Do you know this?

There are approximately 18000 parents registered with CARA, while the number of children in the Government's adoption pool is less 1800.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Abortion debate in India without consideration for adoption

Heart is beating and all the major organs except for lungs are developed. The only difference between this child and any other child that you may know of is this: This child is not born yet and the parents don’t want the child to live.

Here is the storyline: A couple in India that is 24 weeks pregnant found out that their foetus has congenital heart problems and they don’t want this child. They want a healthy child of any gender. In India, it is against the law to abort a foetus after 20 weeks. So the couple approached the court to give them permission to allow them to abort. Court has asked the expert medical panel to give its opinion and it is reported that they are not definitive in their recommendations.

I not only empathize with the couple for the agony that they have to endure but also with the voiceless foetus that is treated like a lump of flesh. We have this law in India for very specific reasons – to protect the life of the mother and the foetus that is almost fully developed. I am unable to understand the ambiguity in the law for anyone to find comfort to approach the court to break the law.

If the couple is ready to bear the heartache by aborting the foetus and the affordability is the only impediment in caring for this child, they could endure the term of the pregnancy to relinquish the child to the government for adoption or to let the nature take its course on the life of the child. When the medical community itself seems to be divided on their expert opinion, it would be an injustice to the foetus if the court allows the couple to abort.

People of civil society must be encouraged to fit their life style within the boundaries of the law of the land and not other way around lest it’ll only be slippery slope.

2 comments:

Lin said...

The Court has ruled against the abortion. Thank you God!

My thoughts exactly... Maybe someone reading abt this in the papers will offer to adopt this child. This Baby will be in my prayers everyday. this will be my spiritual child.

Ruby said...

Lin, I had this thought today: What happens if this child is born either with no defects or with minor defects that can be surgically corrected? Now there's documented evidence against the parents in the media and what will the child think when he/ she grows up about the parents? Having babies is not like manufacturing a perfect piece of furniture.