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posted by on November 27 at 14:57 PM
Women in the US may not have equality, but at least I know that if I need an abortion, I can get one.
Not so in Nicaragua, where doctors are predicting a total abortion ban (including in cases of rape, incest, and when the woman’s life is endangered) will imperil the lives of thousands of women and result in thousands more illegal abortions annually. Currently, due in large part to the difficulty of getting a legal abortion even before the ban (a woman had to either prove she was raped or convince three doctors to testify that her life was at risk) about 32,000 illegal abortions are performed in Nicaragua every year.
On a related note, the BBC reports that unsafe abortions kill 68,000 women a year worldwide, and send at least five million other women to the hospital for infections and other complications.
Lead researcher Dr Susheela Singh said: “The evidence shows that the health burden of unsafe abortion is large.“The most effective way of eliminating this highly preventable cause of maternal illness and death, would be to make safe and legal abortion services available and accessible.
“A second, more immediately achievable, goal is to prevent unintended pregnancies in the first place through improved contraception use.”
Meanwhile, in Africa, the AIDS pandemic is getting worse after years of progress, thanks in large part to ineffective Bush administration policies that emphasize abstinence until marriage over condom use. Many women are infected by their husbands, and are not in a position to abstain from sex, even as more married men have multiple partners.
The Sandanistas supported the abortion ban. Viva la revolucion indeed.
Do you think it gives the Pro-Lifers at least a moment's pause when they realize they're trying to emulate Nicaragua?
I don't think so either.
nicaragua is a good christian (catholic) country, so I imagine they wish they could emulate that part of it.
Sandinistas.
The abortion ban was passed through the national assembly one week before the elections. The pentecostals who hold 5 seats in the national assembly, through a party called Camino Cristiano aligned themselves with the Catholic church to draft and push the legislation in the national assembly. The church told both dominant parties the FSLN and the PLC that they would withdraw their support unless they back the banned. The Sandinistas approved it when Daniel gave them the ok as they saw it as the only way they were going to win the elections. The US pushed hard for the anti Daniel candidate and even sent Oliver North down there to campaign for Montealegre in the final days which back fired. The FSLN has hinted at getting rid of this once Daniel assumes power, the PLC on their part did not make such a hint. I doubt that Daniel will do anything to correct that.
The pentecostals and the christian right have made huge gains in latin america and specially in Nicaragua. Whenever I visit, the plane is full of christian fuck tards who are going on missions to Nicaragua. back in the 80's Nicaragua and Latin America were full of liberation theology churches, which were a lot more progressive they have slowly been pretty much wiped out and pentecostals are now almost 15% of the population and christian right fucks from here come down there all the time.
Funny enough I had sent an email to the stranger (slog) about this while it was being discussed in the National Assembly in Nicaragua, but yall dissed me. =( Im just saying...
Let's not forget the "Cathaholic" Church and evangelical xtians in Africa still tell people they're a gonna fry in hay-ell if they use condoms or birth control, so they're just as responsible for this disaster as anyone else.
I am still astonished that opponents to abortion focus so strongly on restricting access rather than trying to understand why women get abortions despite all the alternates (adoption, birth control, abstinence for starters.)
It seems like focusing on reducing the demand for abortions ("safe legal and rare" policy making) rather than the supply would be far more effective.
And fuck John Paul II for his crappy no-condoms-in-Africa policy. The man went to the grave with the blood of a billion on his hands.
For the curious, a recent study of US women.
Actually, you can't get an abortion everywhere in the US, especially if you're in the armed forces and overseas.
At least, not legally.
There are laws about crossing state boundaries for teens, and about what's covered.
Canada is still a lot easier on this issue from a practical viewpoint.
Heck, you can even buy your meds at any pharmacy and know they'll have them.
For a very accurate look at what life in Nicaragua will be like, please read this article about life in El Salvador, where abortion is already completely illegal.
Golob: What? You want actual rational, reasoned debate about practical issues surrounding abortion?! From the evangelical/xtian power-mongers?!?!
Yeah, so do I. But then we might have to reintroduce classes on 'How to Think Critically' to the ~50% that voted for God back in 2000.
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