Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 1
Gloria is lucky to be alive. She is a twenty-two [22] year old woman from Ghana. When Gloria found out she was pregnant, she was not happy. She had wanted to continue her schooling. So she decided to kill the baby inside her. Gloria had an abortion.
Voice 2
Since her first pregnancy, Gloria has had two abortions. She performed each abortion herself, with the help of a friend. During her second abortion, she tried many things including alcoholic drinks and medical drugs. But these methods did not kill the baby, or fetus, inside her body. So she tried something more shocking. She says:
Voice 3
“Finally, we tried a broken bottle crushed up with seawater and Blue, a washing soap. We soaked a cotton cloth in this mixture. Then I put it into myself.
By doing that the fetus came. I bled and bled for more than five days.”
Voice 1
But this abortion had sad results for Gloria too. Today, she is always in pain. But she is too afraid to see a doctor. She does not want anyone to know what she has done.
Voice 2
Women around the world tell similar frightening stories about unsafe abortions. Betty is another young woman from Ghana. She says:
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“Since my abortion I have not been able to get pregnant again. That was five years ago. But I am lucky because a friend of mine died after her abortion.”
Voice 1
Experts say that Gloria and Betty are lucky to be alive. Sadly, many women go through similar unsafe abortions. As a result, many suffer long-lasting physical problems - disabilities. And many more women die.
Voice 2
Today’s Spotlight is on deadly abortions. There are many reasons not to have an abortion. Abortions are illegal in many countries. Governments treat them as murders. Christians also believe abortions are against God’s will. They believe that God forms every person from the very beginning of their lives - even in the uterus.
Voice 1
And there are ways to prevent pregnancy. People can use birth control methods like condoms - thin protective covers men wear during sex. But the best way to avoid an unwanted pregnancy is to not have sex. People can wait to have sex until they are married.
Voice 2
But what does a woman do when she is already pregnant with an unwanted baby? A woman in this situation may be afraid. She may not want to share the news of her pregnancy for many different reasons. She may believe her family, friends, or community, will avoid her. She may fear for her safety. She may feel that she cannot care for a baby. Or she may feel too much shame to continue the pregnancy. Whatever the reason, she may believe the answer is an abortion - to kill the baby inside her.
Voice 1
The Guttmacher Institute works to improve sexual and reproductive health all around the world. They research, provide public education and examine public policies in these areas. They say that “about one in five pregnancies worldwide end in abortion.” This number includes legal and illegal abortions.
Voice 2
Even in countries where abortion is illegal, women can usually find someone to perform the abortion. This may mean a woman will have an unsafe abortion. Unsafe abortions may be performed by a person who does not have the necessary medical skills. Or they may be performed in places without good medical supplies. Some people perform the abortion themselves, or with a friend. Others may go to a traditional healer or even a doctor. But even some doctors give unsafe abortions.
Voice 1
The Guttmacher Institute says that forty-eight [48] percent of all abortions performed worldwide are unsafe. In some areas, these numbers are even higher. For example, they say that in Africa and Latin America, more than ninety-five [95] percent of abortions are unsafe. As a result of these unsafe abortions, thousands of women die. And thousands of women become disabled for life.
Voice 2
How can people prevent these deaths and disabilities from unsafe abortions? Should people provide safe places to get abortions so that more mothers will keep their lives? Should we look for other ways to support and protect women? People around the world debate these issues. And for some people there are no easy answers.
Voice 1
Some groups want to make abortion legal. Doctor Susheela Singh led a study at the Guttmacher Institute about unsafe abortions. She says the best way to prevent death of mothers from unsafe abortions is to provide safe and legal abortions. So, anyone who wants an abortion should be able to get one.
Voice 2
Other experts disagree. They say this is too simple to be a real answer. The country of Nigeria is a good example of why. Abortion is illegal there. And many in that culture believe that children are a blessing and that killing is wrong. But still, experts say that in Nigeria, about ten thousand [10,000] women die every year from unsafe abortions. One expert in Nigeria says that even if women could get a safe abortion there, they would not want to visit a public clinic. They would feel too much shame. Unsafe abortions would continue.
Voice 1
Instead, some people have a different answer. Nuala Scarisbrick is a member of the UK aid group Life. Life believes abortion is wrong. And Nuala says that women mostly need help and encouragement to continue with their pregnancies. They need support.
Voice 2
Saudata Sani agrees. She is a member of the House of Representatives in northern Nigeria. She says:
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“Making more abortions available is not the answer. Women need to be educated about their rights over their bodies. They need to be given opportunities to plan their families. But it must be done in a way that protects public morality.”
Voice 1
The problem of abortion is not an easy one. Many unborn babies are dying. Many women are dying. And many women who have had successful abortions - safe or unsafe - have regretted their actions. One of these women is Sharle from Nigeria. She had an abortion so she could continue to go to school. Today she regrets the abortion. She believes it was against God’s commandments.
Voice 2
The Christian Bible teaches people many things about the value of life. It teaches that God especially makes each person even when she is inside her mother. It teaches that people are important because they are God’s children. Unsafe abortions harm women and children. And there are other ways to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. It is important that everyone look for ways to prevent these unsafe abortions.
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