The Relationship Between Abortion And Mental Health

The practice of abortions throughout the United States are safe. Abortions have become safer since the procedure was reluctantly legalized in the United States-by the Supreme Court-in 1973. According to The American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs the number of deaths associated with abortion drastically dropped from roughly four out of every one hundred thousand women in 1973 to .6 per every one hundred thousand women in 1997 (Abortion is Safe). These statistics show that procedure in how an abortion is performed has become safer since legalization. Legalization of abortion permitted the procedure to be performed in a sterile setting- such as a hospital operating room. The medical risk associated with an abortion procedure is highly overestimated. An abortion performed exactly as medically advised carries half the risk of a tonsillectomy (Abortion is Safe). (A tonsillectomy is a simple procedure that is performed on many children in their childhood.) On the other hand, anti-abortion advocates point to emotional problems that could harm the pregnant woman after an abortion. These advocates attempt to show there is a link to mental disorders in post abortion women. A New Zealand study looked to verify this claim. The analysis showed that there was a credible link between depression, suicide attempts and substance abuse in post abortion women (Cords). Researchers also aimed to connect having an abortion with post-traumatic stress disorder

Without a doubt, Stark has taken the most direct approach to the issue and his content reflects that. He quickly covers the physical effects of the procedure, the long term effects, and the psychological effects without ever diverging in any drastic manner. However, through this approach he not only misses several opportunities to expand on important ideas, he also simply leaves many questions unanswered. Under the section “Physical risks of abortion,” twice Stark uses the word ‘significant’ instead of offering the exact statistic. Barnes, on the other hand, offers the numbers that Stark decided to omit. For example, Stark acknowledges “…maternal mortality rates after abortion were significantly higher than after childbirth (Stark, 2013).” Barnes, on the other hand, opts instead to avoid this ambiguous statement and instead offers “…short-term severe complications occur in less than 1% of women who have abortions (RN, 2010).” At the same time, the somewhat lacking amount of material in Stark’s article has allowed him to stay on message with little temptation to deviate or, even worse, turn the argument into one of emotion. Nevertheless, his article is weaker

One of the most widely discussed issues within the topic of abortion is the mental health of the mother. Research by Guttmacher Advisory says “Based on the best scientific evidence currently available, there is no credible evidence that abortion, in and of itself, causes mental health problems for most women.”(2008). Guttmacher backs their claims with studies and research done by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA states that many studies didn’t take into account how a woman’s mental health was before thinking about abortion. They also point out that any significant life event is stressful such as divorce or a death so one cannot say abortion

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

Pro-life activist argue that abortion leaves women suffering psychological and physical damage. This arguments are mostly based on peer-reviewed studies published by several medical journals. For example, they used a peer-reviewed study published in BMC Medicine in 2005 that stated that even after five years of the pregnancy termination, women had higher anxiety scores. Also, a peer-reviewed study published in 2002 by the

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

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

Many studies have shown that abortions can cause psychological damage including an increased risk of depression and anxiety. “A peer-reviewed 2005 study published in BMC Medicine found that women who underwent an abortion had ‘significantly higher’ anxiety scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale up to five years after the pregnancy termination.” (ProCon 6) Those who are pro-life believe that abortions will help the mother live a normal life instead of having to take care of an unwanted baby. Studies have shown that people who get abortions usually end of regretting their decision. Getting an abortion may have seemed to be the right choice at the time, but when the mother’s relieve what they actually have done it can cause them to become depressed as shown in these studies. Not only can abortions cause psychological damage, but also physical damage. Many studies have linked an increased risk of breast cancer to abortion. “A Feb. 2014 study published in the peer-reviewed Cancer Causes and Control found that abortion ‘is significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer’ and that ‘the risk of breast cancer increases as the number of [abortions] increases.’”(ProCon 16) Based on the number of abortions you have your risk of breast cancer can increase. Additional, most women who get an abortion end up getting more than one. In their case their risk of

Abortion continues to be one of the most controversial debates in the United States today and takes center stage in American politics. The opposing sides hold sincere emotional, religious, spiritual, and marital views regarding abortion and the legalization of it throughout our country. As nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, women are quite often left with uncertainty and pressure when faced with the decision to take on this ultimate responsibility. Throughout the endless controversy and relentless conflict, the psychological effects after abortion for women are often overlooked and not tended to as efficiently as they should be. Women experience distress, depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and countless

• What are the psychological effects of abortion on mental health of female teenagers and young

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

The writing encompassing this subject contains numerous predispositions. Some emerge from the ideological perspectives or suspicions of the creators and some emerge as a result of poor strategy. Some writing is one-sided toward the desire for extreme negative responses of women who have encountered fetus removal and a few writers are exceptionally incredulous of this. These creators feature the improper speculation of conclusions from these examinations and propose they are "of constrained logical legitimacy and educate small concerning the experience of by far most of abortion patients". There is considerably less recorded data with respect to the potential constructive outcomes that fetus removal may convey to the women or the impacts on women when abortion is denied, a special case being the paper by Dagg (1991). The writing has a tendency to recommend that ladies who don't encounter trouble following premature birth may encounter more positive feelings, for example, alleviation, fulfillment and a feeling of coming back to ordinariness. Post-abortion feelings differ incredibly amongst women, and

Women have been found to suffer emotional distress after having had the abortion. Around 42 million women worldwide obtain a legal abortion each year, although many experience emotional relief over 30 % have experienced significant psychological distress that does not vanish over time. By examining California state Medicaid records of more than 56,700 low-income women, the research team found that women who aborted were 72 percent more likely to be admitted to hospital for "adjustment reactions," depressive psychosis and bipolar disorder in the first four years after their pregnancy than those who carried their babies to term. Statistics show that it is better for a woman to give birth to their baby rather than terminate their pregnancy regardless of their age of conceiving. Thoughts of suicide, a horrific mark of mental illness, the figures should be enough to convince anyone who cares about young women to desire a ban on abortion for minors, no pregnancy: 23%; pregnancy, no abortion: 25%; abortion: 50%. In December 2005 report, the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion, appointed by Gov. Mike Rounds (R.), cited

Studies by pro-choice researchers also conclude that women often have difficulty coping in life after an abortion. One study found that “17% of women felt guilt after the procedure… 56% of women experienced a sense of guilt about having had an abortion and 26% said they mostly regret the abortion.” (Dube 24). Sometimes, women have abortions and then carry such guilt with them that when they do want to become pregnant, they are not capable to because of the psychological stress associated with guilt. “In cases of selective abortion, there is grief for a wanted child, questions about the characteristics of the baby – not usually seen by the parents – worries about future pregnancies, ambivalence about abortion itself, and guilt – terrible guilt” is what Susan Borg and Judith Lasker had written in When Pregnancy Fails (Borg 50).

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