Legalization of Abortion in accordance to Human Rights: Reproductive Freedom and Societal

Acceptance

Pro-Choice rather than Pro-Abortion

ABORTION

: Two common techniques: Uterine/Vacuum aspiration in which cervix is widened by instruments, a

tube is inserted into the uterus, and its contents are suctioned out. Dilation and curettage the contents
are scraped out with the use of surgical instrument.

Opening Statement:

Abortion is an extremely emotional issue in that it makes us consider some very significant and
deep moral concepts, such as personhood and the value of human life. It is important to understand
fetal development nor can we ignore vital social realities such as the liberation of women and the
problem of teenage mothers. The criminalization of abortion has not prevented abortion, but instead
has made the procedure unsafe and potentially deadly for the over half a million women each year who
try to terminate their pregnancies. Almost 90 percent of abortions in countries with liberal abortion laws
are considered safe, compared with just 25 percent of abortions in countries where abortion is banned.
According to the WHO, approximately 5–13 percent of maternal deaths worldwide are due to
complications from unsafe abortions, the vast majority of which occur in developing countries. Access to
safe abortion has been established as a human right by numerous international frameworks, the UN,
Human Rights Committee, and regional human rights courts, including the European Court of Human
Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’
Rights.

Arguments:
A. RESTRICTION OF ABORTION

- The reasons why pregnant women engage in induced or even unsafe abortion because of the
unwarranted access to safe, equipped, and legal abortion. According to NWCI (2018). Thus, it affects
their health because of the fact they abort privately without medical assistance, as what the research
entitled Manila’s Abortion Ban Is Killing Women (2019). Roughly 1,000 women in the Philippines die
every year from lack of safe terminations and 39,000 deaths per year from unsafe abortions in US.

 Medical professionals who assist in abortion here in the Philippines is sentenced for 6 years.
 The average abortion rate in countries with generally legal abortion declined by 43 percent. By
contrast, in countries with severe restrictions on abortion, the average abortion rate increased
by around 12 percent.
Center from Reproductive Life (2023): Category III - To Preserve Health
226 Million (12% of women of reproductive age)

Live where abortion is permitted when pregnancy poses a risk to the person's health. Many of these
laws include threats to preserve health.

Center from Reproductive Life (2023): Category IV - To Save a Woman’s Life

416 Million (22% of women of reproductive age)

Live where abortion is permitted to preserve the pregnant person's life.

B. LAW

- In the Philippines, it is against the law because of the fact that Philippines stigma surrounding abortion
is perpetuated by the Government of the Philippines’ acquiescence to the demands of the Catholic
hierarchy, including the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). It was evident in the past
3 decades. Now, we are in the modern world, wherein America and European country can testify the
stand with abortion, over the past 30 years, more than 66 countries have liberalized their abortion laws.
Only four countries have rolled back the legality of abortion.

C. NON-MALEFICENCE “Do No Harm”

June 24, 2022. Retrieved from Abortion and bioethics: Principles to guide U.S. abortion debates.

Non-maleficence is often paired with beneficence. So, together these principles emphasize doing more
good to harm. Minimizing the risk of harm figures prominently in the World Health Organization’s
opposition to bans on abortion because pregnant people facing barriers to abortion often resort to
unsafe methods, which represent a leading cause of avoidable maternal deaths and morbidities
worldwide. In short, allowing safe abortion mitigate maternal deaths and morbidities rate.

D. PATIENT AUTONOMY

The American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics recognizes a patient’s right to “receive
information and ask questions about recommended treatments” in order to “make well-considered
decisions about care.” Respect for autonomy is enshrined in laws governing informed consent, which
protect patients’ right to know the medical options available and make an informed voluntary decision.

Some bioethicists regard respect for autonomy as lending firm support to the right to choose abortion,
arguing that if a pregnant person wishes to end their pregnancy, the state should not interfere.
According to one interpretation of this view, the principle of autonomy means that a person owns their
body and should be free to decide what happens in and to it.

E. JUSTICE

If abortion results in the death of an innocent person, that is not its goal. If the ethics of an action is
judged by its goals, then abortion might be justified in cases where it realizes an ethical aim, such as
saving a woman’s life or protecting a family’s ability to care for their current children.
F. RELIGIOUS BELIEF
 According to Religious Views on Abortion (2020) Public has been falsely led to believe that all
religions are opposed to abortion rights. (Ex. Judaism, Jewish, Episcopal,) that it is a position
supporting a person’s right to make an individual decision based upon their own religious and
ethical beliefs and their physician’s guidance.
 Catholic theologians place ensoulment at the moment of conception, which is why the official
position of the Catholic Church is that abortion is never permitted. Nor can you choose between
two human lives, which is why the church opposes aborting a fetus. But, to inform you that even
Science cannot tell us “when life begins,” for to science, all life is a continuum. The answer to the
question, “When does personhood begin?” must remain in the ethical and religious realm.

