Abortion as a Social Problem - Essay Example

? Abortion The essay intends to delineate sensitive social issue of abortion. The problems faced by the society and the people due to abortion have been explored. It has been recognised that abortion has various implications on the life of an individual. There are certain negative and positive impacts that are brought upon an individual owing to the physical and mental hardships that are faced while undergoing abortion. Moreover, the perception of people towards abortion also plays a major role in rendering decisive implications on an individual. The alternatives with reference to abortion can be effective in reducing its effect on the society. Overview Abortion is a hindrance to the societal development. In the present world, the aspect of abortion has become vitally important for young women and teenage girls. It is evident from the facts that the issue regarding abortion is not an individual problem anymore but has turned into a social problem. Moreover, abortion has not only a negative impact on the health of a woman but it also affects the demographics and the atmosphere of the society at large. The objective of the study is to emphasise the sensitive and contentious issue of abortion. The societal issues faced by the world due to the unethical practice of unsafe abortion would also be emphasized in the study. Abortion as a Social Problem Abortion is one of the major issues which is being faced by the society today and is hindering its prosperous growth. The male coercion is an important aspect which causes abortion. The men in the life of the women at times do not support their partner morally and financially for child birth and rearing. This forces the women to go for abortion unwillingly. Also, the recent facts exhibit the upsurge in the number of teenage unwanted pregnancy in many countries due to avoidance of precautionary measures. This brings about the need to go for abortion due to pressure from family, fear of quitting schools, physical issues faced by the young girls along with desiring to rectify the image they would have in the society. Teenage pregnancy is a major cause which affects the society. The prime reason behind such scenario is a lack of knowledge. Moreover, it is often observed that the working women of today do not prefer motherhood in the early age to maintain their work life and the standard of living in the society. In the unavoidable circumstances if a woman turns out to be pregnant, she often does not hesitate to take the measure of removing the child from her womb to maintain her strata of singlehood. This causes a negative impact on the society and the lifestyle of the people. Another reason for the increase in the number of abortion is because of the orthodox value of preferring a male child. The pregnant women are forced to abort the female child which creates a social issue and also hampers the demographic purview of the country. As an abysmal consequence, the issue of abortion causes sex inequality and curbs the right of the women. Notably, abortion is a problem for the society and for the people who are against killing of unborn baby but few supports it to avoid the unwanted child (Pearson Highered, n.d.; Burke, 1994). Sociological Theory There are various reasons which cause abortion wherein a few reflect the medical requirements and others emerge due to the desire of avoiding unplanned pregnancy. A number of sociologists have observed the issue of abortion on the basis of the perception of different people in the society. The reason for the abortion and the situations are different and thus the implications of it on the society differ. The abortion as per the social issue is based on the concept of conflict theory. The major reason for the abortion faced in the society is the dominance of men over women. The orthodox belief of women being inferior to men often ignites such issues. It is observed that the married couple go for abortion due to the hesitance of the men to accept the child and to bear their expenses. The mental and societal pressure at times compels women to go for abortion even if they are not willing to avoid the child. The conflict between the women and the men to save the relation and the refusal of men to accept the child force the women to go for abortion in order to save themselves from the negative social pressure. Thus, it is apparent that societal conflicts play a decisive role in compelling women to take the decision of abortion (Gasman, Blandon & Crane, 2006). Implication of Abortion Abortion has many implications on the life of the individuals and the society. The major effect faced due to forced abortion is the mental trauma and stress that women go through. Abortion without the will of the women might cause several issues such as psychological issue which might lead to depression. The women might face low self-esteem and might not be comfortable to continue the relationship. Moreover, various health issues such as the risk of future infertility increases which might result in miscarriage and the birth of premature baby. The issue of abortion is one of the major social issues as in many countries even today women are tortured, starved and killed because they are female. This inhuman behaviour affects the society as well. Abortion is causing hindrance in the development of the women and the society. This can be evaluated from the