Abortion in Canada and South Korea - Essay Example

Abortion Abortion The issue of abortion is frequently discussed by ordinary people, politicians, believers and atheist because there is nothing more precious in this world than life. Some people perceive abortion as a murder which others believe that it is a personal right to choose what to do with own body and own life. These clashes require legal regulations in order to mediate differences in public opinion and make the situation stable. This paper will analyze how abortion is legally managed in Canada and South Korea in order to see how people with different world views cope with this difficult issue of pro-choice/ pro-life battle. Canada has totally different policies regarding abortion. It has been legal since 1969 and women have a right to decide whether they want to keep a child or not. Restrictions are imposed by Canadian health regulations and they vary in different provinces of Canada. Abortions were illegal before 1969; however, in 1969 new regulations allowed women to resort to abortion if their pregnancy threatened them by mental or physical harm. In 1989 Canadian Supreme court rules that existing criminal laws restricting abortion were unfair; as a result Canada is one of the nations were there are no criminal restrictions to abortion (Norman, 2012). Even though there are still difficulties in access of therapeutic abortion, it is quite common in Canada. According to Norman (2012), almost one third of Canadian women experience abortion in their reproductive years. Around 50-52% of these women are in their 20-s. There is a tendency that young people tends not to risk their health and do abortion being pregnant for the first time. Overall, women in Canada can do abortion if child birth threatens their health. It is very liberal as women can access quality medical services and care if they happen to be in this situation. The situation in South Korea is totally different because abortions are illegal there. According to Sung (2012), there are 440,000 childbirths registered in South Korea every year. At the same time, there are 340,000 abortions performed each year. There is a controversy between legal background in South Korea and reality because many women search for illegal opportunities to do abortion. Moreover, Korean women want to legalize abortion since they are becoming more important for social and political life in the country but social expectations and role of females in Korean society. Despite great progress of Korean women they are still oppressed by these expectations. The truth is that being technically illegal abortions are routinely performed in Korean clinics. There are several situations when Korean women can get a legal abortion; they include pregnancy resulting from rape, health danger and hereditary disease. Abortion can be done only before 24 week of pregnancy. Women resort to abortions not only when their pregnancy threatens their health, but also when they are pregnant with a female fetus. On the other hand, there is a criminal regulation that punishes doctors who perform abortion in Korean clinics. They can face up to two years in jail and no permit to work as a doctor if they are caught up by the law enforcement system. Women who resort to abortion can be jailed for a year and fined (Kang, 2013). The situation gets even more difficult because of birth control issues. While Canadian women can choose any method of contraception they like and consult family planning specialists for free, Korean women do not have the same opportunities. Due to the fact that fertility rates are declining, Korean government made people pay for all family planning services hoping that Korean families would not use any methods of contraception. There are prejudices about the use of oral contraceptives as Korean women do not have proper information about them and believe that they are harmful for their health (Kang, 2013). This issue is not true for Canada where oral contraceptives are quite popular. These two totally different receptions and regulations of abortion in Canada and Korea lead to a very serious question whether women are free to decide what they want to do and how they want to live. Korean women who live in highly patriarchal and hierarchical society are still perceived as wives rather than active social personas. As a result, they are expected to conform to what is believed to be right for them. Contrary to them, women in Canada are given more freedom to decide what they want and need. Illegal abortions, criminal regulations and limited information about contraceptives all force women to become desperate and do abortions illegally. Illegal status of abortion prevents women from having appropriate care before and after the procedure. Abortion is quite dangerous for female health and can end all hopes to become pregnant again. It could be much better if government accepted a bit more liberal attitude to abortion in order to keep situation under their full control. Political restrictions that limit person freedom negatively influence rational thinking of women. For instance, availability of family planning consultations could prevent women from resorting to illegal services of doctor who can abort their unwanted child. It is logical to suppose that illegal abortion is the last and the worst possible decision in family planning; however, for some Korean women it is the only alternative if they do not want to have children due to various personal issues. Debates about the extent to what politics can limit personal freedoms are endless. Almost all world constitutions protect personal freedoms but there are also many regulations that limit them. Limited access to information and social pressure negatively influence the role of Korean women when it comes to family planning. At the same time, the lack of criminal regulations for abortion in Canada raise even more moral issue about the right of people to end lives of unborn children. There is not right answer to the question what is the right solution for this issue. All policies and abortion regulations in different countries result from their history, traditions and social norms. Differences in views of the Global South and Western world are obvious due to the fact that they follow different paths in their development. Western society tends to be more liberal when it comes to difficult social issues like gay marriage or abortion. In the global South such issues tend to me more conservative due to different philosophical and moral standing as well as historical context of the problem. There is one thing all people need to remember; political and criminal regulations enforce common thoughts about difficult moral issues. Prohibition of abortion means that people will automatically treat it as a bad action. At the same time, liberal attitude to abortion persuades people that this issue is not as bad as it might be and people have a right to decide. If government does not support the idea that women cannot do abortion simply if they do not want to have children, then there will be moral pressure on women who have a different point of view on this issue. Overall, this research shows that categorical view on abortion in Korean forces women to do abortion illegally accepting all risks related to this action. Being limited in information about contraceptives and criticized for use of oral contraceptives, they breach the law and cope with consequences of their decision. Canadian liberal attitude to abortion gives more opportunities for choice and women who do not want to have children are allowed to plan their actions and choose methods they like not to become pregnant. Korean is moving towards liberalization since women are asking government to legalize abortion and end this industry of illegal medical services and shame. Perhaps, Korean government will find the right consensus to give women more personal rights and support traditions that are precious for every nation. References Kang, J. (2013). To Abort or Not to Abort: That is the Question in South Korea. Voices in Bioethics. Retrieved from http://voicesinbioethics.org/2013/10/14/abortion-south-korea/ Norman, W. V. (2012). Induced abortion in Canada 1974–2005: Trends over the first generation with legal access. Contraception, 85(2), 185-191. Sung, W. K. (2012). Abortion in South Korea: The Law and the Reality. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 26(3), 278-305. Read More