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COMMENTS / 6 COMMENTS
Joe added these pithy words on 09 Nov 06 at 1:49 amPRC = “Legal on demand.” But it doesn’t say whose demand…
Mutantfrog added these pithy words on 09 Nov 06 at 3:02 pmThat text is way too fucking small.
Also I was pretty sure that both Japan and South Korea have totally on demand abortions. Am I wrong?
How come Hong Kong gets to be on the list but Taiwan doesn’t? Think of all the poor Wikipedia readers that will now never know if they can get an abortion in Taiwan.
Curzon added these pithy words on 09 Nov 06 at 5:56 pm
I was pretty sure that both Japan and South Korea have totally on demand abortions. Am I wrong?Japan has pretty strict laws on abortion as to cause (rape, health, broadly defined “economic necessity”) and time (first trimester only, no exceptions). But historically, Japan has taken a pretty liberal view towards abortion, and even infanticide. (Wouldn’t that be a fun, Diamond’s Collapse -esque discussion?)
Kurt added these pithy words on 09 Nov 06 at 6:01 pmThe official laws regarding abortion in Japan is that a women has to demonstrate financial hardship in order to get an abortion. In reality, this means that the woman seeking an abortion fills out a simple form in the clinic stating that she does not have the income to support a child. Once this form is filled out, the abortion is performed. The forms are collected and sent to the government office for statistical purposes only. There is no verification of these forms or anything like that.
The abortion doctors make quite a bit of money and are an effective political influence. This is one of the reasons why the “pill” was not approved in Japan until 2001.
There is a male “pill” coming out in the next year or so. No doubt, this pill will be instantly approved for use in Japan.
Mutantfrog added these pithy words on 10 Nov 06 at 1:20 amOk, so in all practical terms Japan has on demand abortion.
As for Curzon’s argument, abortion and infantificide has long been a safety valve to stave off future poverty. This is the reasoning behind the controversial theory popularized in the book Freakonomics that legalized abortion has contributed the the USA’s decline in crime rates, because less unwanted, and therefore poorly educated, children have been born in recent years.
Sonagi added these pithy words on 13 Nov 06 at 3:12 amDitto for Korea. Korean and foreign women who seek to terminate a pregnancy have no difficulty finding a qualified doctor to provide services.
The blue “legal on demand” stretching across the US is a bit misleading. There are restrictions for minors and for women with second and third trimester pregnancies. The biggest obstacle is the disappearing number of abortion service providers. 87% of counties in the US are without a single abortion provider. In some parts of the country, a woman may need to take a few days off work in order to travel to a clinic offering abortion services. Since many states have mandatory waiting periods, this means a woman must make this journey twice – once to receive counseling and a second time for the actual operation. Anti-abortion activism and occasional violence have discouraged doctors from performing abortions.
