Shipena 200631675

Introduction

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by removing the embryo or fetus from the uterus. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced. The term abortion most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy. Abortion in Namibia is illegal under the Abortion and Sterilization Act of South Africa (1975), which Namibia inherited at the time of Independence from South Africa in March 1990. Abortions are allowed only when continuing the pregnancy will "endanger the woman’s life or constitute a serious threat to her physical or mental health or there must be a serious risk that the child to be born will suffer from a physical or mental defect so as to be irreparably seriously handicapped. The act also allows for the termination of a pregnancy in cases of rape or incest. In addition to the woman’s doctor, two other doctors are required to certify the existence of grounds for an abortion and the operation must be performed by a medical practitioner in a State hospital or an approved medical facility.

Abortion should be legalised

Abortion should be legalized in Namibia because there is an increase in cases of girls and young women dumping newborn babies in plastic bags, leaving them to die gruesome deaths in valleys, dustbins and toilets. Laws restricting access to abortion do not discourage women from having abortion. They simply drive it underground and into backstreet, with tragic consequences for women’s health and wellbeing. Now imagine what happens with an unwanted pregnancy. The woman is usually young in high school (The percentage of this among black people is alarming, and not just a rumor or product of racial prejudice). The mother will have to drop out of high school; when the pregnancy starts to show. Some schools offer a special class for pregnant women, but this is pretty rare. Regardless of what happens the woman will have to drop out when the child is born, and this will change the family’s life. By far the most unwanted pregnancies are those where the father isn’t present, and refuses to help care for the child. Suing a person for child-support is expensive and takes a long time. If the father is in school, unemployed, in prison or otherwise poor then they can’t pay child support. So the woman and her family have to take up the burden. There are a few cases where the father and the father’s family will step forward, but 95% of the time they won’t; and raising a child is expensive. Crisis Happening to Namibians due to no legal abortion . and .

Abortion should not be legalised in Namibia

Abortion in Namibia should not be legalised because there are contraceptives that are put in pharmacies and hospitals that can be used to avoid pregnancy, people should be responsible and use them. In case a condom bursts, there is what you call a morning after pill that can be used within 72 hours to avoid fertilisation. The law is right in permitting abortion to ladies with health problems or in case of rape, after going through medical examination and making a police case. Abortion is murder and The Council of Churches in Namibia on numerous occasions called on the government to stop in looking into the matter of legalizing abortion, they said a fetus have a right to life. A person who is old enough to go into sexual relationship should be able to handle the results of sexual intercourse. These results can either be a Sexual Transmitted Disease (STD) or pregnancy. .

Conclusion

In conclusion I strongly support legalizing Abortion in Namibia, We have high incidents of rape, gender based violence and if women know about the legal abortion, they will seek emergency contraception soon after a rape or gender based violence, at present there is lack of data available especially on abortion, few people seem to be aware of these legal indications. Following the legalization of abortion in South Africa, deaths from unsafe abortions have decreased by 91 per cent. People in South Africa have access to legal abortion across the country and it is very rare to read stories about babies being dumped in plastic bags in valleys and riverbeds there because there are specialized clinics that by law can perform abortion in safer conditions. In fact, by not legalizing abortion, we are forcing poor girls and women to conduct unsafe and risky abortions in their backyards and in toilets. The result is baby dumping, an ugly issue which has littered Police crime reports for many years.

Culturally, the dominant male role in most Namibian households deprives women of the choice to use contraceptives or to say no to sex. Therefore most pregnancies are often unwanted, as women feel they are unable to care for the child, whether because of poverty, sickness or other social or economic pressures. Most of the women that are involved in abortion and baby dumping are the ones under the age of 25, so I believe that prevention is better than cure and Namibia should focus more on educating young people about sexual and reproductive health in order to help them make informed choices. Abortion, whether we like it or not is a social problem we must learn to live with, despite our religious and social sensitivities we may hold dear to our faiths. This is what Namibians think of baby dumbing and the solution .