Monday 5 September 2011

Abortion: Women's Rights or Big Business?

Today started really early for me, I am not an early morning person, so when I get to see the sunrise, I marvel at how lovely the world is.  Creation is a thing of beauty I tell you!  Big bang theory ain't got nothing on God's wonderful creation!!  Today was a gray morning so I saw no sunrise, but I did get to listen to the first edition of "Network Africa" the BBC World Service for Africa Breakfast Show at 0330hrs GMT.  Getting up early takes a toll on me by around 11am, my batteries run down before they recharge again in the afternoon.  I tried to recharge my batteries by reading articles I found interesting but had no time to finish reading.  One of them is a post from a link sent to me via twitter,  http://www.lifenews.com/2010/10/23/nat-6787/.  It was a commentary by a surgeon discussing the link between Breast Cancer and abortion.  I have talked about this so many times, but I must admit, the science still eluded me, and I wanted to learn more on the issue.  When I read this article, it had the desired effect, I started thinking, the slow clogs coming unstuck.  This too as we hurtle towards the month of October, recognised world wide as being the month to highlight the issues surrounding Breast Cancer.  (This month September is dedicated to Prostrate and Ovarian Cancer, just as a by the way.)

Most of you will recall my last post was an angry, indignant one, caused by Kenya moving closer to legalising abortion on demand.  I was to write a follow up blog once the tears stopped clouding my eyes, but after praying about it, the Spirit of God within me indicated that I had said quite enough and should shut up already, so I did.  What Life News' article did is to bring back to my mind the reason why I do what I do.  Why I say what I say.  I was convicted of just peddling rhetoric and put a human face to the issue.  Abortion is never about saving life.  Not even the mother's life. It is all about Big Business.  Let me qualify this statement.

Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion services provider in the USA has an annual budget in excess of $1B.  Their core business is abortion services.  In Capitalism, once a market is saturated, one looks for fresh markets.  Latest research instruments show abortions are on a slow but steady decline in the States, with the use of emergency contraception increasing therefore reducing the need for abortion on demand.  Planned Parenthood is also the provider of these emergency contraception kits.  Planned Parenthood recently lost up to $363M in federal funding.  This gap must be filled somehow, whether it is from the Federal government, or from new frontiers.  Each pregnancy carried to term offers more protection against the risk of developing Breast Cancer.  Every abortion interrupts the physiological developments that take place during pregnancy, childbirth and nursing.  This in turn increases the risk of development of Breast Cancer in women who have had one or more abortions.

During the whole month of October, the activities that aim to help women more about Breast Cancer include screening, testing, promotion of preventive regimen and showcasing the latest treatments available even on experimental stages to show the progress towards getting a cure.  The season is also filled with a lot of merchandising to help raise awareness, and also funds for more research and treatment.  This is big business each year for the pharmaceutical companies, research institutes, and producers of anything pink.  Other businesses join in the cash bandwagon too, with specially branded products to sell during the whole month.  Hospital's well woman clinics also keep busy during the whole month, with many who walk in getting follow up appointments.  The initial clinic may be free, the subsequent follow up tests and visits certainly are not.  All this is a multibillion dollar venture, a tried and tested module of making October a very successful financial month for all with the acumen to take advantage of the opportunity that comes wrapped up in this terrible disease.

It is unfortunate therefore to think that Kenya is headed down the same rail road.  Our health care systems cannot cope with pre and post natal care, and post birth complications still claim an inordinate number of lives, of both mothers and babies.  Our health care services cannot provide adequate pallative care to Cancer patients currently, never mind an increase in the number of cancer cases.  I have a close female relative who recently went to India for cancer treatment simply because she could find no hope of treatment in Kenya, save for an you've-got-8-months-to-live prognosis.  It was a combination of obsolete screening and treatment options, as well as the limited health care expertise on her type of Cancer.  Her two month treatment in India was successful and the cancer is now in remission.  She had money to go for treatment, how many Kenyans can afford this?

Capitalism gives us all an opportunity to be all we want to be, be all we can be, because we can make as much money as is there to be made.  The unfortunate bit with Capitalism, is that some of us get ideas on how to make money in the most unscrupulous way, and when it works out, it only hardens the resolve.  But as the adage goes, Evil prospers when good men do nothing, and my personal favorite, Those who don't learn from history, are duty bound to repeat it.  Its not too late for Kenya, the writing though, is clearly on the wall.

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this article Joy, indeed not everyone has access to the available resources in our well know hospitals to go for treatment. the recently opened new cancer center at the Aga Khan University hospital is well equiped. no need to travel overseas for treatment, the hospital having spent billions of shillings to put up the center and all the equipment. but the question is, how many people can afford close to 800K to have treat of any kind of cancer? their is need for the gov't to come up with policies that allows not able patients to access treatments in the government hospitals. as we all know, most of these private hospitals are into business. but then, why make the cost of treatment so high?

