An Overview of the Various Dimensions of Abortion in International Human Rights Documents

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 a.Assistant Professor, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran b.Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University Medical of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing and Health, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Abortion is one of the most challenging issues in many societies. Today, abortion is considered a problem of women’s health, the main issues in the realm of public health and quality of health care, and one of the most important issues in the field of reproductive and sexual rights of females. In addition, there is much disagreement on whether the human fetus has the right to life, which in turn has led to differences of opinion on whether or not abortion is permissible. Therefore, this study aimed to review the concept and different dimensions of abortion in international human rights Documents.
Materials and Methods: The present review study aimed to examine the universal documents by searching the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Magiran, SID, Google Scholar, as well as the international organizations' websites, such as WHO, Center for Reproductive Rights, United Nations IPPF, CRR, and UNFPA. Moreover, related keywords, such as abortion, human rights, women’s rights, and children’s rights were used and abortion-related declarations and conventions were reviewed in this study.
Results: Many international instruments have discussed human rights and the right to life, and illegal abortion has been considered the violation of a fetus’ right to life. These instruments include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the European Convention on Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, the four treaties of Geneva Conventions, the Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, and the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights.
Conclusion: Although most international human rights instruments do not explicitly address the matter of abortion, the fetus’s right to life is mentioned in many international instruments and can be deduced from them.

