Instead of anti-abortion protests fund some path breaking research ideas

I always see a few people outside of Planned Parenthood centers on weekends and also on some days during weekdays protesting against abortion. They carry some posters and banners with pictures of babies or human fetuses. Some of their posters claim that the life of every baby is important, I don't think there is anyone who can disagree with this statement. Most people love babies, and most of the world thinks that every born individual should get to live in a peaceful and civilized world that is why we care about our environment and society so much. One of the aims behind all our efforts is that we want to give a better society for future generations. Even though humans are one of the animal species living on this planet, we are radically different than all other animals and we are also on a continuous quest for improvement on many fronts. So, no one disagrees with all babies' lives being important, but the main point of disagreement is not babies or their lives after they are born, but the right of women to have a choice of abortion. It is a sensitive political and social issue in American politics, it is so polarizing that there are very extreme opinions about this. According to me, it is utterly stupid to call someone pro-abortion or anti-abortion, after all, it is the personal decision of that particular female (or couple) whether they want to give birth to a child or not. Who am I, the government, or anyone to decide about their parenthood? After all, that female has to bear the pain of childbirth and once someone becomes a parent, then they need to take care of their born child. Some people want to take that responsibility of parenthood and some don't, some are just not yet ready for this, so, it is their personal decision. Also, fertilization and reproduction are a routine biological phenomenon that happens in every animal species, there is no divinity or any supernatural power involved in this process. A sperm fertilizes an egg and an embryo is formed, we know this process, it happens with other animals also, and we study about this in biology class. I wonder what is other's problem if any female decides to terminate the pregnancy for personal reasons. There could be so many reasons starting from some personal reasons, some health issues, pregnancy because of sexual abuse or rape, or even some economic reasons, it differs from case to case why someone takes this decision. We are really struggling on social and political levels to find an acceptable solution for this problem. Some groups are dead against abortions, some support with some conditions and some consider it as women's right to choose what they want to do. There are some valid points with every side but unfortunately, there is no common ground on which all parties seem to agree.

According to me, there is a strong possibility that science can help to resolve this complex issue. Especially, it might help these pro-life people to solve their difficulty of worrying about every embryo formed. If the concern for every embryo is so important then they should aggressively fund research to develop techniques that can make it possible to carry out the entire pregnancy and childbirth outside the human body. So, in this technique, once an embryo is formed, either inside a human body or in a lab, and concerned people don't want it, they can donate it anonymously and it can be processed in a lab independently in the same way as the body normally develops into a baby. This will eliminate most of the troubles or inconveniences associated with pregnancies and these pro-life people can take care of all these embryos and resulting babies on their own and everyone is happy. People who don't want to become parents can get rid of unwanted pregnancies and people who are so concerned about those embryos can take care of them, both sides get what they want. This research will definitely put an end to the need for abortion. It will also avoid other troubles like going through the trouble of pregnancy followed by childbirth and then putting that child up for adoption, these new centers run by pro-life groups can take the fertilized egg and develop it into a baby and take care of it till they become adult, just as parents do. Even this can be beneficial for other parents who want to have their own biological child but don't want to go through the hassle of pregnancy and stuff related to it. This idea might sound like science fiction, but I am sure this is achievable. Every day new frontiers are conquered in the scientific world and I am sure with proper funding and backing this also can be achieved. This has the potential to solve a major social and political issue of our times. Once we solve this issue then we can focus on many other important issues that require our attention like education, poverty, the economy, etc. I hope this suggestion finds some takers at least from the pro-life groups, after all, this is about saving those embryos for which they are tirelessly protesting for so many years. I am not joking or being sarcastic here, I really thought about how to resolve this issue so that lawmakers of this great country don't waste time debating about this personal health issue of women. Also, I am not at all against these protests, I completely support their right to express their disagreement. I absolutely have no issues with their protests or any other protest as long as it is peaceful. I am just interested in finding some permanent solution for this long-standing problem. Out-of-body pregnancy and childbirth are bound to become reality sooner or later, so why not consider this possibility now itself which can help us to resolve one very sensitive issue. This idea has the potential to solve this problem for everyone. I am sure some people might have other ideas also which I hope they share openly. Efforts of all of us might help to eliminate the rift between these so-called pro-life and pro-choice groups so that we can focus on other important social issues.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Is teenage parenthood very different than child marriage?

