Feminism, Marxism and reluctance about abortion.

I find myself in a very small category within the political circles I move in. It is often taken for granted that along with my Marxist Feminist beliefs comes a strong Pro-Choice view, and that I will go along with many who think this to lobby the government to make abortion easier. Alas, I cannot bring myself round to this perspective, and I believe that this; rather than in spite of my Marxist views, is because of them. Let me explain. 

I first discovered myself to be a Marxist at around the same time I discovered myself to be relatively anti-abortion and my two perspectives can be traced back to my original thought: that every human life is equal. Whilst in economic terms this means I believe the many are being unfairly exploited by the few, in abortion terms I believe that all life is significant. I am well aware that the controversial term here is 'life' and there are many contested opinions on this. For me however, life begins at conception. There is no other specific point in foetal development than can be pinpointed as the official start of life, so for me, this is it. From that point onward life has been created and must be treated with respect. I believe that although many feminists would argue that their body is their choice, I would argue that from the moment of conception onward, 'your' body is not just 'your' body. You have yourself – for want of a better word - a squatter. You are sharing your body with another life and for me, to disregard that life completely is wrong. 

Whilst I do believe this, I am aware of the world we live in that and that not everything in the creation of life is quite so simple and black and white. In terms of rape and when the mother's life is endangered, I am not so blinkered as to expect the foetus' life to be of more significance than that of the mother's. I am also well aware than whilst I do not believe in abortion 100%, there will always be women who feel they cannot cope and will always want abortions, whether they be legal or otherwise. I am therefore still a staunch supporter of legal, safe abortions and equal access to abortions for all and will argue fiercely against anyone who is not.

However, for those who engage in consensual sex comes responsibility. No contraception is 100% effective, so whilst every measure can be taken to avoid pregnancy, every now and then some of the little swimmers will break down every barrier put in place. I therefore believe that along with the emotional and physical conditions to be evaluated before having sex, so should come to question for both partners: "What do I do if I (or she) become pregnant?” It seems to me that all too often abortion is considered as a quick fix and this is doing a vast injustice to not only the mother, but to the unborn child too.

It is the way that people are educated about abortion which contributes to this opinion greatly. The NHS website on abortion (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/abortion/pages/introduction.aspx) mentions next to nothing of the potential emotional side effects of having an abortion, yet studies have shown that not an insignificant number of women suffer emotional trauma after having an abortion, even if this was performed only in the first trimester (Major, B Et al:2000) In a study group of 440 women, 28% felt that their abortion had given them more harm than good and in a group of 386, 20% felt depressed post-abortion (Ibid). Although for the majority of women sampled, their abortion proved emotionally positive, it is still a significant risk that they would suffer psychological trauma in one way or another from the procedure. So even if we put aside the debate of when life begins and abortion becomes acceptable, abortion itself is still being massively mis-sold to people. If a pharmaceutical company happened to leave out the side effects of a new drug that affected roughly 20% of those who took, that company would be punished.

It is for this reason, that I believe feminism and reluctance about abortion can be reconciled. Why should women feel pressured into a decision (either from her partner or from society in general) that contains significant emotional risks that could stay with her for a long time? A lot of attention has gone into the results of having an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy, yet the damage incurred by abortions is not to be ignored either. If 28% of women feel that their abortion gave them more harm than good, then why is this sold as an easy solution? It isn’t, and it is womankind who is suffering because of this attitude.

It is not an uncommon opinion amongst many men that women have the choice to have an abortion. If they decide not to make that choice, then they are simultaneously choosing to raise their child alone. Yet for women like me, who do not believe in abortion, and even for some who do and later feel otherwise, what kind of a choice is that? The choice to live with the guilt of taking human life or the choice to raise this life alone. Rock. Hard place. Yet this opinion will only continue if abortion is still sold as a quick fix solution and women who reject abortion are heralded as irresponsible and selfish.

So yes, a woman’s career potential can be hampered and economic situation worsened by having a child at an inconvenient time in her life. But women can also suffer depression and in some severe cases; post-traumatic stress disorder from having an abortion, which can also result in dampened career prospects and a gloomy economic outlook.

I am well aware that the opinion I have expressed is somewhat uncommon and controversial, especially when coupled with my Marxist-Feminist outlook, but please do not misunderstand me. I am by no means claiming that women who choose to have an abortion are evil or sick or anything else like that. Whilst I do not agree with the general concept of abortion, I can still see why women resort to them and would fight tooth and nail for their right to have one. What I am arguing, is that feminism and Marxism should not be so quick to label abortion as right all the time, simply because many of those arguing against abortion come from the religious right. While I am not claiming that Marxist and Feminist groups should suddenly reject abortion, they should not be afraid to question it as to accept it completely is doing as much as injustice as to deny it completely.