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Abortion is a difficult topic to discuss and grasp. Whether it is a dilemma of personal morals and ethics, religion, or simply the nature of the act – the privacy and intimacy of an abortion often causes uneasiness when discussing. To make matters more difficult, there are many issues to consider in addition to deciding whether one wants to attain an abortion; social stigma, cost, parental consent, procedure availability, and more may exacerbate the woman’s situation. In Hong Kong, where the number of legal abortion procedures are limited in public hospitals and costs soar to extreme amounts, many women seeking abortions fall through the cracks and must seek alternative ways of having this time-sensitive procedure fulfilled. As Hong Kong continues to Westernize and liberally develop into comparably one of the most advanced cities in the world, it is important to note that Hong Kong law does not permit a women to rightfully attain a abortion by mere free will. This report seeks to analyze the trials and tribulations that women must face to prevent the need of an abortion as well as the difficulties in procuring one. The methods of researching articles through scholarly sources is detailed and depicted with a flowchart; reasons for inclusion and exclusion are noted. Entailed in the results section is also a comprehensive analysis of the gaps in Hong Kong’s abortion laws; discussed are the problems women endure when trying to satisfy Hong Kong’s legal requirements for abortion procedures as well as when they avoid the legal and/or medical system altogether. Supporting evidence, facts, and figures of historical prices and methods of abortions are displayed in the results section to support the dissertation argument. Finally, a discussion involving recommendations and how to move forward are suggested in order to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and therefore abortions in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

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Background: Restrictions on induced abortion varies widely across the globe and so does the rate of induced abortion and maternal mortality (MM). Safe abortions – done by trained providers in hygienic settings and early medical abortions carry fewer health risks and reduce maternal mortality rates (MMR). However, nearly 7 million women in developing countries are treated for complications from unsafe abortions annually, and at least 22,000 die from abortion-related complications every year. Aim: The aim was to explore national and regional patterns of abortion laws, the abortions percentages and the maternal mortality rates (MMR), to see if patterns could be distinguished and how they differentiate to each other. Method: With a shape-file containing polygons representing the world’s countries, and the computer program ArcMap, was used to gather and join data. Result: The result showed that many African countries has a restrictive abortion law, and they also have a high MMR. In the Nordic countries they have a liberalized abortion law and they have low MMR. Another finding is that a restricted abortion law does not correspond to a low percentage of abortions. This is clearly demonstrated in South America, where they have a high abortion percentage, and extremely restricted abortion laws. Conclusion: This result revealed patterns showing that countries with restricted abortion laws, does not contribute to a low MMR, and restricted abortion law does not decrease the percentage of abortions.

This dissertation discusses the history of the politics of abortion in Argentina from the standpoint of democratic constitutionalism. It describes the normative world in which a legal rule criminalizing women who interrupted their pregnancies emerged in 1921, and the slow process through which the rule was re-politicized. The dissertation makes a contribution to the theory of democratic constitutionalism, by highlighting its usefulness for comparative analyses because it is based on common and usual features of democratic societies. It also contributes to the history of abortion regulation in Argentina, by underscoring the life of the law outside courts. Based on social movement theory, the dissertation contributes to the literature that finds that individuals play a very meaningful role in processes of legal and constitutional change.

LL.M. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate how Irish pro-choice organizations work in respect of free choice in relation to abortion, since abortion is illegal except when there is a substantial risk to the mother’s life. This purpose was constructed with the significance of social work as a practical profession restricted by regulations, at the same time as it is a profession to support and help deprived people. This was a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews with seven different people from five different pro-choice organizations. The interviews indicated that in Ireland abortion was a stigmatized matter, as well as taboo to talk about. The results showed that the pro- choice organizations work to provide support and information and they viewed the right to abortion as a fundamental right and that women going through crisis pregnancy should be able to access a free choice. Still, it is the stigmatizing environment as well as the existing laws that become an obstacle for accessing free choice.

The conceptualization of this study is conceived out of the new abortion Act No.92 of 1996. Under this new Act a woman can procure abortion on demand within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The thrust of this thesis is based on the hypothesis that a woman's decision to seek abortion is a highly individual decision which neither the church nor one's culture can succeed imposing any control measures against. This essentially means that moral-ethical considerations engendered by one's religio-cultural orientation are in fact inconsequential for individual decision making and implementation. The secondary hypothesis is that while the above may be true, it does not necessarily exonerate the individual from her religio-cultural conditioning and thus creating a dissonance between the woman and her significant others. These may be one's family, church or any close associations . It is in this respect that the study examines three trajectories which, it is claimed, are constitutive of the Africa in contemporary communities. These are: the African traditional culture, the Christian heritage and the culture of human rights as practised within a democratic society. The study looks at the ramifications of what happens when these three perspectives interact, with a particular focus on abortion under the new abortion Act. A recovery of certain elements of African resources is argued for which, it is suggested, can hold in creative tension and healthy balance women's desire to exercise their reproductive rights while not compromising both their religious leanings and cultural roots. In this regard concepts of ubuntu, impilo, ubomi-mpilo and African spirituality are carefully examined and delineated with the eventual purpose of finding accommodative framework within the three trajectories numerated above. This thesis is by no means exhaustive . It is an exploratory study intended to open up a serious discuss!on, specifically on issues of human sexuality on which both the African culture and the Christian faith have been silent. But that silence, as the thesis goes on to show, has not been without its casualties, especially for African women. It is this dangerous silence which the study challenges and seeks to break. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Kiel, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [391]-410).

LL.M. / The right to life, which is guaranteed in section 11 of the Constitution, is a particularly important right in South Africa, especially seen in the light of the human rights violations of the apartheid-era. Firstly, this study conducts an analysis of the right to life and attempts to establish who the bearers of the right are; what the protected conduct and interests of the right are; who is bound by the right and what their responsibilities are; and whether the right can legitimately be limited in terms of section 36 of the Constitution. However, when we analyse the right to life in this way, certain problematic and controversial issues become apparent. Two of these issues are discussed in this study – namely abortion and euthanasia and assisted suicide. Before these issues can be adequately addressed, however, the study takes a stance on the value of human life, which forms the moral framework for the discussion of the specific issues. However, the primary focus of the study is the analysis of the specific issues relating to the right to life. The terminology relevant to the respective issues is discussed and the current legal position, including relevant case law and legislation, with regard to the issues is indicated. The arguments, counter arguments and alternative approaches to the issues are discussed and criticized, and consideration is given to the question to what extent the right to life, in cases of abortion and euthanasia, can legitimately be limited if the principled stance regarding the value of human life is accepted. In addition, some other jurisdictions’ experiences of and responses to these issues are also discussed. Finally the study concludes that human life (in all its forms) deserves the full respect and protection of the law, regardless of the quality of life or the capabilities of the individuals whose lives are at stake. Furthermore it is submitted that the state and every member of society has a special responsibility to respect and protect the most vulnerable and marginalised members of our community – instead of suggesting ‘quick fixes’ to desperate people.