Abortion

Well, if the reaction to my religion post is anything to go by, then i'm going to get slaughtered for this post. Nevertheless, i think it is an interesting topic and worthy of debate. I genuinely don't think there can be a right or wrong here, even though i was bought up religious and don't believe a person should take the life of another, i think there is a difference in this case and the woman should be free to make a decision that is right for her.

There are plenty of pro-life sites that talk of how wrong abortion is and how psychologically scarred the woman can be after. This is probably true for many and symptons can range from guilt and sadness to uncontrollable outbursts of crying, anger, betrayal, resentment and depression. For others there is a sense of relief, happiness and closure. For most there are ambivalent feelings with many reporting feelings of relief and sadness http://www.afterabortion.info/hope/arti62.htm symptoms can be immediate or may surface weeks, months or even years later; sometimes when the person experiences a further loss or when they start a family and memories are bought back.

Before making judgement however, i think it is important to remember that psychological and emotional harm can affect the woman if they are pressured or co-erced into keeping a baby that they simply do not want or don't feel equipped to look after; whether physically, emotionally or financially. Emotional support is important as it has been shown that mothers can experience feelings of fear, anger, resentment and ambivalence http://www.uc.edu/cc/Unplanned.html.

Negative feelings of the mother toward a baby that is unwanted can be detrimental to the growing child; causing problems with bonding and leaving children with low self esteem, lack of confidence and often leading to aggressive and anti-social tendencies in later life. Some studies have shown that continuing with an unwanted pregnancy is NOT the easy option and can lead to emotional problems, mental health problems and even premature death through suicide and self abuse, for both mother and child http://www.prochoiceforum.org.uk/psy_ocr2.asp

I think then it is vitally important for any woman facing an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy to get impartial and informative help and guidance that can assist them in making the choice that is absoloutely right for them, despite what others think.

Image from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/1749837.stm