The Japanese situation of abortion is very different from those of other western nations. After the World War II, the goverment issued 1948 Eugenic Protection Act to allow the people in poverty to acquire abortion as a national population policy. It should be noted as a dramatic event because abortion was banned in all of the other western nations at that time. Twenty years later, the United Kingdom liberalized the procedure for the reason of women's health etc. It was only 1973 the United States finally legalized the abortion by the famous Roe vs. Wade decision.
The distinct features of the Eugenic Protection Act is not only the timing of the legalization. As you may notice from its title, the law aimed at prevent dysgenics of the Japanese population. It is a surprise to know the newly-elected representatives after the war discussed the law as the one which would prople eradicating the disabled and/or poor people as well as reducing the total population in this highly-crowded island nation to reorganize it into the industrialized one.
I will try to explain the peculiarity of Japanese abortion situation a little by little. Those who are interested, you may find the following book informative.
- 作者: Tiana Norgren
- 出版社/メーカー: Princeton University Press
- 発売日: 2001/07/22
- メディア: ペーパーバック
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