In the overarching state of humanity, few topics are as important to the long term societal standpoint as abortion. Even more important and contested is the controversial subject of whether or not a woman will endure long term psychological effects or disorders after said abortion. This subject has been highly debated, with valid points made by both sides. It is important that we all look into these repercussions, especially since approximately 33% of women will undergo an abortion by the time they reach forty-five years old. This often challenged subject has many aspects. The main ideas that I researched where whether or not having an abortion leads to a higher risk for mental health issues, whether or not “post-abortion syndrome” is a relevant medical term and if it actually affects a substantial number of women, and whether having an abortion at as a teen puts the individual at a higher risk for these psychological issues to develop. With concrete proof due to many studies and research, it has become apparent that though any time a woman chooses to abort her pregnancy there are chances that mental health issues will surface, but there is no guarantee that long term damage will occur.
First and foremost, I researched whether or not terminating a pregnancy has a significant effect on a woman’s mental health. Since the debate came to light during the Reagan era, many researchers have disagreed on the conclusion of this subject. It is the general consensus of the academic community that a woman may experience of range of emotions after terminating her pregnancy, such as: guilt, depression, remorse, or helplessness. One of the main points that researchers who believe that abortion doesn’t affect a woman’s mental health make is tha...
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Steinberg, Julia R., and Lawrence B. Finer. "Examining the association of abortion history and current mental health: A reanalysis of the National Comorbidity Survey using a common-risk-factors model." Social Science & Medicine 72.1 2011: 72-82. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.
Warren, Jocelyn T., S. Marie Harvey, and Jillian T. Henderson. "Do depression and low self-esteem follow abortion among adolescents? evidence from a national study." Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health 42.4. 2010: 230-235. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.
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Talking about abortion brings out an emotional response in many women. This is because having an abortion takes a massive emotional toll on some women. As Nanyjo Mann said, three weeks after having an abortion, “I became preoccupied with the thoughts of death. I fantasized about how I would die. My baby struggled for two hours” (Reardon, 1987, p. xviii). In the forward of the book “Aborted Women, Silent No More” Nanyjo, a women telling her story of abortion, goes on to tell about feeling unstable with herself after having an abortion. She wanted to prove to herself that destroying others didn’t hurt, but it does (Reardon, 1987, p. xix-xx). Continuing in reading Nanyjo’s story, she tells all of the effects and feelings she went through after having an abortion including stress, depression and low self esteem. Any girl under the age of 18 would have an even harder time dealing with this type of stress. Teenagers are already seeking their identity and worry about their grades, looks, and peer acceptance. Going through the post abortion stress all by themselves would be overwhelming and potentially put them at risk for mental breakdown.
Abortion has so many different view points on the topic, some positive some negative. Roe verse Wade played a huge part in the decision making process on abortion. Everyone has their own opinions about abortion but the opinion concerning when life begins had a significant effect on a person’s views concerning whether they are for or against abortion. The studies of long term effects from abortion on women are traumatic and devastating. They can include mental, physical, and emotional problems after an abortion.
If anyone were to ask what they felt once they gave birth to their child what they felt, the mother would say she felt so much love she never thought she could have for one person(s). Women who experience abortion mourn the death of their child afterwards. The abortion process is harmful to the women (Millar, 501). Though not really recorded on their emotional state, many woman find themselves depressed at the loss of their baby. Most women that chose to speak about their experience said they had suicidal thoughts after getting an abortion. This emotional scarring may vary depending on the woman and her mental and emotional stability when getting an abortion. We should treat abortion as a loss. A loss through the death of a child. There’s a profound amount of grief and trauma a woman goes through getting an abortion (Millar, 502). If people, our society, were to think of abortion as a loss then many people would reconsider getting an abortion. Women who are often grieved by this loss, tend to fall into depression and develop other emotional tendencies that aren’t healthy for them. That’s another reason why they have women go through sessions with a doctor before getting an abortion. You may think you are ready, but it’s nothing compared to experiencing the
Abortion can emotionally affect individual women differently. For the most part, many women suffer from PAS. “According to Lee, as moral arguments have had limited success in recent years in influencing legislation
A woman returns home from the clinic, without the child she once held inside her and instead of relief, she feels pain. Not the stinging of a wound or the aching of a broken bone, but a deep-rooted depression that eats away until all that is left is an emotional fissure right where happiness used to be. Many women who go through with an abortion find themselves more depressed than if they kept their child to term, which, if left unnoticed, may also lead to suicide. According to an article that focused on the link between abortion and suicide, “…actual data suggests that abortion is far more likely to drive an unstable woman to suicide than is pregnancy and childbirth” (Reardon) and also another article stated that, “Women who have aborted in the previous year are six times more likely to commit suicide than women giving birth” (Meehan). Some women who have aborted their child feel guilt for having killed the child, resulting in lower self-esteem and gr...
Thinking about abortion is easy but actually doing is very difficult. There are many procedures you have to go from, to abort your child. The after effect is tremendously effects to your physical and mental health. According to the best record based study of deaths following pregnancy and abortion, a 1997 government funded study in Finland, women who abort are approximately four times more likely to die in the following year than women who carry their pregnancies to
According to the consequentialist group that supports abortion, termination should be allowed because denial may lead to disastrous consequences. Their argument is based on population control and social welfare of the women. They argue that abortion is good as it controls population that would affect future social systems and sustainability of biological systems (Baird & Stuart, 34). In essence, they claim that unwanted pregnancies lead to distress and depression to the community, and therefore abortion should be the primary
“A review of the medical records of 56,741 California, Medicaid patients, showed that women who had abortions were 2.6 times more likely than delivering women to be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment in the first ninety days following abortion or delivery.” ~ Depression linked to Abortion, see Sources cited, page 5.
