Abortion In Tunisia Is Legal, Should It Be?

It is important to note that unsafe abortion poses a great risk to the life of women. It leads to a high number of deaths. Recognising this, Tunisia is among the countries that made the abortion legal. 

Abortion in Tunisia attracted great debate and the first law on abortion was made as early as 1965.

Indeed the country was the first from the Muslim world giving consent to a legal abortion. The country made the law much liberal in 1973, which specified that individual woman can undergo abortion during the first three months without the approval of the husband.

HOWEVER, OCCASIONALLY QUESTIONS ARE RAISED WITH REGARD TO IF ABORTION SHOULD BE LEGAL IN TUNISIA. HERE ARE A FEW SENSIBLE GROUNDS:

• The health of the mother: 

The health of the childbearing mother is the strongest reaction to make legal abortion Studies show that 75% of the women and 33% of women who underwent abortion say abortion should be made legal. There are wide-ranging ailments for which women are concerned. These include dizziness thrombosis, anaemia, diabetes, blood clotting and failure of major organs.

• • Weak financial and other reasons:

Yet another potent reason for which women is in support of abortion in Tunisia the poor financial position. Along with this, other issues include marital status, and adequate time in between two consequent pregnancies, and the psychological issues that are involved in pregnancy. For many women, during pregnancy, it is expensive, whether, visiting the doctor, moving to the hospital for checkups, or staying there, it is not affordable. Further, the interval between consequent pregnancies should be large enough so that the elder baby can be left under someone’s care so the mother could take care of the forthcoming baby.

• Being single or other condition:

Being single for women brings extreme financial difficulties, if they get pregnant. Such women work because they are not married. Or, they are under financial pressure to eke out a living and hence have to work. There might be situations that led to pregnancy prior to getting married. If they undergo a legal abortion, chances are that it may happen again when then they are married because of diverse reasons. Thus, they wish it to be made legal.

• Social behaviour:

Women when married often face a different world, where the husband is the main decisions maker. This leaves little choice elbow for women. They have to confine themselves to the job assignment as made by them men. However, many women say with the passage, it leads to acrimony in relationship, and often legal separation. This leads to precarious financial position of the woman. There is abortion should be made legal.

• Better social conditions:

Laws on abortion in Tunisia have resulted in beneficial effects as for the country. Following the law of abortion in Tunisia legal, women have benefited at large. Total fertility came to drown from 3.13(1990 -1995) to 2.5 (2005- 2010). Mortality among mothers also came down from 68.9/100,000 (1993–94) to 36.3/100,000 births in (2005-07). Also, the school enrolment for the girl child improved from 28% to 94% (secondary level). The proportion of women in labour rose to 25.3% (2010) from 20.8% (1990). The legal abortion has brought benefits to the society as a whole.

As legal abortion has become permissible, it has improved services with respect to abortion. That is safe practices have been accessed by women at large as it has been in abortion in Tunisia.  The law applies to the case women who have five or more children so far. Tunisia is the first country that made medical abortion legal. In view of the positive impact discussed here, many women support abortion law in Tunisia.