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  2. Valid point Chantal. That option was there for my aunty, but the cost, India was still cheaper for a two month stay for two people plus plane tickets to get them there and come back. So the facility may now be there, but at what cost? Who can afford that? New Constitution I guess one can sue the government for money to pay for health care. What Aga Khan has done is good thought.

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  3. Interesting points Joy. I'll start by placing my biases on the table and say that I believe in and support a woman's/family's right to choose whatever is best for their health, future, and well-being. Second, I totally second your thoughts on the role of capitalism in inspiring and driving investments, advertising, and the creation of new needs as markets change, evolve, saturate etc. Third, I also agree with you about the unfortunate state of the health care system and would also like to extend that sentiment to include our social fabric, government infrastructure, religious institutions etc. All of which in combination often determine individual choice, freedom and well-being and constantly leave many behind and without support.
    I disagree with the idea that Planned Parenthood would opt to invest in abortion or contraceptive services solely because its a profitable venture. Planned Parenthood meets a need that history shows has always been a huge part of our human story. (The beginnings of planned parenthood are also very interesting, if you haven't check it out). Approval or not, history also shows that if you take away access to safe clinical practices, the need doesn't go away. In some cases it will be driven underground (where the practice is still thriving)with adverse consequences for those who are limited to these options. So what is the root cause here? Why do women and families choose abortion? How do families find themselves in that situation? Why don't we focus on addressing those determining factors and instead spend time, money and energy picking sides and arguments apart? Who really wins (and loses?)? Is it about winning? Winning what?

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  4. I have studied Planned Parenthood, IPAS, Marie Stopes and so my opinions are duly considered. My arguments are very simple really.

    Abortionists claim the major reason is the woman's health. The facts suggest otherwise. The abortion procedure itself is dangerous and life threatening due to haemorrage, post-abortion complications like infections have been known to occur even with "safe" abortion. Abortion is linked to increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, as well as increased instances of infertility, severe mental health implications include depression and suicidal tendencies. Socially, it can lead to strain or even dissolution of relationships, especially if the male partner was not involved in the decision or disagreed with the decision of having the abortion. Fiscally, abortions are not free, and the woman has to pay for the service and aftercare. The "health benefit" to the woman therefore eludes me, apart from the fact that she does not have to bring up a child. (physiologically, she suffers equal if not more trauma and pain in procuring an abortion) If the issue is not wanting to raise a child, she would suffer less loss if she had the child and simply gave him up for someone else to raise him.

    Abortion is big business. Look at this for example: http://ipas.org/Publications/Index_rst.aspx to understand my argument for abortion being big business for the providers. If you visit the site with authorisation to the entire site, there is an entire catalogue of abortion devices, medicines, products, by products. The increase in infertility means more couples turn to fertility treatments. In Kenya one round of IVF costs Kes 300,000 about $4000. Not exactly chicken feed considering it does not always work out on first try. The excess embryos are also profitable for sale in the black market, for research.

    Abortion is classified as a "reproductive health right" It is the only "right" in my book where the "beneficiary" suffers most and others benefit greatly from this loss.

    I am pro-choice, the choice here being choosing to NOT get pregnant. Safe and effective contraception, crisis pregnancy facilities, well regulated but easy to understand adoption procedures, THAT is where our energies should be, not mass murder of children. The facts speak more loudly than I ever could http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/americas-abortions-just-the-facts/.

    Consider the following scenario: Abortion business is not just directly but indirectly. Capitalism wants to see more money and less reasons to spend it. Hence, modern-day holocaust, population control especially among the poor. Check out the statistics http://www.lifenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/LifeDynamicsRacialReport.pdf Abortion is the biggest killer among the black population, more than all other factors combined. This notion of population control is also being argued (though vehemently denied by all involved) as the strategy to control african populations to mitigate the effects eg of the current famine in the Horn of Africa.

    Now to your questions.

    Who wins? : The abortionists, fertility experts, black market traders in embryos.

    Who loses? : The woman who suffers tragic loss, and the child who never sees the light of day.

    Winning What? : The prize here is definitely money and influence.

    Just my two-cents worth of opinion on the matter. What do you think?

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  5. Reproductive decisions, options, health access are a women's/ families' right and an opportunity for business. Which part of of our healthcare and lifestyles is not an opportunity for anyone to make money?
    Are an overwhelming amount of infertility cases linked to abortions?
    Does planned parenthood and company make people choose abortion?
    Is there a conspiracy between fertility experts, "abortionists", black market embryo traders?
    Like I asked before: what are the root causes? What, who...creates an environment where abortion is consistently chosen?
    Fertility experts? Embryo traders? Abortionists?
    Is the solution to take away the choice the best option?

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