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The stigma of abortion in the Senegalese society influenced strongly by religion and perspectives about gender roles, causes many women to commit infanticide, or turn to clandestine means to have the produce done which in many cases, results in complications. Since abortion is strictly prohibited unless the mother’s life is at risks, many women either turn to secretive means to have the abortion which can result in serious complications, or infanticide to avoid shame, harassment, and discrimination. Many people believe that abortion stands in the way of the main role for a woman, which in the Senegalese society is procreation. This belief influenced also by religion being that most of the Senegalese population are Muslims, continues to sustain the stigma of abortion. Until the beliefs about abortion starts to change, the situation will remain the same with the continued rise of infanticide rates, and more and more women having abortions in secret. 

Link To Two Of My Main Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/10/03/631892291why-infanticide-is-a-problem-in-senegal

http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/The-law-trials-and-imprisonment-for-abortion-in-Senegal-April-2018.pdf

(Basic)Intro:

   Many women who end up with an unwanted pregnancy face discrimination, and harassment if they decide to try and have an abortion, and as a result, they turn to different means to get rid of that shame. The stigma of abortion in the Senegalese society influenced strongly by religion and perspectives about gender roles, causes many women to commit infanticide, or turn to clandestine means to have the produce done which in many cases, results in complications.

Body 1:

The beginning of Senegal’s Penal Code which was passed down from the French whosoever, by food, beverages, medications… will have procured or attempted to provide abortion of a pregnant woman, that she consented to or not, shall be punished with an imprisonment of one year to five years and a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 francs”(Archer, Finden, Pearson, 2018, pg. 2).

Body 2:

According to human rights groups, “nearly one in five women in prison in Senegal in 2015 had been imprisoned for infanticide”(Gaestel & Shryock, 2017, para. 2). Abortion supporters place the blame on Senegal’s strict abortion laws for the high rates of infanticide.

Body 3:

Many can make the claim that there are still hospitals where doctors perform abortions without recording it as such, so there should be no problem for women to gain access to a safe abortion instead of resorting to infanticide or secretive means from untrained providers.

Body 4:

Abortion goes against the widely held view in the Senegalese society of the role that a woman should play. Specifically, “abortion violates widely held assumptions regarding femininity that tie female sexuality exclusively to procreation, in turn rendering motherhood inevitable”(Suh, 2014, para. 11 ).

Body 5:

Religion is one of the biggest driving forces behind Senegal’s strict anti-abortion laws. Senegal is a country that is “ninety-five per cent Muslim, and, while the government is technically secular, powerful religious families are highly influential”(Suh, 2014, para. 8).

Conclusion:

This goes to show that while the root of the opposition to changing Senegal’s abortion law is strongly influenced by religion, other beliefs are also keeping the stigma alive.

I. (Thesis) Senegal’s strict abortion law is resulting in more women turning to clandestine means and infanticide to avoid the shame that comes with having sexual relations outside of marriage.

II. (Argument 3)Women of a lower socioeconomic status were more likely than their wealthier peers to suffer the consequences of an unsafe abortion.

I. Potential Counter argument: I need to figure out a counter argument for this one

III. (Argument 2)Many women would rather commit infanticide than face the discrimination, harassment, and physical violence that comes with the stigma of abortion in the Senegalese society.

I. Potential Counter argument: Many may argue that the husband’s absence is one of many factors that contributes to infanticide in Senegal.

IV. (Argument 1)Since abortion is illegal except when the mother’s life is in danger, it causes many women and girls to turn to clandestine means to complete the procedure.

I. Potential Counter argument: Some may argue that women and girls would turn to clandestine means anyway because of the stigma of abortion.

V. (Conclusion) In order for the amount of women who turn to infanticide and clandestine means to cover up taboo pregnancies, the stigma of abortion needs to change.