Keywords

References

  1. Aramesh K. Abortion: an Islamic ethical view. Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2007; 6(5):29-33.
  2. World Health Organization. Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems. 2nd ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012.
  3. Talati M. Population growth, family planning and abortion. Qom, Iran: Office of Islamic Research; 2009.
  4. Bankole A, Singh S, HaasT. Reasons why women have induced abortions: evidence from 27 countries. Int Fam Plan Pers. 1998; 24(3):117-52.
  5. Grimes DA, Benson J, Singh S, Romero M, Ganatra B, Okonofua FE, et al. Unsafe abortion: the preventable pandemic. Lancet. 2006; 368(9550):1908-19.
  6. Abdullaeva M. Abortion around the world–overview. Washington, D.C: National Organization for Women Foundation; 2012.
  7. World Health Organization. Guttmacher institute, department of reproductive health and research World Health Organization. Facts on induced abortion worldwide. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012.
  8. Sedgh G, Singh S, Shah IH, Ahman E, Henshaw SK, Bankole A. Induced abortion: Incidence and trends worldwide from 1995 to 2008. Lancet. 2012; 379(9816):625-32.
  9. World Health Organization. Reproductive health in refugee situations-an inter-agency field manual. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012.
  10. Abdel-Tawab N, Saher S. Challenges and opportunities in providing post abortion family planning services. New Evidence and Strategies for Scaling up Post abortion care. Alexandria: Population Council; 2010. P. 1-18.
    1. Shamshiri Milani H. Induced abortion. Res Med. 2006; 30(4):263-5.
  11. International planned parenthood federation. Abortion. Available at: URL: http://www.ippf.org/ourwork/ what-we-do/abortion; 2015.
    1. World Health Organization. The world health report 2000: health systems: improving performance. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2000.
    2. Cunningham F, Leveno K, Bloom S, Spong CY, Dashe J. Williams obstetrics, Abortion. 24th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2014. P. 500-73.
    3. Boyle EH, Kim M, Longhofer W. Abortion liberalization in world society, 1960-2009. Am J Sociol. 2015; 121(3):882-913.
    4. Akhundi M, Behjati Z. Necessity of root examination of different dimensions of abortion in Iran. Abstracts Seminar Review Fetus in Iran, Tehran, Iran; 2002. P. 18-9.
    5. Rastegari A, Baneshi MR, Haji-maghsoudi S, Nakhaee N, Eslami M, Malekafzali H, et al. Estimating the annual incidence of abortions in Iran applying a network scale-up approach. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2014; 16(10):e15765.
    6. Ahmadinejad M. An analysis of the right of mothers to abortion as a violation of individual rights. Islamic Hum Rights Stud. 2014; 3(6):9-33.
    7. Tozzi P. International law and the right to abortion. Int Organ Law Group Legal Stud Ser. 2010; 1:1-23.
    8. United Nations. General Assembly. Universal declaration of human rights. New York: Department of State, United States of America; 1949.
    9. Mehrgan AH. Abortion and human rights in the outlook of international laws. J Reprod Infertil. 2005; 6(4):410-40.
    10. Durant W. Civilization history. Trans: Aram A. Tehran: Scientific and Cultural Company; 1887.
    11. Islamic criminal law. Ghavanin, Tehran Justice Administration. Available at: URL: http://www.ghavanin.
      ir/detail.asp?id=1232; 2019.
    12. Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Majlis research center. Available at: URL: http://rc.majlis.ir/
      fa/content/iran_constitution      ; 2019.
    13. Fallahnejad F. A comparative study of abortion in Iranian and Russian penal law. Women Stud. 2013; 4(8):85-114.
    14. Sohanian F. Criminal protection of the fetus in Iranian legislation. Tehran: Azarakhsh; 2011.
    15. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November. New York: Convention on the Rights of the Child; 1989.
    16. Center for Reproductive Right. Whose right to life? Women’s rights and prenatal protections under human rights and comparative law. New York: Center for Reproductive Right; 2012.
    17. United Nations. Convention (IV) relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war. Geneva: United Nations; 1949.
    18. Bothe M, Partsch KJ, Solf WA. Protocol I: protocol additional to the Geneva conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts (Protocol I). New rules for victims of armed conflicts. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Nijhoff; 2013.
    19. Schabas WA. The European convention on human rights: a commentary. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2015.
    20. American Convention on Human Rights. Adopted at the inter-american specialized conference on human rights, San José, Costa Rica. New York: American Convention on Human Rights; 1969.
    21. Ouguergouz F. African charter on human and peoples’ rights (1981)'. The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2014.
    22. Unicef. Convention on the Rights of the Child. New York: Unicef; 1989.
    23. Nikolić OP. The Cairo declaration on human rights in Islam. Strani Pravni Život. 2020; 3:89-97.
    24. Center for Women and family affairs. Family Rights in Islam. Available at: URL: http://www.women.gov.ir/
      pages/content.php?id=3349      ; 2007.
    25. Abortion and the international community. UNFPA. Available at: URL: http://web.unfpa.org/swp/1997/
      box15.htm      ; 2012.
    26. United Nations General Assembly. United Nations population information network, UN population division, department of economic and social affairs, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Report of the international conference of population & development (ICPD). New York: Cairo; 1994.
    27. Women UN. Fourth world conference on women. New York: Beijing Declaration; 1995.
    28. HIV/AIDS: Reproductive rights on the line. Center
      for Reproductive Right. Available at: URL: http://reproductiverights.org/sites/default/files/documents/bp_HIV_rroline.pdf; 2002. P. 1-9.
    29. Bruyn M. Violence, pregnancy and abortion Issues of women’s rights and public health, A review of worldwide data and recommendations for action. 2nd ed. Chapel Hill, NC: Ipas; 2003. P. 28.
    30. Obando AE. Sexualities and sexual rights. Available at: URL:http://www.aletta.nu/ezines/web/WHRnet/2003/December.PDF; 2003.
    31. Hajari A, Kavemarian M, Ayatollahi Z. Analysis on the international bill of global rights for women. Tehran: Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Women Socio-Cultural Council of Women; 2003. P. 43.
    32. Abbase M. Abortion. Tehran: Hoghoogh; 2003. P. 68.
    33. Saunders W. Anti abortion. Trans: Hamidi M. Tehran: Bashgahe Andishe; 2012.
    34. Hilal L. The Cairo declaration on human rights in Islam and international women's rights. Circles: Buff. Women's JL & Soc. Pol'y; 1997.
    35. Shamshiri-Milani H. Mother's rights to life, a medical approach to abortion. J Reprod Infertil. 2005; 6(4):457-64.
    36. Jones RK, Kost K. Underreporting of induced and spontaneous abortion in the United States: an analysis of the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. Stud Fam Plann 2007; 38(3):187-97.

Navid No
Volume 24, Issue 77
June 2021
Pages 98-107

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics