Abortion means termination of human pregnancy through taking the embryo out of the womb. It is performed either by surgical operation or taking medicine. Most abortions are committed during the early stages of pregnancy while the embryo has not got the complete shape yet. In the majority of western societies, it is considered as part of human rights and symbol of freedom!!!!

Now, we present to you the comments of the expert of this series, Ms. Akhundan, "Abortion has been a challenging issue in various societies and has been treated with different reactions. In the view of divine religions, it is a great sin and severe punishments have been designated for it. In some countries, abortion is not considered a crime but an ordinary act. The prevalence of abortion in those societies shows the spread of promiscuity. This act causes illegitimate pregnancies and abandoning family unit. Since an irreligious and secular person considers himself/herself as the center of the universe; in the legal relations between himself/herself and other parts of nature such as properties, other creatures like humans, animals and plants, he/she deems two kinds of relation: ownership and vassalage. A secular person deems a child as the property of parents; hence, in a period of time, considers its abortion as the mother's right."

By mid-19th century, abortion was considered legal only till the time that spirit is breathed into the embryo before the mother feels its movement. The reason for opposition of the opponents of abortion are the countless perils that this act causes for mothers. Till the advent of the 20^th century, the anti-abortion movement had succeeded in illegalizing this act in most of the western countries. But, from mid-1950s to 1960, feminists made efforts to change the rules on abortion. They believed that the existing rules were ineffective. Finally, these pressures yielded fruit and the law of permission of abortion was approved in 1973 at the Supreme Court of the United States. Since that time, more than 50 million cases of abortion have been recorded in the country while the real figure should be much higher.

According to experts, the number of embryos that are killed annually as a result of abortion in the US is equal to the entire military forces killed throughout its wars. It has been reported that 41% of the whole pregnancies in New York city end in abortion. Studies also show that 86% of abortions are carried out due to leading a life of ease and avoidance of pregnancy problems.

One of the most important reasons for high number of abortion in the US is the high rate of pregnancy among teenage girls. This number is more than twice higher than Canada, more than three times higher than France, and more than seven times higher than Japan. This figure is very high in Finland, Iceland and Britain. Every year, 235 out of 1000 pregnancies end in abortion in England and the newborns are transferred to the centers of keeping children. Ian Gentles, Canadian historian, writes, "The unborn children have the right of inheritance in Canada and can complain a third party while in the mother's womb; but they are lacking the right of living because the Canadian government has granted the right to the mother to kill the child. It is stranger that, according to the Canadian laws, a girl needs her parents' permission for piercing her ears but can get abortion without their awareness."

Of course, the rules pertaining to abortion are different in western countries. For instance, in Catholic countries like Portugal, Poland and North Ireland, there are rigid laws in this regard. The laws of Northern Ireland are the harshest ones in Europe. There, a court can issue the permission for abortion only when the mother's health is at risk. This has caused girls and women to take pills to draw the attention of judge to be able to get abortion. This leads to the death of many women in Northern Ireland annually. Other countries of Europe have different laws. For example, a woman can go to an abortion center between the 10-14 weeks of pregnancy to have abortion without the court ruling. But if this period is passed, she should deliver the child and give it to a center for keeping parentless children if she is unable to raise it.

In the Netherlands, whenever a mother feels that she doesn't want or cannot deliver the child or keep it, she can go to a clinic to have abortion.

In the United States, there are different laws pertaining to abortion. In Texas, for instance, there are rigid laws and those women who want to abort their child go to other states. This has caused them a lot of problems both health-wise and economically. Of course, the House of Representatives voted 237 to 189 to ban abortion after the 20^th week of pregnancy. The bill known as, "The P ain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" makes it clear that there is considerable medical evidence that an unborn child can feel pain by 20 weeks of gestation and pregnancy. This act casts a scientific look at the life unborn children. Research shows that physical structures needed for feeling pain in the embryo's body take shape during 20 weeks of pregnancy. This, while Islam deems a right for the embryo since the formation of zygote and considers it haram to abort it. Abortion has myriads of negative consequences on women's body and spirit for years. Statistics indicate that in Finland, women who have aborted are 102% more prone to commit suicide compared to those who have aborted unwillingly. Another study conducted in California by comparing 173,279 women who had aborted, revealed that the likelihood of death is 62% higher for those women who have aborted. Due to such reasons, many western countries have reached a very complicated labyrinth. The west should either forget about sexual revolution which has resulted in illegitimate pregnancies and spread abortion; or abide by moralities and promote legitimate marriages instead of promiscuity.

RM/ME