1. Since abortion is illegal except when the mother’s life is in danger, it causes many women and girls to turn to clandestine means to complete the procedure.
   1. The law, trials and imprisonment for abortion in Senegal

      http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/The-law-trials-and-imprisonment-for-abortion-in-Senegal-April-2018.pdf

2. Many women would rather commit infanticide than face the discrimination, harassment, and physical violence that comes with the stigma of abortion in the Senegalese society.
   1. Why Infanticide Is A Problem In Senegal

       https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/10/03/631892291/why-infanticide-is-a-problem-in-senegal

3. Women of a lower socioeconomic status were more likely than their wealthier peers to suffer the consequences of an unsafe abortion.
   1. Estimates of the Incidence of Induced Abortion And Consequences of Unsafe Abortion in Senegal

      https://proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=102344937&site=eds-live&scope=sit

NEW TOPIC AND THESIS

Topic: Abortion In Senegal

Thesis: Senegal’s strict abortion law is resulting in more women turning to clandestine means, and infanticide to avoid the shame that comes with having sexual relations outside of marriage in the Senegalese society.

Sources:

The law, trials and imprisonment for abortion in Senegal

http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/The-law-trials-and-imprisonment-for-abortion-in-Senegal-April-2018.pdf

Estimates of the Incidence of Induced Abortion And Consequences of Unsafe Abortion in Senegal

https://proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=102344937&site=eds-live&scope=site

Why Infanticide Is a Problem In Senegal

 https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/10/03/631892291/why-infanticide-is-a-problem-in-senegal

The Price of Senegal’s Strict Anti-Abortion Laws

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-price-of-senegals-strict-anti-abortion-laws/amp

One of the things that I found interesting was how some documents can be freely used(copied, put online, etc) by people because they are now in the public domain. They’ve been published before 1923 so we have the right to copy them. I did not know that prior to watching this presentation. This will definitely help in my future classes if I did decide to use a document for a project. I wouldn’t have to worry about copyrights if it is already in the public domain.

The murder stories and trials that she mentioned were very interesting. The difference in the proceedings from country to country, especially media reporting, was very hard to draw a conclusion from. This was shown in the Amanda Knox case where media outlets in the US said one thing, then those in Italy said another. This makes me want to know more about the legal system in other countries just in case I decide to visit or live somewhere else in the future.

Peterson, Sarah. “About Child Trauma.” The National Child Traumatic Stress 

     Network, 5 Nov. 2018,www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/about-child-

trauma.

While looking at my other sources, I saw that I did not explicitly state what is considered to be “Trauma” and what experiences might be traumatic. This article was written by Sarah Peterson who was a UNLV graduate with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, Master’s in School Psychology, and Master’s in Counseling & Addictions. She also has specialized experience in substance abuse treatment and trauma. Seeing that this article was written on November 5, 2018, I believe it is pretty relevant. As with my other sources, I found this article on google specifically on the The National Child Traumatic Stress Network website.

Thompson, Martie P., et al. “Associations of Adverse Childhood Experiences and 

     Suicidal Behaviors in Adulthood in a U.S. Nationally Representative Sample.” 

    History Studies International Journal of History, vol. 45, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2019, pp. 

    121–128., doi:10.9737/hist.2018.658.

This journal article by Martie Thompson, J.B. Kingree, and Lamis Dorian( all of whom have written other peer-reviewed articles on similar topics) covers a study that links adverse childhood experiences to suicidal behaviors. I wanted to find a source with more credibility than the ones that I have found so far, and so I decided against just going to google and instead went on the Ohio State University’s Library website. This proved to be a great decision because not only is this a peer reviewed article, it was also written in 2019 so the information provided is still very relevant today. 

Scommegna, Paola. “Childhood Trauma Has Lifelong Health Consequences for 

   Women.” Population Reference Bureau, 18 Jan. 2018, 

   www.prb.org/childhood-trauma-has-lifelong-health-consequences-for-women/.

This source by Paola Scommegna, a senior author who focuses on children and families, covers the lifelong health consequences that childhood trauma has on women. I wanted to cover different type consequences that a person who experiences childhood trauma can potentially face in the future. This article is very recent, not over 3 years old and so I believe the information it provides is still very relevant today. I just did a simple google search and came upon this article on the Population Reference Bureau website. 

I loved how he stated that he lives by the saying “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.” Which means don’t be afraid to go for something just because you’re scared of the repercussions. At the same time, he also said to give credit where credit is due which comes into play everyday in my classes, especially when writing papers. I will definitely continue to give credit where credit is due because if the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn’t  want someone to use my work without crediting me.