This question came up in my mind during one of my discussions with my daughter. We were discussing the merits and demerits of high school kids dating each other. Teenage dating, especially in high schools is a part of the modern-day culture in many developed countries, even in developing countries like India it is becoming very common. In countries like the US, dating starts during high school or middle school, and in countries like India, it used to start during college. The main reason for this time difference is that in India high schools still have a very restricted environment with a requirement of uniforms, a lot of rules and regulations about appearance and many of them are not even co-ed schools whereas in the US there are relatively unrestricted and free environment in schools. Teenage is a very important phase of any individual's life, many physical and psychological changes take place in us. We get transformed physically and well as mentally during these years. This can be called the transition phase of our transformation from child to adult. Many of us become aware of our own sexuality, this is also the time when we start getting attracted to other people sexually. I guess dating is a result of all these changes and in many Western countries, it is a socially accepted phenomenon. Most TV shows or movies propagate this culture, and because of all this aggressive marketing dating has become a necessary activity during high school days for most kids. There is tremendous peer pressure on kids to fit into this culture, and many kids desperately seek a partner as their boyfriend or girlfriend. Relationships are formed and destroyed, and this eventually leads to things like breakups and frustrations associated with it. Kids have to deal with all these things along with their studies, homework, college preparations, and expectations of their parents. Some of them manage these things very well, some just can't handle this all and suffer from depression, anxiety, panic, and many other problems. This has also created a very serious problem of teenage pregnancies. This issue of underage (less than 18 years) girls becoming pregnant and eventually teenage moms is a very important issue. This is important for the future of those newborn infants as well as their underage parents. School kids becoming parents has to be a serious matter for any society. How can a kid bear the complete responsibility of another kid? Many people might say that teenage pregnancy and dating are totally separate issues but according to me they are very closely related.

Fortunately, child marriage is illegal in most parts of the world today, it used to be a very common thing not very long ago. But today many countries have strong laws against child marriage and it has reduced significantly. In this case, kids are coerced to enter into a romantic relationship without even knowing what that relationship actually means. This coercion is not overt, but subtle through movies and other social channels. In the case of child marriage, everything was done under the family's guidance as kids used to be very young and there was no age limit to get married. This was a socially accepted phenomenon in many societies (India was one of them), but we all agree that it was a terrible practice. This ridiculous practice stopped because it created many social problems like the issue of child widows. These young girls used to become widows before even knowing that they were married and then they were forced to live very restricted lives for no fault of theirs. Many old men used to marry girls much younger than them by misusing this system, this all resulted in social uproar against this system, and slowly it was abolished socially and legally.

Friendship is a very beautiful thing and an essential part of our lives. Many of our serious and long-lasting friendships are formed during school and college days. But it seems someone felt that for high school kids, just friendship is not enough they also need to have more serious relationships, and teenage dating was invented. During the teenage years there are a lot of hormonal and physical changes in the human body, and physical attraction to others normally starts at that age. Therefore, no wonder that social acceptance of unmonitored teenage dating was an instant hit among teenagers. There are merits and demerits associated with this approach, especially when there is a possibility of sexual encounters in these types of relationships. As kids, many times they don't understand the consequences of their acts, sexual intercourse is a physical act but it can have many biological, social, and emotional consequences. Emotional and social consequences might differ from person to person but biological consequences are the same for all. Biology doesn't care whether you are a teenager or an adult, whether it is consensual sex or rape, any careless or unprotected sexual act can result in a pregnancy that can ultimately result in parenthood, and being a parent is a huge personal and social responsibility. The teenage pregnancy issue is a byproduct of this uncontrolled dating culture which starts too early in kids' lives, so early that many of them don't even know what a relationship means and what are the consequences of some of their actions. Proper sex education and spreading awareness about these issues is the only way to handle this problem of teenage parenthood. There needs to be a sense among today's youth about what is proper and what is improper sexual behavior. School years are a very important part of anyone's life, this is the time to learn new things, get ready to face new challenges of the future, and form long-lasting friendships, school is not a place to look for a life partner or indulge in unsafe sexual acts.

The culture of child marriage was abolished because many people started misusing it, this rampant misuse made some people protest against it, and slowly that protest created a big social movement that abolished that practice from many societies. I always feel sorry for kids who are busy thinking about their partner's likes and dislikes, how to get over breakups, or whether someone is sexually attracted to them or not. They all do these things at the age when they should be enjoying their school life without thinking about such complicated things. We all get ample time in our lives starting from our college days to worry about these things but school days are not the time to worry about these things. School life has its own style of romance but depression, breakups, and anxiety are not supposed to be part of that romance. I know that teenage parenthood and child marriage are totally different subjects but somehow I see some parallels in both of them, maybe I am wrong that is why I would like to know what others feel about this issue.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Pregnancy - a God's wish or just a biological phenomenon?

