An abortion right is not a right - THE AUTHENTICITY

The fetus should be considered part of the human species, as it shares our genetic code, and, if unimpeded in its development, will grow and mature into an adult human being.

The debate over whether abortion should be legalized has long divided people from around the globe resulting in two groups of people, the opponents of abortion and the proponents of abortion. While the pro-life(opponents) consider abortion as murder because life begins at conception and that it creates a culture in which life is disposable, the pro-choice(proponents) have vehemently opposed such as they say abortion bans endanger pregnant women seeking abortions and deny bodily autonomy in a society myriad of Human Rights.

The primary goal for sex is procreation and it comes with the cost of providing and protecting off-springs. Pleasure is just but a by-product of sex. Listen to the cry of a woman in labor at the hour of giving birth and then tell me if something that begins and ends could be intended for enjoyment. If abortion can't be considered homicide then at least it should be considered a crime against the husband who would be deprived of a potential child. The writer is well aware of how some may argue that it is her body and so her choices but that is just another confirmation of how our communities are collapsing under the guise of we are living in a free world where anomie is embraced at the expense of moral sanctity.

Abortions pose emotional risks along with physical. Sadness, anger, guilt, memory repression, long-term grief, difficulty maintaining relationships, sexual dysfunction, flashbacks, and suicidal thoughts are some of the post-abortion effects identified by psychologists. In a research done by United States-based Sira which is a community-funded health center, in online testimonials, one woman recounted how she carried an abortion trauma for 24 years.

"That abortion was the root of many poor decisions I made in life. The poor self-esteem I carried. Never feeling good about myself. My abortion was the worst decision I ever made", she said in her own words. In the same study, women cited depression, feelings of loss, shame even negative feelings when they were around other babies. These adverse psychological effects continued for 10 years or more thus the women narrated.

The idea that fully human life with full moral worth begins at conception is not an extreme view in the pro-life movement. While some may say terminating a pregnancy to save a mother's life can be accepted as a moral imperative, I personally do not believe that abortion is ever medically necessary. At one point Herndon pointed out the fact that women should embrace their instinctual sacrificial behavior.

"If a mother is in a life raft with a child and there is only enough food to save one, I'm guessing most mothers would not throw their child overboard and drown them," he said in an interview with CNN when asked about medical circumstances where a doctor may deem an abortion necessary to save a woman's life, such as a cancer diagnosis that requires treatment.

Regarding the question of whether a fetus is a person or not, I concur with most academic philosophers that fully human life begins at conception and that the fetus should be considered part of the human species. The fetus though not capable of rational activity yet, nevertheless, has the potential to develop into a being capable of rational activity. It has the capacity to become a being of sophisticated operations, therefore it is a person. In case we agree that a fetus is not a person, abortion is still immoral. Both pro-life and pro-choice typically agree that giving a fetus fetal alcohol syndrome(FAS) is immoral because it harms the fetus by limiting its abilities to some extent. Abortion is another form of harming a fetus but in this way, it is a total destruction of the fetus. The pro-choice affirms that giving a fetus FAS is immoral but it is moral to abort the very fetus. Pro-choicers need to give us a relevant difference between aborting a fetus and giving it FAS.

In summation, abortion is not a right, it destroys women physically, emotionally, and psychologically. I thought human rights were supposed to guide and protect our dignity as humans but in as much as l see it, humans are devolving instead of evolving. As an advocate of pro-life, I say in case of rape the woman should prove beyond any reasonable doubt that she was indeed raped and the perpetrator (man) must be held accountable and thus must suffer the long arm of the law while at the same time taking care of his seed. Abortion is simply the intentional killing of a fetus and if there is a health complication that could potentially risk the mother's life then her life could still be saved as long as the medical practitioners make an equal attempt to save the fetus.

Tafara Makusha writes in his personal capacity and his views do not represent that of any institution. He can be contacted at +263 771 863 972 or at tafaramakusha43@gmail.com