Kamie Pearson

Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
Effects of Abortion
What is abortion
What is abortion Who !oes it effect What are the si!e effects "oes anyone really #no$
Abortion is !efine! as %a me!ical &roce!ure use! to en! a &regnancy an! cause the !eath of the fetus.'
(Abortion). *f course there are many !ifferent ty&es of abortion+ but , $oul! li#e to tal# about the form
that is cause! by choice. *-er the last cou&le of !eca!es countless stu!ies ha-e been com&lete! an!
the !ebate continues on to!ay.. What are the si!e effects from choosing to ha-e an abortion An! $ho
is affecte! by it
Accor!ing to Encyclo&e!ia.com+ the earliest !ocumente! abortions in America occurre! in the
se-enteenth an! eighteenth centuries. Abortion has been an issue an! source of contro-ersy from the
beginning. Although in the year 1.20 legal rules $ere &ut in &lace to regulate its use+ stu!ies regar!ing
the effects of abortion $eren/t &erforme! until many years later. ,n 1012+ the 3oe -s. Wa!e case+
!rastically change! the future of abortion la$s. 4orma Mc5or-ey (%6ane 3oe') file! a la$suit stating
that the abortion la$s $ere unconstitutional. As a result of this case+ the courts rule! that states are
forbi!!en from banning abortion in the first trimester. Also that states coul! only ma#e regulations
concerning abortion in the secon! an! thir! trimester if there $ere maternal health issues.
Many !ifferent effects are #no$n to occur
,n recent stu!ies there ha-e been many !ifferent conflicting o&inions an! conclusions regar!ing
abortion an! the effects of those $ho are in-ol-e!. For e7am&le+ some research suggests that it causes
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Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
!e&ression+ suici!e an! other &sychological effects on the mothers. Many state that it affects the fathers
as $ell. 8ome stu!ies also conclu!e that abortion has a !irect lin# to breast cancer. 8ome &eo&le e-en
belie-e there is a syn!rome $omen !e-elo& after abortion calle! %Abortion 9rauma 8yn!rome'.
,t is clear that abortion is a -ery !ee& an! sensiti-e issue. *&inions an! stances are base! off
such a $i!e -ariety of reasons that it is har! to see clearly. :y e7&oun!ing on these to&ics an! the
research+ &erha&s $e can gain more &ers&ecti-e an! information on this to&ic.
Abortion/s ,nfluence on Women
"es&ite the !ebate of the after effects of abortion+ some ague that there ha-e been sufficient
stu!ies an! research to -ali!ate that that the effects are -ery real an! can be ;uite harmful to $omen.
9hese stu!ies sho$ that there are many emotional si!e effects that occur to $omen after their abortions.
8ome of these feelings inclu!e suici!e+ !e&ression+ guilty feelings+ feelings of loss+ an7iety an! anger.
Many $omen ha-e e-en re&orte! &hysical si!e effects inclu!ing slee& !e&ri-ation+ loss of a&&etite+ lo$
energy+ an! fatigue. 5ogniti-e effects ha-e also been re&orte! such as hallucinations of a baby crying+
&hantom fetal mo-ements+ as $ell as substance abuse an! a-oi!ing chil!ren or babies. 9hese
aftereffects are note! to often !ouble in teen mothers. "r. ,an Kent an! his colleagues at :ritish
5olumbia <ni-ersity foun! that many $omen feel !ee& loss an! &ain for the chil! that =shoul! ha-e
been=. (Kent+ >)
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Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014

Figure 1? 9his chart $as com&ile! from the fin!ings
of a stu!y com&lete! in Finlan! regar!ing the
effects of abortion. ,t sho$s that the li#elihoo! of
suici!e is much greater among those $ho ha-e an
abortion+ than other forms of chil! loss.
