Originally published on THE POLITICS AND LIFESTYLE NEXUS blog origin by Akintoye, Oluyemi PhD. Email: oluwayemijubilee@yahoo.co.uk
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The INEC Chairman
It is a fact that since the Roe versus Wade United States of America Supreme Court judgment, an estimated 62 (sixty-two) million abortions have taken place since 1973, in the US. These and several other issues have continued to dictate, voters’ decisions on who wins one public election or the other in the North American nation. The same is the observation in several other democratic rules championing Western European countries.
You ask yourself, could it be true that this large number of abortions have taken place, and how does this influence your perspectives?. How you react to this can defer from one individual to another, based on level of education, faith, experiences, income levels and so on.
But these actually are some of the issues, determining the voting patterns, and not which tribes or States do this or that most in developed countries. These you must be warned are highly contentious issues. So many demonstrations have characterised the pro-abortion and Pro-life agitators in the US and Western Europe
Government policies, legislations and court rulings have been known to be very divisive, especially in plural societies, which are outcomes of democracy.
Most times, African voters, especially in Nigeria are swayed by inclination and typification of political parties by ethnicity. religion and indigeneship, muslim-muslim/christian- christian tickets, period of residency outside Nigeria, consideration and partnership with running mates from areas/regions with more potential votes and the religion of your wife.
In Western countries, voters are usually swayed by campaigns based on employment and unemployment rates, tax reduction, sexuality and gender issues, especially abortion, which gives a woman the right to get rid of her foetus, iin view of the undesirable, outcome of rape, or threat to her health. Often foetuses are terminated largely because they constitute unwanted pregnancies. Yes, abortion issues and associated contentions have more recently resurfaced as major issues.
According to American FOXNEWS, since the Roe vs Wade 410 U.S 113 (1973) landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court, in which it was established that the Constitution of the United States confers the legality for abortion, a total of 32 million abortions have taken place since 1973. This judgement thus overruled several States and federal laws banning or restricting abortion.
Since then, this right to terminate one’s pregnancy has increasingly been strongly antagonised by the Catholic church and pro-life proponents.
Remember that the population of Sweden is just 10,228,836, Estonia has 1,328,349 citizens and France’s population totals 65,557,947 persons. How many nations could these aborted babies have formed?. Just imagine. Surprisingly, there are visa lotteries to stabilize apparently dwindling populations in Europe and the US. Why can’t they preserve these birth, to reinvigorate and repopulate their dwindling populations?
Most Africans, outside the US, tend to believe, that the democrats often back abortion, freedom of sexual orientation and so on. The Republicans are however perceived outside the USA as being against these, but more inclined to wars and nationalism. How true are these perceptions, probably based on movies watched and literatures read. Which of these parties would you have liked to support, as an African?.
Which of these two major parties appeals to you?. You don’t even know which states, these US politicians hail from. At least we support Liverpool fc, Manchester United and Arsenal even if we are not in Europe. They don’t select players largely on indigeneship, because they want to win and make more money. The policies the parties make can influence us.
The Guttmacher Institute has indicated that roughly 121million unintended pregnancies occurred each year between 2015 and 2019, resulting in the abortion of 61 per cent of such pregnancies. These are deemed to be the outcome on non-intentions to have a conception. Consequently, about 73 million abortions occur each year in the world.
Luckily for the foetuses and the pro-life campaigners, and to the annoyance of the pro-abortionists, this ruling, was overturned, almost 50 years later, by the US supreme court. This, in a way, is a testimony to the independence of the American legal system, during a Democratic party rule.
Please you may ask yourself, are you a pro-life, or Pro-abortionist?. Are there reliable data on the rate of abortion in developing countries, including Nigeria?. Is there any justification or morality attached to this act?. When will issues like these begin to decide the voting patterns, in Nigeria? Pro and anti-abortion demonstrations are frequently part of the voters swaying considerations already doing that in Europe
