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Psychological damage that comes with abortion
Women's abortion rights
Roe vs wade law
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Recommended: Psychological damage that comes with abortion
Post abortion syndrome can be described as the emotional and psychological consequences after abortion. When a person goes through a traumatic experience without the opportunity to process the experience emotionally it is expected that they have a delayed negative reaction. Abortion is a consequence to unplanned pregnancy that is often ignored. As a result, women who have experience abortion are advised to deny it because of social norms. Furthermore, they do not talk about and process the normal feelings of anxiety, fear, shame, guilt and grief, which often follow the abortion. Dadlez & Andrew (2010) explored the relationship between post abortion syndrome and psychological factors that may occur with women. The study found that there are not any psychological harms associated with the procedure .In fact the concerns already existed and possibly multiplied after the abortion.
The abortion rates between the ages of 18 – 25 years old in the United States are at a record high (Wilke, 2006). Women of this age who have abortions are especially vulnerable to PASS they are at a critical developmental period of their life. Wilke defines, post abortion survivor syndrome as the existential guilt, risk taking behaviors, sense of impending doom and prepsychotic terror appears to be distinct from symptoms that may arise in other types of pregnancy loss survival situations, from childhood mistreatment, or from an abortion experienced by the individual or the individual's partner. Women are more likely to be most deeply affected by abortions. In addition, these women are also likely to be the least expressive about their doubts and pains (Wilke, 2006).. Sheils & Gajowy have concluded that most women appear to be extremely affected by the loss ...
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...ns from unlicensed physicians or performing the procedure themselves (Joffe, 2013). Nevertheless, a woman named Jane Roe challenged the state of Texas law. As a result of a long two year trial, no state could restrict abortions during the first three months, or trimester, of a pregnancy (Joffe, 2013). The once restrictive law was overturned, and the ruling in the favor of women of pro-choice. Pro-choice can be defined as the supporter of the right of abortion. Despite the 1973 Roe vs. Wade trial, abortion clinics are still known to be battle grounds for picketers and antiabortion supporters. The authors findings correlate with this research as it illiterates the women’s movement influence on abortion rights. For that reason, without the trial women would not have the right to receive the producer, and post abortion syndrome would not exist (Joffe, 2013).
The current issues concerning a woman’s right to an abortion include the debates between pro-life and pro-choice groups that promote either restrictions or extensions to a woman’s ability to receive abortions respectively, along with debate about the role that the government should play in the process of limiting or extending rights. Pro-life groups argue many points against abortion including the beliefs that life begins at conception, adoption is a viable alternative to abortion, the procedures sometimes cause medical complications, a...
The cycle of protest that occurred in the sixties and seventies was the significant source of political opportunity for the pro-choice movement. The ability to motivate constituents from other ‘fights’ into the pro-choice movement was key to it’s success. early success of the project. After the initial Roe v. Wade decision, the political opportunities changed. and more organized constituents were to become involved.
Controversy and arguments that were setbacks in the ongoing battle for women’s rights, specifically the right to an abortion, were put to slight a rest with the landmark verdict of Roe v. Wade. The revolution in reproductive rights caused by Roe v. Wade evolved from a spark in the hearts of women everywhere. When women claimed their rights as humans, that was when the face of women’s equality in all aspects started to change. The case of Roe v. Wade was the official legalization of a woman’s constitutional right to get an abortion in the United States, but the aftermath of any case is what makes or breaks the future laws and regulations. Through all of the restrictions, regulations, and loopholes, Roe v. Wade’s verdict stuck and continued to
Babbel, Susan, Ph.D. “Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) - Does It Exist?” Psychology Today. N.p., 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. .
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 is a controversial topic in today’s society as many opinions from different social groups on whether it should be legal or not create the big question: should the government be able to take away a woman’s reproductive right if it is to protect a fetus? In the United States particularly, much of the debate since the 1970s has focused on the Supreme Court case Roe v Wade, in which the court proclaimed women's’ rights to abortion but declared that the states could limit and regulate the procedure. That means that currently, the state of California allows abortions, but many groups against abortion, mostly called “pro-lifers,” still try to fight against it and want it banned. Women have a right to their own body and should
No other element of the Women’s Rights Movement has generated as much controversy as the debate over reproductive rights. As the movement gained momentum so did the demand for birth control, sex education, family planning and the repeal of all abortion laws. On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision which declared abortion "fundamental right.” The ruling recognized the right of the individual “to be free from unwanted governmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the right of a woman to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” (US Supreme Court, 1973) This federal-level ruling took effect, legalizing abortion for all women nationwide.
