health complications during pregnancies-such as ectopic pregnancies, pulmonary hypertension, and many others-necessitate abortion in order to save the life of the pregnant person. In this case, abortion is regarded as medical care.
Below, we shall explore some causes and consequences of abortion, and propose some remedies.
Root-causes
Misleading terminologies are sometimes used which hides the nature of abortion. Referring to a human being as a zygote for instance makes some people ignorant of them carrying a human being. Also, some distorted images of pregnancy often seem to justify abortion; some unprepared pregnancies are often termed unwanted, which seems justifiable to abort. Again, some societies legalise the act, which reduces the moral guilt in the individual’s psychology and can be seen as a state’s advice. Hence, due to frustration and sometimes pressure, many will readily abort when it is legalised.
Consequences
Though sugar-coated languages are often implored, abortion is very dangerous. While some women lose their lives and others suffer complications like infertility after aborting, others suffer emotionally, like depression, low self-esteem, and addictions. Such manifestations are inevitable, as Mary Kominsky asserts: “…after abortion, the body remembers because the womb is the heart of the woman, a sacred place where any assault leaves lasting damages.”
Way forward
First, women’s dignity must be respected. Everything God created, especially the human person whom He uniquely created in His own likeness, was good. The woman, specifically, was granted the aptitude to bear humanity in her womb, which fundamentally constitutes part of her dignity. As her womb is an integral part of her womanhood, no one must pressure her to disrespect it through advice or coercion for her to abort, but must respect her.
Moreover, women must be responsible. Responsibility here entails respecting their God-given dignity of motherhood, which she alone can do best. This begins by not separating sex from child-bearing; sex should be reserved for child-birth or else natural birth-control should be observed with the readiness to take up motherhood in case of failure.
Also, conception days could be celebrated in place of birthdays. Viewing that life begins at conception, not at birth. Hence, the human being in the womb is endowed with a dignified soul, as the carrier assumes motherhood, and any abortion entails killing a person.
Lastly, a dignified pronoun should be introduced for a foetus. A person before birth is referred to as an It, which compromises the person’s dignity as a human being. Hence, modern technology provides us with possibilities of identifying foetuses’ sexes, and after the sex is known, either he or she should be used.
Conclusion
As Augustine equates freedom to doing good, abortion is not a choice if not done for the greater good. Its results are not worth considering, as harm is not only caused to the mother but also to the innocent baby. Hence, only with the good in mind, that is, the protection of the mother’s life upon medical confirmation, should abortion be permitted. Also, society should adopt laws to protect women’s dignity, protecting them against those who pressure them into aborting. To make this real, we must sensitise those we can about women’s dignity, as ignorance is an intellectual parricide. This sensitisation starts with ourselves.
