Promiscuous+behaviours+and+victim+blame

Kirstie Mulkerrins N8840750 Tutor: Michelle Newcomb

Source: http://slutwalktoronto.tumblr.com/post/31063594397/we-should-ban-life-jackets-analogy-this-is-how

This artefact was found on the Slut Walk Toronto Tumblr page, I initially chose it because I believe the analogy was sending out a strong message in regards to cultural views on the use of contraception and the victimisation of women who choose an abortion even in circumstances of sexual assault. After researching the analogy further I found that it was created in response to a statement made by Todd Atkins, an American Republican, when asked whether he believes abortion is justified in cases of rape. His response was “It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down" (Moore 2012). The beginning of the analogy is suggesting that women using contraception are promoting ‘risky behaviour’ and that women should abstain from sexual behaviours unless they are prepared to have a child. The last comment is a direct attack on Todd Atkins statement, that if a woman has experienced a ‘legitimate’ assault then her body has ways of preventing the pregnancy naturally without resorting to abortion.

**The public health issue ** ====Rape related pregnancy is often the cause of many unwanted pregnancies, however if a woman decides to have an abortion it is seen as cruel or even murderous in religious views and is still illegal in many countries. These barriers often lead women with no choice but to seek out unsafe abortions and in 2008 an estimated 21.6 million unsafe abortions took place worldwide and 13% of all maternal deaths are a result of unsafe abortions (World Health Organisation, 2008). It is a human right to have access to medical services and it should be a woman’s right to decide whether and when it is her time to have a child, and a women should not be victimised for making that decision. ====



(World Health Organisation, 2008) **Literature review ** According to the World Health Organisation (2013 ), recent global figures suggest that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non -partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Almost one third (30%) of all women have experienced physical and/ or sexual violence by their intimate partner whilst 7% of women have been sexually assaulted by a stranger ( World Health Organisation, 2013 ). Physical and sexual violence is a major violation of women’s rights that can lead to serious short and long term physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health problems ( World Health Organisation, 2013 ).

An American study undertaken by Stewart and Trussell (2000 ) indicates that 333,000 sexual assaults and rapes reported in 1998, along with many more unreported, were responsible for 25,000 pregnancies. The report suggested that as many as 22,000 pregnancies could have been prevented if all women who were raped received prompt medical care and if they were not already protected against pregnancy, they were provided with emergency contraceptive treatment. An unwanted pregnancy as a result of rape is perhaps one of the most tragic consequences of sexual assault, however it is difficult to determine the number of rape related pregnancies on a global scale. A large American study by Holmes, Resnick, Kilpatrick, and Best (1996 ) found that 5% of rapes resulted in pregnancy and that is closely linked with family and domestic violence.

For many women that have fallen pregnant as a result of rape and have made the decision to terminate the pregnancy, safe abortion is not an option. Therefore women must continue through with an unwanted pregnancy potentially causing psychological health issues or alternatively turn to unsafe abortion which can lead to extreme complications or even death ( Finer & Fine, 2013 ).According to recent research there are currently 68 countries worldwide where abortion is prohibited or only available in circumstances where a women’s life is in danger. In contrast, 60 countries allow a woman to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy, 57 countries permit abortion to protect a women’s life and health, and 14 countries permit abortion on socioeconomic groun ds. These figures indicate that around 39% of the world’s population live in countries with highly restrictive laws governing abortion ( Finer & Fine, 2013 ).



