Abortion has been an ongoing topic of debate with conflicting perspectives coming from all areas of society including the legal system, the church and the people. I strongly believe that any pregnant women should be provided with a safe and legal abortion given that the foetus has not yet reached 20 weeks or more. According to a New York Times article, “Arkansas Law Restricts When Abortion May Occur,” (Robbie Brown, February 28 2013), the foetus can feel pain at 20 weeks.
Despite the U.S. Supreme court ruling of Roe v. Wade which imposed a 22-24 week limit for abortion, Arkansaw has recently imposed a ban for any pregnant women to abort 20 weeks or more with an “exempt for potential mothers who are at serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment or death from childbirth” (RT Question More. Live February 6 2013). I believe that this is a reasonable, just and fair law that should be recognised and interpreted into the legal systems of all countries worldwide. However, Arkansaw has taken a step further with their abortion law by planning to legalize what is now called the “toughest abortion law in the US” (RT Question More. Live February 6 2013). It imposes a 12-week limit on abortion. I strongly oppose this as it raises serious questions such as; What if someone is a victim of rape or incest and is too young, scared or mentally distraught to speak out immediately? What if an adolescent is pregnant and too young to be aware of it? What if someone suffers from a mental disability? Furthermore, it raises serious questions on the human rights of woman. As Arkansas democratic governor Mike Beebe stated, “It would impose a ban on a woman’s right to choose an elective, nontherapeutic abortion well before viability.” According to the Center for Reproductive rights, 73 countries "permit abortion without restriction as to reason or on broad grounds (RT Question More. Live February 6 2013). However, the legal system in regards to abortion and human rights remain flawed in these countries. This is evident through a recent case in Ireland, with the death of 37 year old Indian women, Savita Hallapanava, who was refused an abortion for a four-month-old foetus. According to the