Sunday, May 22, 2022
  • About Us
  • ImagiNATION
  • Adverts
  • Rate Card
  • Contact Us
The Nation Online
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Columns My Thought

Make women subject of abortion debate

by Sellina Kainja
20/09/2020
in My Thought
3 min read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on LinkedinLinkedinShare via Email

The debate on whether as a country, abortion should be made legal or not rages on. In the past week, the public discourse has centred around this issue with both pro-life and pro-choice sides passionately defending their position—in some instances, people have diverted from the debate and got too personal attacking the person instead of their viewpoint.

As expected, the pro-life side which includes religious leaders and institutions has been quite vocal and blatant in calling abortion as “murder”, “killing” and “evil”. This group argues that life begins at conception and goes on to call those who seek abortion services, safe or unsafe, as sinners who will face the wrath of God.

This group’s narrative on the issue of abortion is mostly accompanied by threats and emotional blackmailing. Random verses are thrown into the discussion to justify their position and mostly importantly, to silence any dissenting views. On the other hand, the pro-choice side’s voices are somehow hushed.

Since the debate resurfaced few weeks ago, what has been conspicuously missing is the voice of women the subject of the debate. It is the men that are controlling and dominating the debate.

Women are not things. Women are human beings whose human rights matter, including women’s basic reproductive rights. Those who argue that abortion should not be legalised do so with the intent to control the sexual autonomy of women. It is about owning women as things.

“Termination of pregnancy is killing babies” the anti-abortion movement argues. Those who grew up hearing nothing else are not lying when they say they believe life begins at conception. They are entitled to that belief, as long as they don’t weaponise it to punish women and girls. The question of whether a fetus is a person is conveniently unanswered by the anti-abortion. The question of whether a woman is a person, however, is not up for debate—and it is female personhood, not fetal personhood, that should decide the issue of basic bodily autonomy.

I am pro-choice. I am for women having autonomy over their bodies and I support legalising abortion so that women and girls who for one reason or the other seek abortion services, do so in a safe environment.

But my personal feelings about the meaning of life don’t matter here. As the philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson put it, what matters more—far more—is women’s freedom to control their own lives. Even if abortion ends a human life, forcing a woman to give birth against her will is worse.

Previous Post

Malawi needs bold leadership

Next Post

Time for kangaroo courts in blue camp

Related Posts

Chakwera (R) and Chilima expose the Tonse blueprint
My Thought

Two years of nothing but development rallies

May 15, 2022
My Thought

The rubble is piling up

May 8, 2022
My Thought

  AIP: good intention, wrong targeting

May 1, 2022
Next Post

Time for kangaroo courts in blue camp

Opinions and Columns

Layman's Reflection

New IMF programme pivotal moment for Tonse Alliance

May 21, 2022
Family Table Talk

Historical lessons on the value of forgetting

May 21, 2022
My Diary

Politics of ‘kutola chikwama’

May 21, 2022
Bottom Up

Ukraine war: Sanctions backfire?

May 21, 2022

Trending Stories

  • Mhango in action for Pirates before things turned sour

    Gaba comes up with two options

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Malawi’s public debt now at K5.8 tn

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Onesimus leaves Major One Records

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • AG urges cancellation of Movesa no. plate deal

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • RFA, Malga disagree on toll gates revenue

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Malawi-Music.com Top10

  • Values
  • Our Philosophy
  • Editorial policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism disclaimer
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

© 2022 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation

© 2020 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.