Source: http://worldabortionlaws.com/map

The Republic of Ireland has only recently changed its laws, which previously prohibited abortion, to now allow abortion in circumstances when the women’s life is in danger. ‘The passage of the Protection of Life in Pregnancy bill’ was passed in July 2013, following the tragic death of a woman in October 2012. Savita Halappanavar died from sepsis after she was denied an emergency termination during a threatened miscarriage at a Hospital in Galway, Ireland. Abortion in Ireland still remains banned under most other circumstances and women who have fallen pregnant due to rape or incest will still be denied a legal termination ( <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">The Lancet, 2013 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">) Even in a westernised country like Ireland women are still forced to go abroad or turn to illegal and possibly unsafe abortions putting their lives and health at risk. **'Yes Abortion Legal'** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Another extreme example of abortion law is the Latin American country El Salvador where abortion is not permitted under any circumstances, women who are suspected of inducing abortion or miscarriage can face lifetime imprisonment. An article written by Lakhani (2013 ) for the BBC, describes how a young girl was admitted to a hospital in El Salvador crippled with abdominal pain and heavy bleeding. Glenda Xiomara Cruz had not even known she was pregnant, yet the hospital reported her to the police for a suspected abortion. She was then charged with aggravated murder- intentionally murdering the 38 to 42 week foetus. Glenda’s father testified in court that his daughter had endured years of domestic violence from her partner, yet the prosecution which sought a maximum 50 year jail term relied heavily on her partner’s allegation that Glenda had intentionally killed the foetus. Glenda was sentenced to ten years in jail, the judge ruling she should have done more to save the baby’s life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Abortion laws around the globe are generally divided under four categories; To save a women’s life or prohibited altogether, to preserve health, socioeconomic grounds and without restriction as to reason Whilst most countries will make an explicit exception to allow abortion to save a women’s life, El Salvador, Chile, Malta and Nicaragua do not allow abortion under any circumstances ( Centre for Reproductive Rights, 2013 ). These laws are not only a violation of women’s rights, but they are violation of the human right to health. If a women’s physical or mental health is in danger she has the right to seek and receive medical care without being criminalised.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Although there has been a global trend in recent years to liberalise abortion, new legal and procedural barriers are now being introduced into the United States and Central and Eastern Europe to limit the availability of abortion services. These barriers include; mandatory and biased counselling requirements, waiting periods, third party consent and notification requirements, limitation on the range of abortion options (e.g. restrictions on medical abortion) and limitations on abortion funding ( Finer & Fine, 2013 ). Barriers such as waiting times can delay care and possibly hinder access to safe services and forcing women to seek counselling and third party approval is demeaning women as competent decision makers, taking away their rights over decisions for their own body. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Evidence from the World Health Organisation (2008 ) shows that when women are faced with an unplanned pregnancy, regardless of legal conditions, women all over the world are likely to have an induced abortion. The table below shows that legal restrictions that limit the grounds on which a woman may terminate a pregnancy increases the percentage of unlawful and unsafe procedures. Maternal mortality rates due to unsafe abortions are generally higher in countries with major restrictions and lower in countries without restrictions, or as to reason. These figures show that the public health impact of unsafe abortion is directly linked with its legal status, however for many countries abortion law stands on religious and moral grounds. Stronger prevention methods and post rape medical care need to be put in place to help prevent women from turning to illegal methods of unsafe abortion to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">(World Health Organisation 2008) **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.5;">Social and cultural analysis ** //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Women have abortions, whether it is legal or not. The question, then, is not whether we agree or disagree with abortion, but whether we choose life or death for women. Maintaining the punitive laws currently in effect means choosing death.” ////<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">( Rayas, 1998 ) ////<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This extract was taken from an article written by Lucia Rayas on the criminalisation of abortion in Latin America. As Rayas (1998 ) describes, most Latin American and Caribbean countries are Catholic, therefore as a culture they see women who seek pleasure as evil and those who do not opt for motherhood as selfish and unworthy. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">For women who are poor, who can hardly support themselves or their family, who do not have access to contraception and who may well be in a position of domestic violence, would it not be considered selfish to bring another child into the world who may suffer due to the existing circumstances. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">Women should not be forced to continue a pregnancy if their bodies are not physically capable or their mental health will suffer as a consequence, the human right to health should apply first to the women because without her the pregnancy would not be able to continue.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">It is unsurprising that religions around the world are divided on the subject of abortion and it usually religion that is a driving force behind the laws which prohibit women from choosing a safe abortion ( <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Maguire, 2012 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">). Historically, the predominant Catholic reason for prohibiting abortion was the “perversity position”. This is based on the principle that any sexual intercourse that is not open to the possibility of reproduction is perverse, and abortion, like the use of birth control, was condemned as a perversion of human sexuality. In recent times the more common reason is the “ontological position” this is based on the principle that an embryo or early foetus has the ontological status of a human person and purposely ending its life is murder ( <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Doak, 2001 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">). This is the principle for which many countries around the world base their abortion laws upon, yet a woman’s physical and mental health is not taken into account. Instead a woman is blamed for getting herself into the position of an unwanted pregnancy in the first place or for not accepting the pregnancy as a gift. It is a human right to choose religion and be faithful to that religion, but it is not for religion to dictate women's rights when it comes to decisions about her own body.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The image above states 'we must always protect the most vulnerable within and outside of the womb//'.// Are women who have been sexually assaulted, or have become to ill to continue with their pregnancy not considered vulnerable? A human life is incredibly precious and i <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">n no circumstance would a woman choose an abortion because it is fun or pleasant. It is images and protest like this that help promote the criminalisation of abortion, without the consideration of what a women really has to go through. The decision to terminate a pregnancy takes careful consideration that creates anguish, pain and in many cases guilt caused from shame by the women’s family and especially in religious communities. The words 'you CANNOT be Catholic and Pro-Choice' are what forces women to turn to unsafe abortion for fear that will be ostracised from their communities and no longer considered a 'catholic' regardless for their reasons, even if it is to save their own life. In a perfect world no one would want abortions to exist, but continuing to prohibit abortion does not resolve the issue. Countries that continue to prohibit and or penalise abortion create a larger public health problem because women have no choice but to turn to illegal and unsafe abortions, putting their lives at risk. For many women even access to contraception is limited creating a contraception- abortion paradox. A report from the <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">World Health Organisation (2008 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">) found that of the 5.3 million sexually active female population of Uganda, only 23% are currently using contraception, indicating that 4.2 million are sexually active but are not using contraception. Abortion in Uganda, where it remains illegal, is steadily increasing as it is becoming a means of fertility regulation.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lack of contraception is a major contributor towards unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. Figures from the World Health Organisation (2008 ) unsafe abortion report show that lack of contraception is directly linked to unsafe abortion and consequently maternal mortality and morbidity. The prevalence of unsafe abortion and maternal mortality will continue to increase unless women around the world are given information on sex education, access to contraception, safe abortion and are given the support and empowerment to take ownership over their bodies, without being shamed or blamed for doing so.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%; line-height: 1.5;">Analysis of the artefact and your own learning reflections ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The artefact represents a variety of issues that women around the world face in regards to their sexual activity. The analogy depicts how women who choose contraception are more or less seen as promiscuous and perverse, and that a pregnancy should been seen a gift not a burden. It is a harsh analogy comparing a pregnancy to a drowning, clearly depicting an image of a small child wearing the life jacket as the victim. However, it was created in response to a crude statement made by a man that will never know what it feels like to experience a rape related pregnancy and then make the ultimate decision whether or not to continue with that pregnancy. The artefact represents the topic of illegal and unsafe abortion by focussing on the way women are victimised and criminalised for making decisions regarding their own bodies.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">I have learnt a lot from this assessment piece and I do believe it has changed my views on the topic of abortion. I have never been in the sense ‘anti-abortion’ but I did see it as a sad ending for the unborn child who did not have a choice. I now have a firm understanding of why women choose to have an abortion and it really isn't anyone else business, or for anyone else to decide or judge. Every woman has the right to take ownership of her body and decide what is best for her, especially in extreme circumstances of sexual assault related pregnancy. I do hope that women around the world will have better access to education and contraception in the future and that abortion laws will become liberalised in all countries so women do not have to put their lives at risk.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">References **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Centre for Reproductive Rights. (2013). The World's Abortion Laws Map 2013 Update. //Fact Sheet.// Retrieved 1 November, 2013, from http://reproductiverights.org/sites/crr.civicactions.net/files/documents/AbortionMap_Factsheet_2013.pdf

