There is not a "law of history" that determines the worldwide spread of legal abortion on demand. And if an increasingly Islamic Turkey, first inspired by the Christian pro-life movement throughout the West, is to become an avant-guard nation in the defense of unborn life, while formerly Christian nations massacre their babies, then so be it - let us follow in the pro-life steps of Turkey. It will be a strong sign from a land in the heart of Eurasia against the concept that laws that abet the state-sanctioned (and often tax-financed) murder of the unborn only move in the sense of further "liberalization", that is, further bloodshed, and cannot be revised, reversed, and abrogated.
Following strong remarks by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against abortion last week, Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdağ announced on Wednesday that the ministry plans to complete its work on a draft bill on abortion next month and present it to the Cabinet.
The content of the bill is not clear, but there are reports that the government plans to decrease the time up to which abortions can legally be performed from 10 weeks to four or five weeks into a pregnancy. Akdağ added that he personally believes that no abortion should be performed unless it is a medical necessity. [Today's Zaman]
Erdogan sparked the row last week when he told the women’s arm of the governing Justice and Development Party that abortion is murder and its proponents are trying to cripple Turkey’s economic success by curbing population growth. The premier said today that Turkey is seeking to follow in the steps of anti-abortion [sic] movements in the U.S. and the West.
“There’s no difference between killing a fetus in the mother’s womb and killing someone after birth,” he said at a hospital opening in Istanbul. “This cannot be allowed.” [Bloomberg]
Abortion on demand up to the 10th week of pregnancy has been legal in Turkey since 1983, and for the entire length of the pregnancy if the life or health of the mother are at risk or in the case of "fetal impairment".