A few days back US Senate candidate from Indiana Richard Mourdock was in the news for his comment about abortion. Many so-called pro-life people (I don't know on what basis they call themselves pro-life) are against abortion and they debate heavily about when human life begins and how we can't reject a gift of God even if the person who is receiving it doesn't want to have that gift. It's really surprising, but even in a developed country like the USA this debate has been going on for decades and still, people don't have any consensus on this issue. 

The whole notion or hypothesis that human life is a gift from God sounds very unrealistic to me. We are also products of a biological process of reproduction like any other animal or insect on this planet. People don't call earthworm's life a gift from God. We don't call diseases like cancer, Malaria, small pox as gifts from God and try to preserve them. We rather call them deadly diseases and fight against them. Then what's so special about fertilization or conception? We interfere in many natural processes, that could be called God's will or wish like earthquakes, hurricanes, diseases, and our original appearance (by doing plastic surgery, makeup, growth hormones, etc. However, no one calls these acts a sin and condemns our efforts to eradicate them. Rather the techniques or inventions that help us to fight against all these things are considered as boons for the human race and we all feel lucky to have them. If we look closely human history is full of incidents about our fight against natural calamities (call them God's wish). Many battles we already won and some of them we are still fighting.

This post is not pro or anti-abortion. I personally think abortion is and should be the choice of a woman, after all, she has to bear that child and she must have the right to decide what is good for her health and her life. When we bring the topic of God and its will into to discussion of abortion and issues related to it clearly we are going off the track and blowing this issue out of proportion. These so-called pro-life activists don't want to support a gun ban in the US even after so many incidents that prove that it's dangerous. The right to bear arms is considered a fundamental right given by the Constitution (nothing pro-life here) but when it comes to abortion they think we should not interfere in God's will. There is no question here about the fundamental privacy rights of women regarding their health and body. They don't think it's pro-life to support the fight against global warming. Many of them don't even accept that human actions contribute to global warming. They even want to get rid of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), which helps protect the environment and people but still, they call themselves 'pro-life' because they want to protect every fertilized human egg, no matter by what means it gets fertilized and whether that woman wants it or not.

The natural beginning and end of human life (or for that matter any life) are purely biological or natural phenomena. There is nothing divine here, we are a product or I must say a byproduct of some act that humans do for their pleasure (sexual intercourse). This is a simple fact about the origin of our life. For most animals, the sexual act is a mere seasonal or biological phenomenon for reproduction so that their species can survive, but not for humans. Like many other things (like eating, clothes, shelter) we have glamorized this act also. We are different from other animals in many ways because of our behavior and imagination and that includes our reproductive and sexual activity. Biologically it's the same. To fertilize an egg, a sperm has to meet with the egg and this initiates the reproductive process. There is nothing divine in it, natural reproduction won't happen unless these two things come together (whether God's will or not doesn't matter). Today, because of advanced technology same thing can be done in a test tube, and if we want we can create a new life in a lab (another proof that there is nothing divine in it because even humans can do it). At least in the case of other animals, their sexual desire and acts are controlled by the environment but we humans are immune to this, we control our sexual desires and acts. Rape, sexual abuse, extramarital affair, casual sex, or for that matter any sexual act between male and female has the potential to create a new life. It's not that only after certain rituals or social permissions (like marriage) reproduction happens. So why these people are still pretending that there is something divine in it? What's the problem in accepting that it's a mere biological phenomenon?

It's a woman who has to bear a child and face psychological and physical issues related to pregnancy and its aftermath. She should get to choose when she wants to take that responsibility that's why it's her right to have options for contraception and abortion. In many cases, mistakes happen or something goes wrong, then also it should be her decision to choose what she wants to do with her pregnancy. Teen pregnancy is a social issue and we need to educate kids about it but politicians and lawmakers should not decide whether women should bear a child or not. It's a personal choice of that woman. It's not an easy decision for a woman to take but nature has given her that right and we should not mess with that.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing) 

Reference:
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/richard-mourdock-god-at-work-if-rape-causes-pregnancy/2012/10/24/dc81932f-480d-468d-bae5-5c8dea35e97c_video.html
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/richard-mourdock-rape-pregnancy_n_2008385.html?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shitala
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Akin_%27legitimate_rape%27_and_pregnancy_comment_controversy