50 years one from the Abortion Act, women’s reproductive health is an issue we still need to keep talking about.
In 1967 abortion was legalised in Britain, the passing of the act allowed for free, regulated and safe abortions for all women. However, 50 years on from this land mark victory, abortion is still a topic that is heavily reported and stigmatised in the British media. Additionally, this is still such an important issue to address because, for women in Northern Ireland, they are without access to free and safe abortions, unlike other women in the British Isles. Unfortunately, religious groups and members of the Clergy in Britain continue to condemn and fuel the stigmatisation of young women who choose to have abortions, often for very difficult reasons. Similarly in Northern Ireland, their largely Catholic population doesn’t seem ready to change the law on women’s rights.
I think this topic is so crucial to normalise the discussion of, because as a young woman living in England I realise how lucky I am to be able to access this service if ever I needed it. Young women similar to me living in Northern Ireland are unable to access this service, often leading to many women travelling to get an abortion, or performing it themselves. In America at the moment, Donald Trump and the Republican party are steadily restricting the rights of women and making it more difficult for Planned Parenthood to give reproductive advice and services to all people. The often-misguided idea that shutting down access to abortions and other related services will decrease the number of abortions carried out is completely wrong. Stopping access to abortion services only increases the number of illegal abortions carried out in homes, which also means there is a higher chance of serious injury and lifelong physical affects. Abortions carried out at home are incredibly dangerous as they are often carried out with little medical knowledge, unsanitized equipment and no aftercare in place.
However, around most of the world this is the reality, but most shockingly this is happening in Northern Ireland, whilst women in the rest of Britain are protected from dangerous abortions. The lack of access to abortions in Northern Ireland means that the mother is at huge risk of serious illness and even death, due to an illegal abortion. Women who aren’t in a good situation due to mental illness, addiction or financial difficulties will often still carry out their own abortion if they do not have access to it through health services.
Donald Trump’s campaign from the outset has been using provocative language and incorrect information to criminalise and shame women who have abortions. His party say that they want to decrease the number of abortions, but by removing easily accessible abortion services they are only increasing the number of illegal abortions. Furthermore, Trump has been restricting access to the pill and other contraceptive methods, which further increases the likelihood of women becoming pregnant by accident. Donald Trump’s America is a world that doesn’t serve women the healthcare they deserve to have access to, and instead shames them for having sexual relationships, by not providing enough support and access to contraceptives.
50 years after the Act was passed, men and women still need to be talking about Abortion because although in Britain we have had it for many years, women’s rights campaigners in America and Northern Ireland are still campaigning for the same rights. This is so shocking because the British Isles and North America are such developed nations, yet huge amounts of women are having to resort to dangerous and terrifying practices, because their governments are not offering them the reproductive rights they deserve in 2017.