Shelby+and+Freeman

[|Egypt: Secret Abortions help women circumvent honor violence. View article here]

Abstract: This article discusses social taboos for woman in Egypt, specifically abortions. Amira, a twenty-two year old Egytian woman, went through a clandestine abortion to escape retributions from both society and her family. Families, friends, and even strangers view woman who have abortions in Egypt as sinners and a socail disgrace to the Muslim religion. To purge, or purify, that families honor and pride, they practice what they call "honor" killings where the woman is killed for even being suspected of having an abortions. Sadly, false allocations and rumors of women who have had abortions can be sufficient cause for a killing. Woman in Egypt are lesser than men. Amira commented on this saying, "Men are lucky that they are not judges by each other," which supports a system of sexual hierarchy with men on the top. Amira wore a fake wedding ring and made up a story about her unexpected pregnancy to her doctor so that she would not be killed. The Egyptian government and legal system criminalizes abortions and can face imprisonment. However, in 2010, the Egyptian Parliament was drafting laws to legalizes sterilization and abortions for married women who face life threatening circumstances. This was faced by numerous religious leaders as its goes against a God's will. Osman Hibaaq, ended the article stating that is goes against the fundamental women's rights and it is the freedom of a women to choose how she wants to live.

Discussion Questions: -How does American culture differ from Egypt’s controversial issue of abortion?

-In what way does abortion and feminism tie into the future Egyptian government?

-If the female must suffer honor killing, why wouldn’t the male have to suffer as well? Do you agree or disagree?

-Is the phrase “men are lucky that they are not judged by each other” true? Could this phrase possibly mean that women are somewhat inferior to men because women judge one another? Explain.

-If a woman is willing to risk her life to save her family’s honor, should she be punished for trying to get an abortion?

-If a ‘draft law’ is willing to abort a legitimate child and not an illegitimate child, what does this say about societies social pressures?

-Overall, what are your opinions how possibly men, rather than religion or morality, are telling women how to live their lives in Egypt?

Brian's Response: This article sparked a lot of ideas into my head. Not only is this an article that can relate to Women In Literature, but ethics, morals, and religious conflicts. There has been a lot of hype in the media and news about abortions. There are two different groups that debate on this topic; pro-choice vs. pro-life. Pro-choice advocates the legalization of abortions and Pro-life advocates that the government has the obligation to preserve human life irrelevant of any circumstances. Personally, I am Pro-choice by these definitions and believe that woman should have the rights and freedoms to live their life as they wish. There are some extenuating circumstances such as rape and life threatening malformations in the fetal phases of life.

Shelby's Response: I always believed that in the Middle East they did certain things based on their religion. After reading this article I believe that some of their ways are based upon male superiority. It is sad to see that women are killed for having, or even a rumor of having, an illegitimate child. In Egypt, most women do not want a child because they are not married and will dishonor their family name with this illegitimate child. I doubt that most women in America abort children because they are worried about dishonoring their family’s name. The idea about ‘killing an innocent being’ is not the argument against abortion in the Middle East but rather ‘no woman unmarried should worry about having an abortion because they should not be having pre-marital sex.’ In America, we face the controversial idea of making abortion legal because America is essentially “pro-choice” for a woman but also "pro-life" for all human beings. Possibly a new wave of feminism could be emerging in the Middle East; a new generation of those women who fight and die for their right not to be judged and ruled by men, essentially having pro-choice. I do believe that the Middle East is not as westernized as America and most of their leaders are male dominant. This sense of male dominance provides males the opportunity to be able to create the rules of a woman’s life. Overall, both America and Egypt find abortion a controversial subject but they find different reasons in this controversy.