POINTS!
Center from Reproductive Life (2023)
 60% live where abortion is broadly legal. - 1.12 billion women of reproductive age
 40% live under restrictive laws.- 753 million women of reproductive age
 The Center for Reproductive Rights an organization that worked across the globe to expand
reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right.
 457 Million (25% of women of reproductive age): Live where abortion is available on broad social
and economic grounds that take into account the pregnant person’s situation, economic
circumstances, and well-being.
 Criminal laws and other legal restrictions on sexual and reproductive health may have a negative
impact on the right to health in many ways including by interfering with human dignity. Respect for
dignity is fundamental to the realisation of all rights. Dignity requires that individuals are free to
make personal decisions without interference from the State, especially in an area as important and
intimate as sexual and reproductive health.
 The ability to make moral decisions – such as whether or not to continue a pregnancy – is the basis
of an individual’s dignity and autonomy.
 Abortion is not the same as killing a child. Aborting a baby is not really aborting a baby - it is
aborting a clump of cells that has not yet become a person. In fact, we don't kill children by
abortion, we kill children by bringing them into the world with parents that are financially and
emotionally unstable and parents that are not knowledgeable about proper parenting. It's better it
be legal than to have it be illegal, in which case women would be trying to abort on their own, and
could easily die or get hurt because of it.
 98% of abortions fall under mental harm category.
 Abortions are safest when done early as possible.

RAPE OR SEXUAL ABUSE ISSUE IN ABORTION

 Holdovers from the 1810 Napoleonic Code imposed by France—have made abortion legal in cases
of rape, incest, or fetal impairment.
 On a worldwide level, 15 million girls aged between 15 years to 19 years experienced forced sex or
rape. (Sexual Assault Statistics – By Demographic, Global Rate, Location, Workplace and Rapist
2023).

Cross-Examination Questions (from Negative Team):

1. How do you define the point at which life begins, and why is it relevant to the abortion debate?

- Life begins in conception yet are viable when are born outside the mother’s womb. It is relevant to the
abortion debate since we are arguing about an individual’s life.

2. Can you explain your stance on when, if ever, abortions should be restricted, and under what
circumstances?

- We stand for the legalization of abortion which promotes safe and legal abortion, which also requires
systematize processes, validity, and informed consent.

3. What alternatives do you propose for women facing unwanted pregnancies, besides abortion?

- The alternatives we propose for women facing unwanted pregnancies besides abortion, as what we
have said earlier, adoption is not a solution but can be an option.

So do you say that you agree for adoption?

- Yes.

So what are your other option besides adoptions?

Probable Answer: Contraceptives

Rebat: Does it mean you are contradicting your stand as pro-life, since contraception prevents
procreation?

4. How do you address concerns about the potential physical and emotional risks associated with
abortion?

- From the very beginning, we are stressing the legalization of abortion which According to NWCI (2018).
The reasons why pregnant women engage in induced or even unsafe abortion because of the
unwarranted access to safe, equipped, and legal abortion. It affects their health because of the fact they
abort privately without medical assistance.

5. Some argue that abortion may have a negative impact on society, particularly in terms of
demographic changes. How would you respond to such concerns?

- Yes, it does affect demographic change because again, average abortion rate in countries with
generally legal abortion declined by 43 percent. And in countries with severe restrictions on abortion,
the average abortion rate increased by around 12 percent.

6. What is your opinion on late-term abortions, and do you believe there should be any restrictions on
them?
- It should be validity over restriction. That is why medical professionals are present to assist with
regards to condition.

7. How do you respond to the ethical arguments raised by opponents of abortion, such as those based
on religious or moral beliefs?

8. Proponents of the right to life argue that every individual, including unborn fetuses, deserves
protection. How do you counter this argument?

9. How would you address the potential issue of "sex-selective" abortions, where fetuses are
terminated based on their sex?

10. Some argue that abortion might be used as a form of birth control. How do you ensure that
abortion remains a safe and last resort option rather than a primary method of family planning?

11. What is your stance on parental notification or consent laws for minors seeking abortions?

12. Can you provide evidence or data that supports the positive impact of legalizing and providing
access to abortions?

Probable Questions:

1. Your group is pro-choice which stands for abortion and for mother’s choice, how about the choice
of the fetus?

- The fetus is dependent to the mother and have no capability to decide for their own. The
supports this act that states “It's still the mother’s decision to do abortion. If the fetus controls
bodily autonomy of a mother then why the mother can't control or decide for the fetus.

2. As a future nurse, do you agree abortion is a murder?

- Murder is killing a human being, but according to Oxford Dictionary human being is referred to a
man, woman or child with superior mental development that can articulate speech and upright
stans.

3. What will be its societal contribution in the widespread of abortion?

Benefits of legal abortion

- Reproduction freedom
- Safe abortion
- Open-minded society
- Acquire broad knowledge to sex education

Probable Query: As future nurses, is killing a fetus or promoting abortion ethical?

