I’m sure you have all heard about the topic of abortion. This particular issue had been debated in the previous US elections. For those of you not living in the United States or anyone not aware of the facts involving this, let me inform you in a few short sentences. Bush vs. Kerry. Pro-life vs. Pro-choice. Our amazing president, George W. Bush feels quite strongly about ethics and unborn life, while his previous opponent, John Kerry supports pro-choice, the argument that women should be allowed to have abortions if they wish.
There are many different abortion procedures; they might make some members of the audience uncomfortable, so please read with caution. I do not advise reading any further if you are squeamish.
Perhaps the least “gruesome” method of abortion would be the morning-after pill. EC, known as “emergency contraception”, if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse, will prevent a pregnancy from taking place. However, there is only a 90% chance of success. Some pharmacies refuse to stock EC. For example, Walmart refuses to do so on moral and religious grounds; other individual pharmacies may also refuse to stock EC as well.
If the pregnancy has progressed into its fifth week, the woman can have what is called a “chemical abortion”. Methotrate and Misoprostal are commonly used. These chemicals stop the pregnancy from progressing any further by preventing the cells to divide further. However, this is only 95% accurate. The other 5% of the time, the embryo continues to grow and will most certainly be seriously deformed upon birth. By the seventh week, abortion can be induced by using the RU-486 abortion pill. It is similar to Mehtotrate and Misopristal. By the second trimester, there is no alternative to a surgical abortion.
In the Desi community, the majority are impartial to the idea of abortion. Certain people believe that if the baby is a result of rape, then abortion would be the best option. Others feel that even if the baby is not the outcome of non-consensual attack, abortion still should be available. Perhaps the parents cannot afford to raise the child and the baby was the result of a broken condom; regardless, most members of the Desi community feel abortion should be an available option.
Could it be that we are influenced by the so-called “American Dream”? That, as Americans, we are free to do what we want, when we want to? Maybe our outlook is controlled by the fact that almost all of our home countries are grossly overpopulated with people starving for food; abortions would certainly help keep the population down. Or perhaps our opinions are swayed by our dislike for Bush (the majority of Desi’s all over the world dislike Bush — be it in America, Pakistan, or Iraq, but that’s a topic for a different article).
