Abortion — for who?

Big room with one big table, bright lights. There is the murmur of water in a small koipond. Four women are sitting across from each other. They belong to Women’s rights groups. Each 2 women are in the same position. (A,B are oppose and C,D are support) They are each looking at paper and just sitting modestly with coffee. Today, they want to find out a compromise about abortion.

O: “Good afternoon.” the A,B said calmly.

S: “To you as well.” the C,D replied coolly.

O: “Today we should make a new rule about abortion. As you know, nowadays too many women have abortions. It is definitely a weird phenomenon.” the B asserted clearly.

S: “We already know about that. However, women are also human beings before they will be mothers. They have the right to choose about abortions.” the C claimed decisively.

O: “You mean because we are human we can kill the baby without guilt like online games? We should recognize that a fetus is undoubtedly a human being!” the A refuted flatly.

S: “I agree in part with your opinion but not every women who has an abortion feels guilty and there are always exceptions. Some women are also victims. For example, women who are sexually assaulted. Should they give birth to an undesirable baby? If we ban abortions, it will be more cruel to women and babies,” the D insisted adamantly.

O: “That’s beside the point! Of course we know the exception. What we mean is normal people who just try to erase the baby! We should focus on the normal people and strengthen the limitations on the number of abortions because 3 out of 10 women in the U.S have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old. Many minors also have experiences with abortion. This situation will cause a gloomy future and make us think easily that an abortion is not a serious thing.” the A warned seriously.

S: “Yes. I agree with your opinion about teenager’s abortion. It can lead to serious problems. As you say we should take care of young age’s abortion and educate them more seriously in school. But I worry if we limit the number of abortions, it could violate their privacy.” the C mentioned anxiously.

O: “So that’s why we should set a new rule. As we said earlier, we should protect women who are raped and tighten regulations about the other’s abortion. For teenagers, sex education will be obligatory in school and for normal people we should set a limit on the number of abortions except for accidents. So we think twice is the maximum. If someone has an abortion, the hospital should retain records of the number and the reason. After that, we can observe the result of the new rules,” the B explained logically.

S: “Okay. We can try to improve the quality of women’s life. But a hospital can only ask for simple information and the record will remain for 5 years and then will be renewed. We also shouldn’t violate women’s right,” the C answered unwaveringly.

O: “Good. The new rule will come into effect next month, so we should give notice in advance. We’re glad to find compromise today. Thank you for respecting us.” the A,B commented formally.

S: “Us, too. Today’s debate was good. See you next month.” the C,D replied nonchalantly.