Abortion
Let's accept is a necessary evil.
I have an interesting topic to share with you all today, although very controversial, but where's the joy of there is no controversy?
Our topic for today is ABORTION
The topic of abortion is one that is so controversial that religions are divided on it, nations are divided and individuals pitch their tents either as pro or anti-abortion.
There are those individuals who are on the fence though, for these people, they see abortion as necessary in certain situations and other times, totally prohibited.
Let's see religious stands first, then we view our "secular societal" stand.
Many Christian denominations are totally against abortion, they support their claims with many verses in the Bible.
They believe that life starts immediately at conception.
That mummy and daddy you people used to do ehn, once the egg is fertilized, there is no going back.
However, some christians support or advocate for legalized abortion.
Of course they also have verses they use in backing up their claim.
Remember that part in the book of Ecclesiastes (thank God this is not a podcast, ekle kini) where it is said that "..... A stillborn is better than he", yes, that part.
It is argued that the quality of life is more important for an individual.
Instead of living a miserable life, these set of people argue that abortion is better.
That summarizes the take on abortion in Christianity, let's then take a look at what Islam says.
Like in Christianity, different scholars of Islam differ on the permissibility of abortion and as expected, everyone has their sources to back it up.
Remember that Hadith that talked about transformation from sperm to a clot of blood, then a lump of meat?
Remember these steps take forty days each.
It's good you remember, it is so important in this discussion.
It is believed that soul is blown into the fetus at 120 days (some say 140/150 days), this period is called the period of ensoulment.
Islam is more liberal when it comes to abortion, it is almost a general agreement that abortion is permissible in the first four months of pregnancy.
Many Islamic scholars even agree that there is no punishment for abortion at this stage.
The only stage of pregnancy where abortion is prohibited is after the period of ensoulment, scholars agree there is a punishment for abortion at this stage, except in cases of certain exceptions.
If the fetus is not growing well or not growing at all, even after the period of ensoulment, abortion is permitted.
If the pregnancy will pose a threat to the mother's life, Islam permits its termination no matter the number of months (that child is an alakoba 😒)
In cases of rape or incest, abortion is permitted.
If the pregnancy affects the woman's physical and mental health, abortion is permitted.
Generally, abortion is allowed before the period of ensoulment by 3 of the 4 school of thoughts in Islam, after which it becomes prohibited.
Allah knows what is best.
So, away from religious arguments, what impact does legalizing or prohibiting abortion have on our society?
Looking at our Nigerian society, is it possible to totally ban abortion? Does it even make sense?
People practice a lot of endangering things all in the name of aborting pregnancies and we have all seen or heard tales of the devastating consequences that follow in many cases.
What if safe abortion is legalized and people do not need to endanger themselves anymore?
People cannot be stopped from practicing unsafe sex, we cannot control people's desire and foolishness.
However, we can control the impact of their foolishness and stupidity.
Controlled, cheap and safe abortion will bring about a reduction in the number of children brought into the world to suffer.
Women have lost their lives keeping pregnancies they shouldn't keep because they are scared of what the society will say.
How about we save such women by making abortion legal and ensuring they do not face any form of stigmatization?
Many of those thugs you see today will perhaps be having a quality life or no life at all and it'd be a win for the society either way.
With these few points of mine, I hope I've been able to convince you beyond reasonable doubt and not confuse you that legalizing controlled, cheap and safe abortion is better than banning abortion completely.
Thank you.