Abortions are illegal in several countries; Morocco being
one of them. “Women on Waves” is an abortion clinic on a ship that travels
around docking in the ports of several countries to perform abortions for women
who other wise would not be able to receive them. The ship takes the women to
international waters to provide the services without violating the laws of
their country. Police officials of Morocco have blocked the port the ships uses
to dock preventing these Moroccan women from having the abortions completed. They have block the port using war ships which
could make try to get by or around very dangerous for these women. The ship was
actually invited by a female activist of Morocco along with the head doctor Marlies
Schellekens and 10 other members. They provide these services to women who are
6.5 weeks or less into their pregnancy, or they advocate a drug called misoprostol
which will terminate pregnancy up to 12 weeks. The point of the ship is to
provide women with a safe way to receive an abortion without having it done
somewhere unsafe and illegal. About 90 women die every year in Morocco in an
attempt to have an illegal abortion.
The
idea of pro-choice does not seem to matter in this article. This law under
Moroccan rule does not protect rape victims who as a result get pregnant. It
does not protect women who may have an incredibly difficult pregnancy and
therefore must terminate to save their lives. Most importantly though, it does
not provide them with the option to do what they believe is in their best
interest and in the best interest of the child they are being forced to bring
into the world. This ship provides a legal means to women to obtain an abortion
without breaking any laws in their country. It would be the same situation if
they got on a plane and flew to Algeria to have the procedure done. Some women
do not have to means or money to do that so this is a more cost efficient
method. Being forced to become a mother when you are not ready can be
incredibly detrimental to society as a whole. The child will not receive the
basic necessities of everyday life if the mother cannot afford it. She may be
forced to commit crimes such as theft to acquire some of these materials. She
also may not give the child the love and nurturing that it needs because she
did not want the child in the first place. It is so important to leave open this
door of choice and let people have options. There is no harm done if a woman
chooses to have an abortion because she is not prepared to be a mother. It is
even more wrong to take away this legal means of providing the service along
the borders of Morocco just because it is illegal in Morocco. At the end of the
day, a decision this grand should not be made by anyone else except for the
woman it is affecting.
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