Childhood trauma is any negative experience that left a lasting impact on a child and impacted the child and their development negatively.

Yes, I believe that trauma can still have a lasting impact even with treatment because treatment is not a cure.  It is a supplement to assist the patient through their trauma, but not a cure for their trauma.

I believe that the type of relationship affected would depend on the type of trauma experienced.  In general, I believe trauma affects more than romantic relationships.  It affects relationships with authority figures, with friendships, etc.

A lot of backlash comes from memory distortionand questions as to whether or not the trauma is accurately remembered years later as an adult.  Another question is whether or not a child should attend therapy or not after experiencing trauma with the concerns that it only enhances the severity of the situation.  In a way it makes it can seem overwhelming to have to experience the event and then have to talk to a stranger about it.

Yes, the type of trauma absolute plays a factor in future actions.  For example, someone who has suffered from physical abuse is more likely to develop a drug or alcohol addiction as opposed to someone whose traumatic experience is losing a loved one.

It can in some circumstances.  If a child experiences a traumatic event during their critical developmental stage it will likely affect them more strongly than had it happened later in their life.  It also depends on the type of trauma.

It is hard to say.  I think it more depends on the type of support system they do or don’t have outside of therapy, their home life, and how resilient they are.

This goes back to the previous question… it depends.  I think a lot of it has to do with resilience.  Another factor is the type of trauma.  This is a difficult yes or no question and as many questions are answered in the field of social sciences, it depends.

It can be, but as I have said before it depends on the type of trauma.  If a child experiences a death in the family, but an adult is a victim of sexual assault; the adult will be effected more.

However, if we’re talking about the same traumatic experience, I would say that a child will likely be effected more because they have not yet developed the proper communication skills and coping mechanisms to help them through it.

Draper, Brian, et al. “Long-Term Effects of Childhood Abuse on the Quality of Life

    and Health of Older People: Results from the Depression and Early Prevention of               

   Suicide in General Practice Project.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,  

   vol. 56, no. 2, 2008, pp. 262–271., doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01537.x.

This journal article covers the long term effects of childhood abuse on the quality of life and health of older people. The authors of this source all have written other articles about old age and the different problems that they face. For example, Brian Draper MD has published papers on attempted suicide in old age, suicide prevention in the elderly, etc. I wanted to find a journal article( written by experts) to add more credibility to my arguments. Although this source was written in 2008, I still believe that the information and statistics it provides are still relevant to my arguments. This source is located on the Wiley Online Library’s website. As with my other source, I found this article  through a process of elimination after I typed my topic into google.  

Kvarnstrom, Elisabet. “How the Trauma of Childhood Abuse Affects Interpersonal 

   Relationships, and How to Begin Healing.” Bridges to Recovery, Bridges to    

   Recovery, 16 July 2019, www.bridgestorecovery.com/blog/trauma-childhood-  

   abuse-affects-interpersonal-relationships-begin-healing/.

This source talks about the long term effects that the trauma of childhood abuse can have on oneself and the world around you in adulthood. The author Elisabeth Kvarnstorm, has written numerous articles relating to different psychological topics such as: 8 best tips to cope with a loved one’s borderline Personality Disorder, and the article above. I chose this source because it went into great details about the different attachments that many people develop as a result of childhood abuse. This article was written only two years ago meaning that the information it provides is still relevant to this area of study. This article was published by Bridges To Recovery Leaders In Residential Mental Health Care. For this source I went on google and after reading many articles, I found one that provided useful information. 

Morin, Amy. “The Effects of Childhood Trauma and What Can Help Alleviate

   Them.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 24 Feb. 2020,     

   www.verywellmind.com/what-are-the-effects-of-childhood-trauma-4147640#ef

   fect-on-relationships.

This article covers the different ways to go about treating the effects of childhood trauma. The author Amy Morin, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker, and psychotherapist. She has worked as a psychotherapist since 2002, and has treated adults, children, and tens with mental issues. I wanted to include the difference between receiving treatment vs not and how this affects everyday living. This source is very relevant. It was just updated on February 24, 2020. This article was found on the Verywellmind website. After a while I started searching “does treatment for childhood trauma work?” and that’s when I came across this article.