mercedo's Journal: Abortion Act-still fully in force, in Japan

Here's a summary a member of parliament wrote about Eugenic Protection Act-Maternal Body Protection Act-Abortion Act. The Eugenic Protection Act which faces criticism from a feminist perspective, has revised the NAME of its Reform Bill to Maternal Body Protection Bill .

The Eugenics Protection Act of 1958 is still fully in force. Since the purpose of the Act was first to 'prevent the birth of inferior posterity from an eugenic standpoint' and second to 'protect the life and the health of the maternal body', which was in fact nothing but a legalization of abortion as a means of birth control.

The 'economic hardship' clause which enabled gynecologists to give abortion to those to whom 'the continuation of pregnancy or the act of birthing would raise great likelihood of hazarding the health of the maternal body, due to bodily or 'economic reasons'. This clause was as if it were designed to justify 'choice' (as if abortion is the number one choice as a means of birth control). In 1994, 363,966 women appealed to that 'economic hardship'.

Feminists still criticized the Reform Bill. -Although the Reform Bill took away the eugenic aspect of the law.

So now it's "Maternal Body Protection Bill". But don't worry - it will still allow you to have an abortion at any rate.

Here I don't mean to introduce any abortion law at all. I just want anyone to find a good and a bad point of this law.

I'm confused

[Marxist Hacker 42]

Did this act legalize abortion? Or make it illegal? It appears to not only legalize it- but to use it specifically to prevent the birth of unwanted children- and prevent genetic diversity by breeding different races. What was the original purpose of this act? To use abortion to deal with the children of American GIs during the occupation, or what?

Re:I'm confused

[mercedo]

This act is to make it legal .

to deal with the children of American GIs during the occupation. Thinking of the year of enforcement of this act, it is very likely . Of course 1958 was too late to start dealing with, it is likely those social problems made politicians generate this law.

to prevent genetic diversity by breeding different races. Japan is still regarded very homogenious. So it was so likely.

Re:I'm confused

[Marxist Hacker 42]

It's so foreign to me- this and the northern practice of killing the children and the elderly to deal with famine (instead of shipping food from the south). I think that's why I'm having trouble understanding it. It's funny- Eugenics is looked upon as an unreasonable practice here in the United States and in most of Europe. If we had a law about Eugenics, it would be against it.