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Doak, M. (2001). A Brief, Liberal, Catholic Defense of Abortion. //American Journal of Theology & Philosophy, 22//(3), 290-294. http://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/212195066?accountid=13380 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Finer, L., & Fine, J. B. (2013). Abortion Law Around the World: Progress and Pushback. //American Journal of Public Health, 103//(4), 585-589. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301197

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Holmes, M. M., Resnick, H. S., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Best, C. L. (1996). Rape-related pregnancy: Estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women. //American Journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 175//(2), 320-325. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9378(96)70141-2

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lakhani, N. (2013, 17 October 2013). El Salvador: Where women may be jailed for miscarrying. Retrieved 1 November 2013, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24532694

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Maguire, D. C. (2012). //Abortion. Encyclopedia of Global Religion. SAGE Publications, Inc//. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rayas, L. (1998). Criminalizing abortion: A crime against women. //NACLA Report on the Americas, 31//(4), 22.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Moore, L. (2012). Rep. Todd Akin: The Statement and the Reaction. Retrieved 1 November 2013, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/us/politics/rep-todd-akin-legitimate-rape-statement-and-reaction.html?_r=0

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Stewart, F. H., & Trussell, J. (2000). Prevention of Pregnancy Resulting from Rape: A Neglected Preventative Health Measure. //American Journal Preventative Medicine, 19//(4), 228-229.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Lancet. (2013). Ireland's abortion law: a start but not enough. //The Lancet, 382//(9888), 182. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61584-6

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">World Health Organisation. (2008). Global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality //Unsafe abortion// (Sixth ed.).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">World Health Organisation. (2013, Cctober 2013). Intimate partner and sexual violence against women. //Violence against women.// Retrieved 20 October, 2013, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">World Health Organisation. (2013, Cctober 2013). Intimate partner and sexual violence against women. Violence against women. Retrieved 20 October, 2013, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/


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