Abortion and human rights : a comparative study between western and non western perception

Abstract

Abortion is one of the oldest medico-social problems, and also one of the most confused, that is why it is a problem that has wide religious, cultural, and political ramifications It is, therefore, a controversial topic, which has an important component of the international debate over reproductive rights. On one side, abortion rights activists argue that a lack of abortion services violates the human rights of women, leaving them with few options regarding their reproductive health. As in many parts of the developing world, women seek out illegal abortions, which are often unsafe and unsanitary. Many argue that the maternal mortality that comes from illegal abortion is a human rights violation in itself, and that provision of abortion services is the only way to protect woman's human rights. On the other side, abortion is viewed as an inherent human rights violation as it violates the right to life of the unborn. Within certain cultural religious contexts, abortion is viewed as a means of widespread human rights violations, causing the deprivation of the right to life as basic human rights from which all other human rights stem.