Rebat: Nurses are supported by evidence-based research, it is ethical in the sense to save life and
provide quality life.
Probable Query: Since you engage in sexual activity you should know the consequences of your
personal act.

Rebat: So, are you neglecting those people who experienced traumatic sexual abuse? Especially, Rape.

Probable Query: Rather than aborting the child, why don’t do adoption instead?

Rebat: Around 5 to 7 million abandoned, neglected, or orphaned children in the country. Only about
237 children are adopted (Rohei Foundation).

QUESTIONS FOR THEM:

1. What will be the losses to society if abortion gets legalized?

Rebat:

: So, are you setting aside the vast benefit of safe abortion and letting unsafe abortion become
prevalent?

Probable Answer: So, are you also neglecting the rights of the fetus?

Rebat: First of all according to the book of Bioethics: An argument of viability, page 189, fetus is viable
when outside the mother’s womb. It requires independency particularly the mother. So, fetus are still
dependent on the mother. Therefore, it follows the last word from the mother. And how can you say
that a fetus is a human? When in fact it does not possess the quality of a human person? How can you
defend the fact that a fetus has rights?

Philosophical Arguments? Religious beliefs?

Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

2. Do you think judging someone's practice of bodily autonomy is morally correct and ethical?

3. Do you think it's important to end the pain of hurting women?

4. If the woman's life is in danger because of the pregnancy, how do we decide whose rights should
prevail?

5. In US, Forty-two percent of women who have an abortion have incomes below 100 percent of the
federal poverty level (that’s $10,830 for a single woman with no children). When women are forced to
have children they cannot afford to raise, will those children become wards of the state? Where will
the state find the money necessary to support them? Here, in Philippines, rely on the tax payers?

6. How about those victims of sexual abuse? Will rapists have to pay child support to women who are
forced to have their children?

7. The issue of abortion relies on the religious and political stand which embed human rights behind it.
How about the voices of those women in pain and are suffering from sexual abuse? That base on the
statistics of Office of Justice Programs that around 57% Marital rape, Incest of 27%, and Rape with
83%. People are the government, but why does it look like politicians have control over them?

Probable Answer: Because of power.

Rebat: So, do you let government control over your autonomy and human dignity?

Based on the documentary entitled PH rejects recommendations over abortions. It was emphasize
that Philippines is not READY.

Probable Answer: it denotes that Philippines in the future could be READY. It does not end there.

Rebat: But, do you think it’s an enough reason? And Why?

Summary:

The abortion issue is not essentially a health issue but rather a social issue that takes place in the health
care setting. That is why we are denoting the legalization of abortion with the collaboration of sex
education to broaden the knowledge of society that legal abortion does not imply of tolerating the issue
but rather directing them into a safe abortion. For, according to the research entitled Manila’s Abortion
Ban Is Killing Women (2019) that the average abortion rate in countries with generally legal abortion
declined by 43 percent. By contrast, in countries with severe restrictions on abortion, the average
abortion rate increased by around 12 percent. Therefore we can conclude that legal abortion societal
contribution will include: (a) First, Reproductive freedom that supports Bodily Autonomy of an
individual which entails a woman’s right to decide whether to conceive or not. (b) Second, open-
minded society, in which us health care providers has the ability and legal permission to educate people
with regards to what the society label as “killing”. (c) Third, To Preserve Health with about 226 Million
(12% of women of reproductive age). That is where Utilitarianism, non-maleficence, and beneficence
enters, because base on World Health Organization, together these principles emphasize doing more
good to harm. (d) Quality of Life, Ensuring access to safe and legal abortion can lead to better family
planning, allowing women to have children when they are ready, which could result in healthier families
and more stable upbringings for children. (e) Safe abortion, with the access in the quality health care
facility it can decrease mortality and morbidity rate which according to WHO, unsafe methods is
a leading cause of maternal deaths and morbidities worldwide with about 62%.

To emphasize, adoption is an option but not a solution. Around 5 to 7 million abandoned, neglected, or
orphaned children in the country. Only about 237 children are adopted (Rohei Foundation).

Furthermore, when it comes to the rights of the Fetus, it is said that “Fetus has standing only when it
becomes viable outside the mother. The idea is that personhood requires some sort of independence,
particularly the mother. Since the fetus has standing only as a dependent on the mother, it follows that
the mother has the last word on whether it comes to viability.” (Groves, J.R et al.)

According to Religious Views on Abortion (2020): not all religions are opposed to abortion rights but
instead supporting a person’s right to make an individual decision based upon their own religious and
ethical beliefs and their physician’s guidance.

Closing Statement: A conflict between a traditionalist and modernist perspective. In the end, we are
here to defend our stands and respect each and everyone’s opinions. And the question, “When does
personhood begin?” must remain in the ethical and religious realm. We as a group present and uphold
Legalization of Abortion in accordance to Human Rights: Reproductive Freedom and Societal
Acceptance.

Thank you.