< Más Articulos : Article: Abortion: A Pragmatic Perspective (Times of Israel - 21 Jul 2024)
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Article: Abortion: A Pragmatic Perspective (Times of Israel - 21 Jul 2024)
For the purposes of this article, we will adopt the definition of abortion from YaleMedicine.org: “Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive outside the uterus. It can occur spontaneously, known as a miscarriage, or be induced intentionally through medical or surgical procedures.”
As of 2023, 67 out of 195 countries worldwide have legalized or decriminalized abortion. The most commonly accepted reasons for allowing abortion in these countries include risk to the mother’s life, rape or sexual abuse, serious fetal anomalies, risk to physical and sometimes mental health, social and economic reasons, and abortion on request. Most of these countries permit abortion up to 12 weeks of gestation, while some extend this limit to 24 weeks. However, despite this apparent trend toward more permissive policies, four countries have reversed their stance on abortion: the United States, Poland, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
Religiously, within the major and most iconic religious groups, the Roman Catholic Church, Hinduism, and some Christian denominations oppose abortion with few or no exceptions. In contrast, Reform and Conservative Judaism, as well as some other Christian denominations, support abortion rights with few or no limits. Meanwhile, Orthodox Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and the National Baptist Convention have yet to define a clear position on the issue.
From a pragmatic perspective, it is universally accepted that killing a human being is a crime. Worldwide, most authorities agree that a person is considered dead when there are no electrical impulses in the brain. By week 8 of gestation, electrical activity begins in the brain of an embryo or fetus. Therefore, from this point on, the embryo or fetus should be considered a living person. Consequently, intentionally performing an abortion through surgery or medical procedures on a fetus that has begun brain activity constitutes committing murder.
Of course, there are exceptions to the definition of murder, such as self-preservation either yours or of a third party. These same considerations should apply to abortion; exceptions must be made if the procedure is necessary to protect the life of the mother or a twin fetus.
Even if we agree on the above, many of the currently accepted reasons for performing an abortion would still present challenges. Therefore, we need legal and religious frameworks that help save the fetus’s life by supporting the mother through childbirth. Additionally, if the mother chooses not to keep the child, there should be systems in place to ensure the child is provided with a safe, loving, and structured environment to lead a happy life.
Lastly, who will finance all of this? Every year, 75 million abortions are performed worldwide. In wealthy countries, raising a child up to the age of 17 can cost up to USD 300,000, while in poorer countries this amount is significantly lower. To address this, we should establish a Global Fund, Country Funds, and a system where DNA-matched parents provide a monthly fee to support each non-aborted person, ensuring they can live a dignified life in their own habitat. This is easier said than done, but having a clear plan makes the task much more effective.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/abortion-a-pragmatic-perspective/
( Por: Yehudi Sabbagh , 21/07/2024 )
