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<title> Abortion - a crime? </title>
Abortion is a burning issue these days, evoking many strong feelings. In Sweden there is a growing movement propagating for a law restricting the right to having an abortion, and consequently there is a simultaneously growing fear for such a law. Few people can honestly say they are indifferent to the matter. It is indeed a moral dilemma, and for a woman who is in the process of deciding whether to follow through with a pregnancy or to abort it, with or without support from the law, I'm sure it is terribly painful and difficult. But I am convinced that women should have the legal opportunity to end an unwanted pregnancy, and I will here argue in favour of this position

First of all it is a question of women's rights. A woman who goes through a pregnancy and becomes a mother is, physically and by means of social and cultural tradition, forced to make major changes in her lifestyle. Unlike the man, she cannot escape and disclaim her responsibility. Thus there is an inequality of opportunity between the sexes and the best way to solve this problem is to give women the right to choose. 

Of course I can't pretend to be unaware of the most obvious argument against abortions. I can fully understand those persons who feel an instinctive aversion to abortions. It is after all an extinction of what might have become a living human being. I want to very clearly point out that I do agree that abortions should be avoided to the greatest possible extent, and that they should definitely not be used as some kind of substitute for a contraceptive. But at the time of an early abortion the embryo is not capable of living by itself, so I think it is not unreasonable to call it a part of the woman's body and argue that she should have the right to make her own decisions about it. I also think it is important to consider what the alternative would be, that is, what would happen if abortions became illegal. 
It is not realistic to imagine that women would suddenly cease to find themselves in the situation where they do not want to carry through with a pregnancy. What I mean is that abortions would be carried out anyway, but under much more dangerous circumstances. Uneducated amateurs or quacks trying to perform the operation are likely to physically harm the woman, causing permanent injury or even death. In fact, thousands of women die from complications after illegal abortions every day throughout the world. If it comes down to a question of either aborting the pregnancy, extinguishing the embryo which isn't viable, and saving the mother, or having the abortion and at the same time risking a grown-up woman's life, I think the choice is not very hard to make. 
Obeying the law, that is, refraining from aborting the pregnancy, may also have disastrous consequences, not least for the child. Women in difficult life-situations may not have the economical, emotional or physical ability to take care of a child. Young women who become pregnant may simply not be ready to take the responsibility that is required for raising a child. A woman who has become pregnant after being raped may, for obvious reasons, not want to become a mother at that time. An unwanted child is likely to have to take the blame for its parent's unhappiness or to be neglected or abused, and lead a miserable life which it does not deserve. Innocent children have a right to be loved and cared for, emotionally and materially, and outlawing abortions would, I think, deprive them of this right.
These consequences of a prohibition of abortions are rather obvious and too serious to be ignored. It is therefore important to keep them in mind when discussing the matter.
Summarizing my views, I think that legislating against abortion would amount to a step in the wrong direction in the struggle for women's rights. It would also imply a direct danger to women's health if they break the law, and put the well-being of their children in jeopardy if they obey it. I think that these arguments are sufficient to show that the right to have an abortion should definitely not be removed.
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