Since time immemorial, the abortion issue has constantly sparked massive controversy globally, dividing people into two groups. On one group, pro-lifers argue that abortion is immoral and results in murdering innocent children. On the other hand, pro-abortionists insist that there is ultimately nothing wrong with abortion since it is a form of birth control, and babies should only be born when they are wanted. The hard-line stands by organizations like the church, the policies by governments, and the numerous legislations have all contributed more to the abortion controversy than providing a solution. At some point, an individual may argue that there might never be a consensus on the abortion issue. This paper will examine abortion recovery and how religious organizations and the government perceive abortions. The paper argues this on the premise that a rise in mental health problems and physical complications are some of the adverse effects of legalized abortion in the USA.
Abortion also affects a person physically. When a teen mother goes to an abortion clinic, she is informed very little about the actual abortion procedure. Nevertheless, the woman needs to be told that having an abortion may result in various issues such as maternal death, future pregnancy complications, hemorrhage, cervical laceration, and uterine perforation (Erbe, 2010). Abortions often cause these issues because the procedure is unnatural happening in the woman’s body.
A woman’s body starts preparing for its future baby at the beginning of puberty by preparing eggs for fertilization. The woman’s body then prepares eggs for fertilization every month. Once the woman becomes pregnant, the body utilizes all the nutrients in its uterine wall for the protection and growth of the fetus since the body has been preparing for it since the onset of puberty. When abortion is conducted, the body goes from providing and nurturing the fetus to suddenly having the baby terminated (Medoff, 2016). This procedure is not similar to other methods since it is done in numerous ways that all interfere with the functioning of a woman’s reproductive system. Abortions disrupt all things that the woman’s body has been preparing for since puberty and is programmed to do; this results in massive complications in the pregnancy, abortion, and the woman’s future.
Abortion also affects an individual mentally. The overall mental health among women who opted not to have an abortion while pregnant in their teen years and early twenties dramatically differ from women who had abortions in the same age group (O’Hara & Hoffert, 1997). Once a woman has an abortion, the body becomes confused with the sudden absence of the fetus. The body responds the same way during a miscarriage. However, studies reveal that women who have abortions have a stronger correlation to massive emotional issues in the long term.
These emotional issues, which often start to appear about a year after abortion has been conducted, can include but can’t be limited to detachment, irritability, migraines, and fatigue. Unfortunately, these psychological side effects result in miscarriages and depression in the future (Schouten, 2017). These issues commonly affect women aged twenty-five years or under, and a majority of teen girls have abortions at a high rate compared to women that decide not to have an abortion. It is worth noting that most teen girls and women below twenty-five years are never well informed of the adverse side effects that abortions may cause.
Primarily, the abortion procedure affects assault victims and their health. The decision by women to have an abortion involves psychological and emotional trauma. This happens particularly in instances of rape. When a person is raped, they do not intend to keep a baby resulting from this, and the best solution is aborting the unborn child (Huss, 2021). On the subject of rape, the emotional effects of the incident are too traumatizing. A person sometimes takes a long time to recover, or some other individuals may fail to recover at all. Adding a baby to the raped victim is like adding more salt to the injury. The child would act as a continuous reminder to the victim, resulting in more emotional trauma.
Most studies about the immoralities and morality of abortion have revealed that some individuals against abortion somehow agree that aborting a pregnancy due to rape is acceptable. For example, a poll was conducted in Canada, and it was determined that thirteen percent of the respondents were against abortion at all costs., In contrast, sixty-five percent of the respondents believed it is acceptable to have an abortion in certain instances, such as rape (Medoff, 2016).
Nevertheless, even after rape, the Catholic Church has constantly argued that abortion should still not be permitted. The late Pope John Paul was at the forefront against abortion. He argued that “abortion is a threat to the dignity and freedom of humans since it cultivates the culture of accepting death as a normal occurrence.” Even in the instance of rape, the woman should seek treatment immediately after this vice has happened and should not wait to have an abortion weeks later after the occurrence of rape (Huss, 2021). Additionally, abortion should not be considered the only solution in the case of unwanted pregnancies since the child can be put to adoption. Studies indicate that close to fifteen percent of all married couples in the USA alone cannot have children. This figure is likely to increase as more women opt for abortion to control birth. This makes abortion unacceptable even in rape victims since they can opt for the adoption of the baby.
Despite this, individuals who are less educated about abortion view abortion as similar to other operations, when in a real sense, abortion is very different. Getting rid of a healthy pregnancy is unnatural and results in mental and physical problems. Abortion providers often target teen girls and other young girls since they are less educated about the actual thing that happens during an abortion. Women in this age group are vulnerable to propaganda and things they hear from organizations since they are still young.
In conclusion, pregnant teenage girls are often pressured to have abortions due to financial, school, and family issues. These women are singled out by a political message, but they are never accurately informed in the process of the exact thing that abortion entails. Research has determined that women that are more informed about the abortion procedure and the various types of abortions have a low likelihood of having an abortion themselves. Interestingly, as a woman grows older, the chances of having an abortion decrease. This fact and many others depict how pro-choice arguments influence teen mothers (Schouten, 2017). Abortion preys on vulnerable teenage girls who believe that they are being defended. In reality, these women are not being protected since they are not informed of both sides of arguments where abortions are unhealthy and result in physical and emotional effects on the woman.
References
Erbe, B. (2010). Erbe: Gov. Tim. Pawlenty’s Abortion Recovery Month. U.S. News Digital Weekly, 2(15), 16.
Huss, B. (2021). Well-Being Before and after Pregnancy Termination: The Consequences of Abortion and Miscarriage on Satisfaction with Various Domains of Life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22(6), 2803–2828. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00350-5. Accessed on 17th February 2021.
Medoff, M. (2016). Pro-Choice Versus Pro-Life: The Relationship between State Abortion Policy and Child Well-Being in the United States. Health Care for Women International, 37(2), 158–169. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07399332.2013.841699. Accessed on 17th February 2021.
O’Hara, B., & Hoffert, B. (1997). The Healing Choice: Your Guide to Emotional Recovery After an Abortion. Library Journal, 122(2), 96.
Schouten, G. (2017). Fetuses, Orphans, and a Famous Violinist: On the Ethics and Politics of Abortion. Social Theory & Practice, 43(3), 637–665. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5840/soctheorpract20178417. Accessed on 17th February 2021.
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