{"id":255758,"date":"2021-10-26T12:43:29","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T17:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=255758"},"modified":"2021-10-25T20:32:14","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T01:32:14","slug":"west-africa-benin-legalize-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/west-africa-benin-legalize-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"West African country of Benin votes to legalize abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Abortion is now legal in the West African nation of Benin. The country’s parliament voted to loosen restrictions after a heated debate last week.<\/p>\n

Abortion had previously been legal in cases of rape or incest if \u201cthe unborn child has a particularly severe” medical condition or when the pregnancy “threatened the life of the mother.” Now, abortion is allowed in Benin within the first three months if the pregnancy is likely to\u00a0\u201caggravate or cause material, educational, professional or moral distress, incompatible with the woman or the unborn child\u2019s interest.\u201d In other words, it is now allowed for essentially any<\/em> reason.<\/p>\n

The country’s health minister, Benjamin Hounkpatin, made the claim that the loosened abortion restrictions will save lives, claiming that abortion restrictions were responsible for 20% of maternal deaths in the nation. \u201cIn Benin, nearly 200 women die each year as the result of abortion complications,\u201d he said in a statement, according to Aljazeera<\/a>. \u201cThis measure will be a relief for many women who face undesired pregnancies, and are forced to put their lives in danger with botched abortions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Woman injured at dangerous Ohio abortion facility with defective elevator<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is because of this public health threat that the government has taken its responsibilities by submitting a text that lawmakers have passed,\u201d said Hounkpatin, adding that the measure’s \u201cunique goal\u201d was to \u201csave human lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, what lawmakers fail to recognize is that it is impossible for abortion to save lives when it always results in the taking of a life \u2014 that of the preborn child.<\/p>\n

The idea that legalized abortion will save lives also assumes that all legal abortions are safe. But even in the United States, women are routinely injured<\/a> from botched abortions<\/a>, and sadly, some have died<\/a>. Pro-life watchdog group Operation Rescue regularly documents cases of abortion injuries throughout the country. In many cases, the abortion industry is responsible for covering up these instances and ensuring that they are not reported by even the local media. Whether legal or illegal, there is no such thing as a safe abortion.<\/p>\n