There appears to be a growing struggle between the right to do what one wants with their body and the power to prevent that.
Let's begin with a basic fundamental right: Women have a right to do what they want with their bodies. That includes the right to choose to have an abortion.
American women now do not have absolute access or the care to get safe abortions. They are forced to carry unwanted pregnancies and non-viable fetuses even under the pain of death. It all changed in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling which allowed abortions. That decision has deadly consequences.
Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old woman, died from a rare complication in her pregnancy when she went to an Atlanta-area hospital to get a termination.
Doctors waited 20 hours for them to perform a dilation and curettage to see where the complication in her pregnancy was which ended up with her dying on the operating table.
Candy Millers, a 41-year-old, died from sepsis, a grave and painful infection, after taking an abortion pill.
Millers unintentionally got pregnant in the fall of 2022, at that time Georgia had an abortion ban rule which left her with no choice but to keep the baby.
Her health was at risk as she had lupus, diabetes and hypertension and the doctors told her that having another baby could kill her. After taking the Morning After pill, Miller’s teenage son watched her suffer in pain for days. Her husband found her unresponsive on Nov. 12, 2022.
This repressive swing in the U.S. has its supporters in Canada. While it is still legal to have an abortion in Canada, New Brunswick has the most restrictive abortion access law in the country.
Only three hospitals are providing abortion services in Moncton and Bathurst. The majority of the abortions in New Brunswick are now performed in a private clinic in Fredericton.
Women are paying between $500 and $750 out of pocket because the province has consistently declined to fund the clinic.
Getting access to a funded hospital is next to impossible for those women with no doctor. The government of New Brunswick chose to go against women's rights.
They choose to go against women who are poor, young, rural, those who are religious and have health issues.
Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall introduced Private Member's Bill C-225 in 2016 calling for an amendment to the Criminal Code to create separate offences for injuring or killing a fetus when an offence is committed against a pregnant woman. It was defeated.
Five years later, she repackaged the Private Member's Bill 2021 as Bill C-311 calling for a similar amendment to the Criminal Code. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told the Canadian Press then that he planned to support the bill.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh voiced his concerns on how he is against the bill and that the legislation is a veiled attack on access to abortion, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said It's so disappointing to see another thinly veiled attempt by the Conservative Party of Canada to restrict a woman's right to choose.
Abortion bans will result in more women dying. Women are suffering more and more from not getting a termination for their safety.
It should not be a politician's choice to make decisions about abortion, especially when they do not have a medical degree. This should be a doctor's decision as they have a medical degree and have much knowledge about it.
With all that said, this abortion ban hurts women and is causing them to hold a baby that they do not want.
This is a human being that is not getting the care it needs because the government has decided they can control a woman’s body. It is not fair for women to have conditions imposed upon them. As women, we have the right to control our bodies and carry what we want.
Abortions should be legal as they help save more women. It will protect them from any health risks they are going through.
Any woman should make this decision if they are or aren't ready to have a baby. This is between a woman and her spouse.
The government nor anyone should decide what should happen to a woman's body. This is between the woman and the doctor.
