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The thought of writing this article has been buzzing in my mind for quite some time. However, I believed that I would be unable to address all of the anguish, sorrow, and torment that women all over the world have endured. I still feel like it's a really large issue for me to talk about, and for certain portions, I'll have to rely on my own interpretation. In this article, I'll primarily focus on the history of abortion in Turkey, particularly between the years 1923 and 1983, from Turkey's founding until the legalization of abortion in the tenth week of pregnancy.
Between the years 1923 and 1965
Abortion was regarded as a sin among Turkish women and the wider public in a way that harkened back to Ottoman times. Furthermore, because it was wartime, it was difficult for women to access abortions. The Turkish War of Independence ended on July 24, 1923, with the Turkish people gaining independence and the establishment of Turkey. However, due to the Turkish War of Independence and World War I, Turkey's population has declined significantly. As a result, the Turkish government has implemented population-increasing programs such as awarding money (which may be considered a very good amount of money at the time) or medals to women who have had six or more children. In addition, women were never allowed to have an abortion under any circumstances. Abortion was considered a crime. At the same time, I learned that women seeking abortions were doing so in non-sterile conditions and in illegal locations. This occasionally led the majority of them to acquire dozens of new issues later on.
Between the years 1965 and 1983
A large number of health workers and nurses began to create dozens of new articles to assist women in accessing abortions. They claimed that the population increased dramatically between 1960 and 1965 and that the government should now take steps to control the growing population. A population planning law was adopted in 1965 since the growing population was causing social and economic problems at that time as well. However, abortion was still considered a crime, and women were not able to access abortion. In 1983, the current law was improved with another law that also includes uterine evacuation and sterilization. This law recognized that women could abort the fetus until their tenth week of pregnancy.
Current Situation in Turkey
Individuals seeking abortions must be legally mature (18 or 18+) under the present scenario. If the individual is under the age of 18, the consent of their legal guardian(s) is also required. If this individual is lawfully married, their partner's approval is also required, along with their own approval; otherwise, the individual's approval is required. If this person is having a life-threatening hemorrhage, an abortion can be performed regardless of age or marital status, at the individual's choice.
This is the section of the law that appears to be more friendly. However, in Turkey, social pressure and other obstacles make it complicated for women to comprehend their sexual experiences. Furthermore, research has shown that teaching birth control in high school is insufficient. While it is considered shameful in certain regions of Turkey for young people to understand terms such as condoms, safe sex, sex ed, and birth control pills, young people who fall pregnant because they did not know about them in high school must deal with the consequences. They are compelled to leave their school and then have an abortion. If we look at the research that has been done, it shows that their families aren't that supportive either. After kids leave school, in most situations, they deal with peer pressure. In the majority of situations, the individual who gets pregnant has no idea who impregnated her. If they want to keep the fetus, parents in certain parts of Turkey force them to marry the child's father. While these are not the only issues that Turkish women encounter, women across the world who become pregnant unintentionally confront a variety of challenges.
Conclusion
Considering the pressure and experiences women encounter, nations should be supportive, and if the individual does not have any major mental disorders that may result in them being unable to utilize their thoughts, the individual who becomes pregnant should have control over their own body's rights. They should not be commanded to by their parents, their partners, or society's norms. They should learn to have safe sex in a safe setting and then use their minds to do whatever they want with their bodies. The future is ours, and so is our body.
Citation
1983 Tarihli “Rahim Tahliyesi Ve ... - Baskent.edu.tr. http://tip.baskent.edu.tr/kw/upload/464/dosyalar/cg/sempozyum/ogrsmpzsnm15/15.P14.pdf.
Admin. “Kürtaj Hakkında Bilinmesi Gerekenler - Özel i̇lke Hastanesi Bahçelievler, i̇stanbul.” Özel İlke Hastanesi Bahçelievler, İstanbul - Özel İlke Hastanesi Bahçelievler, İstanbul, 7 Dec. 2019, https://www.ilkehastanesi.com.tr/kurtaj-hakkinda-bilinmesi-gerekenler.html.
Becerra, Manny. “Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash.” Beautiful Free Images & Pictures, 10 Oct. 2021, https://unsplash.com/photos/b_e1YM7Z99A.
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