Pakistan’s Safe Abortion Law: An Analytical Perspective based on Public Health Ethics

Abstract

Abortion is a subject that is both morally and legally challenging in Pakistan. The legalization and appropriate understanding of legal clauses at any level of the nation will assist in diminishing moral conduct issues and provide a space to talk about sensitive themes. Most low- and middle-income nations continue to have restrictive abortion laws, and many countries have amended their abortion rules, with the majority moving away from absolute prohibition. The relationship of inadequate healthcare consideration with confusion caused by global abortion regulations, so that patients continue to seek hazardous abortions and practitioners avoid proper referrals. Instead of depicting abortion as a 'dilemma, ‘stereotype,' or ‘sin,' medical curriculum and nursing education should utilize terminology or categories like ‘safe' and 'legal' abortion to describe and compare different types of abortions. Public health regulations should be included in conversations for medical and nursing professionals, and raising awareness about legal and policy issues will aid in changing the system and stigma associated with safe abortion. Youth and adolescents who are affected by such actions and policies should be involved in decision-making.

Providers who can facilitate medical and surgical abortions and have additional training should be included in the law and policy reform process or legal and policy debates to make it more contextually appropriate.

This paper is an analytical review perspective considering the Pakistani Law of Safe Abortion and evaluates the understanding of Public Health Ethics.