Why I believe that all abortion should be illegal

Recent headlines regarding the potential overturning of Roe vs Wade abortion rights in the United States (U.S.) has triggered debates in Canada and U.S. about abortion rights. Like many Canadians, I was unfamiliar with the ruling and curious how it affected our country. Currently, there are no laws regarding abortion in Canada. It is seen as a medical procedure that is regulated by the provincial/territorial health authorities under the Canada Health Act. No Canadian law protects the right to access abortion like the Roe vs. Wade ruling in the U.S. However, no law in Canada restricts the access to abortion when it was decriminalized in the Canadian Supreme Court ruling of the 1988 R. vs. Morgentaler case (nafcanada.org; ctvnews.ca).

Abortion is a controversial topic that brings about strong feelings from all sides of the debate. As a future health care provider, I will likely care for a patient who has had an abortion or is thinking about accessing one. I started this forum to put my point of view in words and maybe hear from others who have views different from mine. I know that one of the first steps to providing equal unbiased quality health care is recognizing my prejudices so that I can prevent them from affecting the care I provide to patients.

As mentioned previously, in Canada, abortion is legal at all stages of a pregnancy, but regulation falls within provincial jurisdiction as is other medical procedures. I am opposed to this, due to 2 reasons, namely: dismissal of the rights of the unborn fetus under Canadian law and disregard for basic bioethical principles. Within the Canadian charter of rights and freedom, it protects the basic human rights to life, liberty and physical and psychological safety. In addition, Equality rights are at the core of the Charter and ensures that everyone is treated with the same respect, dignity, and consideration (i.e., without discrimination), regardless of personal characteristics such as race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, marital status or citizenship. Consequently, I believe that it is the responsibility of the Canadian government to protect human life as enshrined in the charter and hence has failed in its duty when it inadvertently passed that obligation to the provincial government.

Again, I feel that life begins at conception and science has shown that the so-called “clump of cells” is a living entity that will go on a developmental trajectory to become a human being. Hypothetically, if a child is murdered or neglected by someone after birth, there will be legal ramifications and it will be frowned upon by society but how is it acceptable to murder an unborn child and deny it the basic right to live? As a society, morals should not be left to subjective parameters but be driven within an objective framework where we can agree that right is right and wrong is wrong. It all comes down to upholding morals and protecting the sanctity of life.

Edit:
Thanks to the many people who have stated problems with my stance, I have decided to add in solutions to some of the most common issues. It is important to understand that I am not necessarily advocating for abortion to be less frequent, but that in extreme circumstances it may be a viable option. As it stands, in most cases it should be barred.

Firstly, what can a mother do if she were unable to afford taking care of a child at their current life stage? A place to stay already exists for orphaned children. These are foster homes, and they are publicly funded. The child may grow up without a parent, but at least they will have a chance at life and possibly even be adopted. Secondly pregnancy may be shown to harm the mother or put her life at risk. Here abortion can be a solution as seen on a case-by-case basis.

Abortion is a blanket solution to a wide variety of more in depth issues in Canada. The issues of unwanted pregnancy, lack of sexual education, lack of contraceptives and publically funded services. Some alternative approaches to abortion can be access to government funded programs like family planning. Comprehensive sexuality education which includes medically accurate information and access to emergency contraceptives for primary prevention. These are fundamental issues we can solve in place of abortion, and will move us forward as a country.

I understand your view on abortion is strict, however what if the mother is unable to take care of their child? If I were in a financially unstable situation - for example if I was too young - how would the baby fare?

Hello, User. You are right that mothers may be unable to take care of their child. However, in such a situation foster care is always an option. I will make note of this in my post.
Comment #2:

If a mother is unable to physically birth a baby, or it may be harmful to her, what will you suggest if not abortion?

You are absolutely right here. This is an emergent situation and as such abortion may be the only option as to not jeopardize the mothers health.

Great opinion!

Thanks!

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