fact that in 2012 the figure of abortions in England and Wales was 185,122 which was 5.2% above 2002 data. The rate of abortion is more in the age group of 20-30 which is affecting the growth of the society (Department of Health, 2013). Various researchers have different views regarding abortion. A few of them state that abortion should be made lawful in certain cases which might hamper the society and the women. For instance, women with health issues and for teenage girls, abortion should be made legal under few circumstances. This would help them in gaining their self-esteem along with facilitating them to lead a normal life in future. The sociologists intend to understand the problem a person and the society might face due to the unwanted child. Furthermore, the experts also highlight based on their study that one of the key reasons for abortion is a lack of trust amid the partners. The behaviour of the people towards their partner and sexual assault can cause damage to the society. On the contrary, the researchers view abortion as inhuman in certain cases where the women are forced to abort their child for certain personal benefits. These views of the experts are methodologically sound as they would enable the society to be a proper place to live in (Henslin, 2008). Response of the Public and the Society Public as a part of the society in the recent era gives significant importance to abortion for the welfare of the society. People have the impression to support abortion in few cases and make it legal. It is observed that at times public supports abortion in order to maintain family planning and avoid unwanted child. Public views that the decision of abortion should be taken by the women. The implementation of the parental involvement laws has helped the teenage pregnancy to avoid and help the young girls in regaining their self-esteem. The efforts from the society such as giving importance to female child and respect to the women have helped in reducing the number of abortions. In few cases such as teenage pregnancy and other societal violence leading to pregnancy, the legality of abortion has helped the society and its people. Correspondingly, as a decisive approach by the society, sex education in schools is provided which has helped in reducing the number of abortions and has made the teenagers aware of safe sex. Moreover, the few laws wherein the parents support their child and help in overcoming the situation have helped in lowering the number of forced abortions (Jelen & Wilcox, 2003). Abortion Alternatives Providence of preferable abortion alternative would help the women and the society at large. The alternative to the unwanted child can be through elimination of unprotected sex. This would aid in reducing the number of cases of unplanned child. The couple can take precautionary measures to avoid pregnancy. Moreover, women can give birth and give her baby for adoption which would help the other couples who have no child. This kind of approach can bring smile to the faces of couples who desire to adopt a child as it is often observed that child adopting couples do take good care of the adopted child. Another alternative can be that the women can take a strong step and take care of her child by herself without the help of the other partner. These alternatives can be effective as it would facilitate in reducing the level of abortion. Moreover, the mind-set of the society needs to change towards abortion as more and more educated citizens need to take a strong stance. The uncalled-for desires of the in laws or families to abort a child owing to the desire of male child needs to be stopped. This can be addressed by eliminating the process of gender prediction test which would facilitate to reduce a large figure of cases of abortion (Jelen & Wilcox, 2003). Conclusion Abortion has emerged as one of the most despicable social issues in recent years. The perception and wants of people often play the decisive role in the cases of abortion. The need for abortion has both negative and positive impact. It depends on the circumstances and the reason for the use. Abortion can be an effective process if it is medically prescribed by doctors to make the life of a mother safe. However, deriving a proper understanding of the reason behind abortion is of paramount importance in the society to alleviate the pain along with suffering of a woman who does not desire to end the life of child at its inception. References Burke, T. K. (1994). Abortion and post-traumatic stress disorder: The evidence keeps piling up. HLI Report, 1-5. Department of Health. (2013). Summary information from the abortion notification forms returned to the chief medical officers of England and Wales. Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2012, 1-55. Gasman, N., Blandon, M.M. & Crane, B.B. (2006). Abortion, social inequity, and women’s health: obstetrician-gynaecologists as agents of change. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics 94, 310 -316. Henslin, J. M. (2008). Social problems: A down-to-earth approach. How Sociologists view social problems: The abortion dilemma, 1-23. Jelen, T. G. & Wilcox, C. (2003). Causes and consequences of public attitudes toward abortion: A review and research agenda. University of Nevada, 1-33. Pearson Highered. (n.d.). How sociologists view social problems: the abortion dilemma. The Sociological Imagination, 1-24. Read More