Soulaima Gourani: Abortion should not be dictated by anyone, let alone a man

Published on May 24, 2019

Earlier this month, Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, signed the controversial bill, HB481, that would ban a woman from receiving an abortion if a fetal heartbeat can be detected after six weeks.

The bill is very simple but also very powerful: a declaration that all life has value, that all life is worthy of protection,” said Kemp amongst his group of smiling supporters as he signed the legislation. Most recently, Alabama’s Senate passed the most restrictive anti-abortion bill in the nation. Now for those that do not know, a fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy (when women are either two weeks late on their menstrual cycle and/or don’t even realize that they are pregnant). In a perfect world, this debate wouldn’t even be an issue, but with the Republicans in the driver’s seat, especially in a red state like Georgia, Alabama and now Ohio, it’s an unfortunate reality.

Andrea Young, the executive director of the ACLU of Georgia said “Today’s women can only thrive in a state that protects their most basic rights — we will act to block this assault on women’s health, rights, and self-determination.” This is a complete disregard of women as a whole. The choice over when and whether to have children is central to a woman’s independence and ability to determine her future. It is a human right at its very least. Let’s try a different perspective from my own background.

But seriously, are you happy?

I’m from Denmark and we are famous for our high level of well-being. The country is also at the top of the UN’s World’s Happiness Report, along with Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Our women are happy and safe, with little to no outside factors that prevent them from feeling any other way. Let’s go back in time to understand. Scandinavia is home to some of the world’s most liberal abortion legislation.

In 1973, the Danish Parliament Act on Access to Pregnancy Discontinuation was established. The law implies that any woman living in Denmark has the right to interrupt her pregnancy before week twelve. Aborting a pregnancy at this point would be extreme because around this time, a woman has nearly reached the end of the first trimester and all of the baby’s vital organs and body parts will be in place (i.e., sex organs, eyelids). Whereas, Georgia’s bill is a law in disguise. It’s a near-total ban on abortion.

This law restricts abortions before many women even know they’re pregnant and the embryo is barely the size of a pomegranate seed. Each day almost 70,000 unsafe abortions are carried out around the world, and they are vastly more likely to happen in countries with strict laws. “They will get a revolution in this country like they’ve never seen before,” said a Gloria Tatum, a protestor that held a sign outside the courthouse that read, “Say no to Republican and anti-women sexist laws.” Understandably, there are so many factors that can contribute to a woman not wanting to conceive whether it be that she is too young or even the high possibility of rape.

In a 2018 study from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, the research conducted from the survey of U.S. adults showed that almost 2.9 million U.S. women (2.4%) experienced rape-related pregnancy during their lifetime. Among rape victims, 77.3% reported a current/former intimate partner perpetrator, and 26.2% of intimate partner rape victims reported rape-related pregnancy compared with those raped by an acquaintance (5.2%) or stranger (6.9%).

These numbers are astoundingly high and provide more than enough “stats” to show that unplanned pregnancy is more than just not using a contraception option. The decision to bring new life into the world is “one of the most intimate choices women and couples make.” It should not be dictated by anyone, let alone a man.

Men like GA  state Rep. Ed Setzler believe “abortion is a barbaric procedure” and simply feel that there are many other options for women like adoption and the morning after pill. It’s perplexing how statements like this can be made when they don’t even have the biological makeup to experience a pregnancy.

I anticipate that this will continue to be a long fight because not only will the ACLU and Planned Parenthood be challenging this in court, but so will the 168.08 million women in the United States (that believe in pro-choice). It is no one else’s right to decide but that of a woman.

Soulaima Gourani is a Columnist at Grit Daily. As a Danish-Moroccan CEO and corporate advisor, Gourani's writing focuses on women in entrepreneurship.

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