In addition, one analysis, in relation to abortion problems, states, “from 1988 to 1997 found the risk of death increased by 38% for each additional week of gestation, during the pregnancy.” (Jones). “Such studies rely on information from many countries and include legally mandated registers hospital administrative data,” so current research affirms that an induced abortion increase the risk of different physical consequences, such as breast cancer, placenta previa, and maternal suicide. (Bachiochi). Late term abortion not only affects the mother’s condition physically, but also psychologically. Although not all women respond in the same way, some of them develop diverse mental disorders leading to suicide after they received an abortion. Studies in Canadian newspapers show “a suicide rate of 34.9 per 1000” from women who experimented an abortion, in contrast to “a suicide rate of 5.9 per 1000” from women who gave birth to their babies. The same newspapers report “a rate of 5.2 per thousand hospitalizations for psychiatric
Today many people ask the question, does abortion have severe psychological effects? People that are pro-life claim that most women who abort their unborn child suffer from many negative effects, such as guilty feelings, anxiety, depression, loss, anger and even suicide. In one case a woman had an abortion assuming that it would take away all of the stress of being pregnant and thinking about the consequences of having a child. Afterwards she said, “I was unprepared for the maze of emotions that hit me after I had the procedure. Instead of feeling relieved, I was awash in anxiety and confusion” (Lawlor, 2002, par.3). The disorder of having negative effects after an abortion is called Post Abortion Syndrome or PAS. In order to tell if a woman has PAS she has to be completely honest with herself and admit the feelings that she has. The symptoms that most women have are strong feelings of guilt and confusion. Some cases are much more extreme, for example, there was a seventeen year old who developed lethargy, malaise, and vomiting. Doctors where unable to reach a conclusion about her condition until the anniversary of her abortion when she experienced overt psychosis. Mental examinations also revealed signs of hallucinations, as well as psychotic thought processes. Research has shown that in most cases women will go on and say they are fine about the whole thing, and many years later be ...
Being a mother is a lifelong job that requires copious time, energy, and money. There are myriad different reasons in which a woman would consider getting an abortion. The decision is often tragic and painful for the mother. It is one of the biggest choices a woman will make. Many people have strong beliefs about abortion, and if a mother makes a decision that they do not agree with they sometimes turn against the mother, and enkindle egregious feelings about their decision for the rest of their life. Indeed a woman may not get an abortion for selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Additional intentions for having abortion include rape, financial difficulties, obligation by family members, or danger to the baby’s health (Roleff
A 52% of women getting abortions performed on them are younger than 25 years old and 19% are teenagers. The abortion rate is highest for those women aged 18 to 19 (56 per 1,000 in 1992 pregnancy centers.org).the reasons for this alarming rate are various and vary from person to person. But the most common decision to have an abortion is to postpone childbearing. This decision is mostly picked by the older group of women in this statistic. Another alarming fact is that a percentage of women are been pressured into abortion. Either by peers or by them realizing that they could no longer do the things they did before they became pregnant and that is when they encounter a struggle with their values. Since there is also a considerate percentage of teenage girls having abortions they are at high risk for developing serious emotional and psychological problems following abortion. Such as the impact abortion can have on a minor's emotional health, physical health, fertility, and future pregnancies. All these factors can play an important role in the future of that teenager. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the Roe v. Wade case which in 1973, the Supreme Court decided the case of Roe v. Wade, and made abortion legal for the first time in the United States. This decision allowed women the choice to decide if they are going to terminate a pregnancy, and it allowed women the right to get a safe and legal abortion. From 1880 to 1973 abortions were illegal, and many women were having illegal and very unsafe abortions-often causing permanent damage to their reproductive organs or sometimes even death from i bleeding or infections. Since the decision was handed down by the Supreme Court, women's access to abortion ha...
When pregnancy is unwanted women perceive the choice of abortion as the least of three evils: abortion, adoption, or keeping the child (Smith, 2000). Pregnancy changes a woman's life, regardless of whether or not it ends in abortion. The woman making the abortion decision looks at a variety of relationships to help her make the decision. Often, she will discuss her options with a physician or counselor. If she does decide to get an abortion, there are many factors she will have to face. According to an article in Business 2.0, written by David Shribman (2000), women who have had abortions are at greater risk of suffering emotional and psychological problems which may interfere with their ability to concentrate, make decisions, and interact with others. As a result, it reduces the woman's level of job skills and employment opportunities. Post-abortion women are more likely to engage in drug and alcohol abuse, often as a result of the guilt and negative feelings held inside of them after the abortion. This may prevent them from entering other meaningful relationships. They are likely to become pregnant again and undergo additional abortions and are more likely to never marry, more likely divorce, and m...
Teenage girls are ten times more likely to attempt suicide if they have had an abortion in the last six months. Most young mothers who abort are more likely to develop psychological problems and a clinical depression problem. In a study of teenage abortion patients, half of them suffered a horrifying psychosocial functioning within 7 months after the abortion. The immediate impact appeared to be greater on the patients who were under 17 years of age than for those with previous psychosocial problems. Symptoms included: self-reproach, depression, social regression, withdrawal, obsession with need to become pregnant again, and hasty marriages. Usually most teen mothers place their child up for adoption. Some place their child up for adoption because they know that they do not quite have what it takes to shape a child in a stable environment so they give others the opportunity to give the child a better living because they also maybe lacking