In the United States, there are about 1.5 million abortions that are performed each year. This averages out to every one in four pregnancies ending in abortion. Out of all the women that get abortions, eighty percent are unmarried and sixty-three percent are between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four (Misra and Panigrahi, 1998). The younger group (fifteen to seventeen) is comprised mostly of white teenagers whereas the older group (eighteen and older) is made up of more African American teenagers (Ezzard, Cates, Kramer, and Tietze, 1982). With abortion becoming such an important subject based on its commonality and significance in the political sector, it is no wonder why social scientist have done so much research on it. Researchers have fo...
In the year March 1970, a woman dubbed Jane Roe took federal action against Texas abortion laws. These laws prevented Roe from terminating her pregnancy because abortions were only allowed in the scenario that the fetus was harming the life of the mother (Rosenbaum 63). Because Roe wasn’t in any way harmed by her pregnancy, she could not get an abortion. “Roe believed that TX statutes were unconstitutionally vague and that they abridged her right of personal privacy, protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments” (Rosenbaum 64). She wanted an abortion done professionally in a clean and safe environment (Rosenbaum 63). Women before the legalization of abortion would resort to unsafe methods to terminate their baby (Tribe 113).
In the second part of the twentieth century, women’s rights once again gained a lot of momentum. The women’s liberation movement was born out of women civil right activists who were tired of waiting for legislative change for women’s rights. Even though women are being recognized more in society, they still face difficult issues. Sexism –especially in the workforce –is becoming a major issue, birth control pills are still not popular, and abortions are frowned upon in society. The case Roe v. Wade is about a woman with the fake name of Jane Roe who wanted an abortion but the state of Texas would not let her unless her life was in danger. She sued the district attorney of Dallas County saying that it violated the right to privacy under the 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 14th Amendments. Usually, some arguments for being against abortions are because it is like killing a life, religious reasons, and less chance of future pregnancies. Some arguments that approve abortion are the rights of privacy and the mother to make her own decision. I decided to pick the landmark case Roe v. Wade because there are many ways to argue for and against abortions, so I wanted to give it an overarching view before I personally pick a side. Roe v. Wade is a significant case because it shows how rights in the Constitution do not have to be explicitly mentioned for it to implement and the change in abortion laws that affect women.
Miscarriages most often have an overwhelming impact on a woman’s emotional state and can set a woman onto a long and difficult road to recovery, that will inevitably leave deep emotional scars. One of the most common conditions for a post-miscarriage woman is depression; teamed with thoughts of denial and confusion over the circumstances, they don’t know how to cope with their loss. With pregnancy within itself is a fragile state of a woman’s body, there are multiple components that can play into a miscarriage. While some of these components are not the mother's’ fault, the aftermath is the same, and the mother is always the one person to take the most damage from this tragic event. It is important that we as a society do as much
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 ...
Some trends were observed where women present depression like symptoms in raw data; however, this data was displayed with a blatant level of noise present. Two key tasks are to be completed in this study which includes an interviewing process accompanied by a questionnaire with a mental health professional. Research has claimed that women who have abortions are prone to specific trauma which is now dubbed abortion trauma
Millions of illegal abortions were done by the 1950s, and over a thousand women died each year as result. Moreover, millions of women who had illegal abortions were rushed to the emergency ward; some died of abdominal infection, and other, found themselves sterile and chronically ill. In 1969, 75% of the women who died from these abortions were either poor or of color. In the landmark case of Roe v. Wade (1973) the Supreme Court ruled that woman had the right of privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment to obtain an abortion, yet, keeping in mind that, protecting the health of the woman and the potential life of the fetus is the main interest. As result of this decision, safe and unpainful abortion services were offered to many women. In addition, some health care centers provided counseling, women’s group offered free referral services, and, non-profit abortion facilities were created. Nevertheless, legalization was not enough to ensure that abortions will be available to all women, women of low income and of color still found themselves without safe and inexpensive abortions. Between the early 1980s, feminist health centers provided low-cost abortions, however, by the early 1990s, only 20% of these centers survived the harassment by the IRS and the competition of other
The new website, www.hopeafterabortion.com, offers extensive research on the psychiatric and social consequences of abortion taken from journals of medicine, psychology and the social sciences. A new study, not mentioned on the site, was just published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. It breaks through the barrier of political correctness which seems to be the editorial policy of many American psychology journals.