Psychological and Physical Side Effects of Abortion Essay

Abortion can emotionally affect each woman differently, mothers who use an abortion as an easy exit of an unwanted pregnancy can suffer of persistent sadness, regret, anger, shame, depression, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, anxiety, thoughts of death, suicide or hopeless. Studies within the first few weeks after the abortion have found that between 40 and 60 percent of women questioned report negative reactions. Within 8 weeks after their abortions, 55% expressed guilt, 44% complained of nervous disorders, 36% had experienced sleep disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision, and 11% had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor. (Abortionfacts.com) the emotional side effects of having an abortion are just as real as physical side effects.

Some of the possible risks and side effects of having an abortion is vomiting, diarrhea, warm and cold chills, dizziness, fatigue, allergic reaction to the medicines, haemorrhage possibly requiring treatment with an

First I 'd like to talk about the consequences for mothers. This is a big reason why I think abortion is unsafe and should be illegal. The first thing I want to address is the mental state of the mothers who have had an abortion. Most times the mental state of mothers who have abortion are not at a normal, or average level. Post abortion stress syndrome, or PASS, is a problem commonly seen in women after abortion. PASS is the name for a condition that may affect women after an abortion. (4) Many times PASS is first detected through suicidal thoughts or comments, some cases of PASS do not occur for several months or even over a year. Now the definition of PASS is ¨a collection of physical and, or emotional issues that are common to women after abortion, it is not only

The only terms used by the scientific community to refer to psychological pain of abortion are those associated with anxiety, depression or some corollaries of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Indeed, testing protocols and treatment of PTSD can be used only if the symptoms provide clear manifestations in a period close to the event. However, the manifestation of suffering of abortion is often part time, or even cannot come to the surface at the approach of its own death. Encysted psychological suffering will then wait for an event occur and strong for the person to make the connection between past events and the suffering of abortion. Some testimonials even mention the period immediately following

Another of the widely important subissues I chose to research was whether or not “post-abortion syndrome” is a relevant medical term that affects a large amount of women. The term “post-abortion syndrome” is not recognized by

Nearly 81% of women who receive abortions experience subsequent mental health problems according to a recently published study by The Royal College of Psychiatrists. The study demonstrates that the aftermath of an abortion can result in higher rates of anxiety, depression, various forms of substance abuse, and suicidal behavior. As a result of the study, it shows that women who have an abortion face almost double the risk of mental health problems as women who have their baby. This outcome is due to the fact that most women who are terminating pregnancies “may feel a greater sense of loss, anxiety and distress due to lack of support”, as summarized in the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit reproductive health organization. In fact, a five-year study shows that 25% of

After a woman has an abortion, the chances are three to four times higher of the mother having a miscarriage because of damage to the uterus. There is a higher chance of the mother dying from having an abortion than there is from her dying from natural childbirth. Even though after an abortion the mother feels relief that the ordeal is over, feelings of “numbness” soon set in on their emotions. It’s not any different from what soldiers feel after being in the midst of war. It has been found in a study of 500 aborted women, 50 percent of them were dealing with negative feelings and 10 percent had “serious psychiatric complications.”

After a woman gets an legal abortion, she typically experiences relief. Research suggests that psychological distress normally lowers after an abortion and remains low in the follow up appointments. Major negative effects usually do not occur after an abortion. Studies also show that only between 0.5% and 15% of abortion clients have experienced psychological problems that lasted from one week to ten years after the abortion.

Sharon Salzberg once said, “As we look around, it's very clear that in this world people do outrageous things to one another all of the time. It's not that these qualities or actions make us bad people, but they bring tremendous suffering if we don't know how to work with them”. The wake of devastation abortion leaves behind could not be described better. It is argued that it is the woman’s body; therefore it is the woman’s choice. What many do not know, however, is that abortion not only affects the mother, but the father, and of course the child. Guilt, anger, anxiety, depression, broken relationships, “numbing”, and even suicide; all of these are symptoms of Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS). PAS is the emotional/psychological damage women may experience after having an abortion. According to Dangers of Legal Abortion by Ann Saltenberger, women who have had abortions are nine times more likely to attempt suicide than women in the general population. Men, or the father, portray a range of emotions after their partner’s abortion. These include grief, guilt,

One negative effect on a woman's body after having an abortion is postpartum depression. According to Postpartum Depression Study, postpartum depression is a depression suffered by

Various studies have been conducted to show the psychological effects following an abortion. According to the results some women experience depression and anxiety. These psychological effects reflect on several factors. Abortion may relieve stress by ending an unwanted pregnancy, but the event itself may simultaneously be experienced as a stressor causing anxiety grief, guilt, despair and anger. These factors could lead to depression, as feelings of powerless, anger and self-condemnation are emotions that underlie depression. Controversies exist whether abortion is linked with mental health or not. Future research requires a better understanding of the conditions that lead to unwanted pregnancy and abortion with the ultimate goal of improving women’s lives and well being.

There are religious and emotional objections to abortion as well as the possibility of negative medical and mental consequences. Many are in favor of making abortion illegal because, they feel it is immoral. Others believe that government should not have a say so in such a personal matter. Are there any other factors that could possibly change the way people view abortion? The matter of abortions negatively affecting the women who have the procedure done is one that the world has been dealing with for some time now. Researchers have decided to explore the idea that women who have had an abortion could possibly be at a higher risk for developing and even intensifying mental health issues. Researchers use various measures to determine if or how having an abortion effects woman. Measures include factors such as women who request an abortion but have not yet gone through with it, women who have gone through with the procedure, and women who have lost a child due to abortions or other ways. The following literature explains these

Abortions can cause women to have both physical and psychological side effects that are agonizing. Physical side effects can include soreness and pain from the actual procedure. When contrasted to other pains, researchers have evaluated the pain from abortion as more painful than a bone fracture, about the

But the worst strain abortion has on the victim is mental strain. Many victims become confused and overwhelmed by feelings they thought they would never have, and don't know what to do. After having an abortion victims thought they had solved the problem, but in fact they had really just started a whole new one. Many victims begin thinking there is something wrong with them and begin to doubt themselves in situations that they would normally be sure of

Many women that choose to have an abortion do not realize that it is a dangerous surgery with serious side effects. These side effects are both physical and psychological. Having an abortion is unnatural and interrupts this function of the human body. “The women’s body naturally resists the abortion, causing physical and emotional problems” (“Who does Abortion Affect?”). Almost all of the women who had abortions feel that they have made the wrong decision. The women are not informed about the side effects of abortion. Many women that had abortions said their doctors gave “little or no information about the potential health risks