(Abortion 3is#s)
9here are other s&ecialists $ho agree $ith the i!ea of si!e affects from abortions. 5atarina
5an@rio+ an! her colleagues from the <ni-ersity of Minho+ school of Psychology also ha-e foun!
through their research that %shortly after the e-ent+ emotions inherent to a s&ontaneous abortion are
more intense than the emotions regar!ing an electi-e abortion. Ho$e-er+ o-er time+ $omen $ho ha-e
suffere! electi-e abortions sho$ higher le-els of a-oi!ant thoughts an! feelings $hen com&are! to
those $ho ha! a s&ontaneous abortion.' 5anario an! her colleagues sho$ through their research that
although emotions are more calm after an electi-e abortion com&are! to a s&ontaneous abortion+ as
time goes on the co&ing becomes har!er an! the $omen ha-e more emotional issues an! trauma.
(5anario)
,n another stu!y !one by 5anario an! her colleagues+ fin!ings sho$ that A0 to >0 &ercent of
$omen $ho choose to ha-e an abortion e7&erience emotional trauma. ,n 20 &ercent of those the le-el
of &sychological suffering $as serious. 9hey foun! that significant factors that influence! these
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Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
statistics $ere little or no su&&ort from family an! frien!s+ li-ing by themsel-es+ an! a change in the
relationshi& $ith the inten!e! father of the aborte! chil!. (5anario)
,n an effort to inform $omen about abortion "irector "a-i! K. Kyle ma!e the !ocumentary
%:loo! Money'. 4arrate! by "octor Al-e!a King+ this film states that it %sho$s e-i!ence that abortion
!octors #no$ that a fetus is a li-ing being. Also among many other things+ %5onfessions that clinics
$ill sometimes &erform abortions on nonB&regnant $omen so they can still ma#e money.'
,n this !ocumentary inter-ie$s are &erforme! by many $omen. All of them testify that they suffer
from forms of Post Abortion 9rauma. ,nability to feel emotion+ !e&ression an! suici!al thoughts among
them. Kyle uses these $omen/s testimonials to s&ea# for his !ocumentary. 9he emotion an! the
sensiti-ity of the to&ic &laces a greater $eight to the issue an! the facts &resente!. (:loo! Money)
9hose against abortion $oul! argue that the effects are not limite! to emotional issues but also
&hysical. ,n her boo# %Forbidden Grief'+ Psychothera&ist 9heresa :ur#e+ Ph.". 8hares countless
e7&eriences in counseling hun!re!s of her &atients through &ostBabortion trauma. :ur#e e7&lains ho$
re&resse! feelings from abortion relate! inci!ents cause eating !isor!ers+ selfBinflicte! beha-ioral
issues+ !ifficulties in the role of a &arent+ faile! relationshi&s+ an! many other &hysical &roblems.
P98" an! Post 9raumatic Abortion 8yn!rome
3esearchers &assionate in this to&ic ha-e coine! a term for these effects. 9hey call it %PostB
AbortionB8yn!romeB"isor!er' or %Abortion 9rauma 8yn!rome'. Accor!ing to Web M" the me!ical
fiel! has not acce&te! this as an official term because of one stu!y &erforme! in 2000 conclu!e! that
most of the $omen !i! not regret their abortions after$ar! an! .0C of the $omen !i! not suffer from
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Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
!e&ression after$ar!. (Web M") Although the me!ical fiel! has not acce&te! this term in it/s me!ical
terminology+ many belie-e that this syn!rome is -ery real affecting $omen an! men e-ery!ay. 8ome
researchers also belie-e that it is -ery similar in its sym&toms to P98" (Post 9raumatic 8tress
"isor!er).
3egar!ing P98"+ some belie-e that it can ta#e a great toll on $omen an! can ta#e a much
longer amount of time to &resent itself. ,nger Wallin Dun!ell+ from the "e&artment of WomenEs an!
5hil!renEs Health at the <&&sala <ni-ersity locate! in 8$e!en an! her coleagues from the gynecology
an! health sciences !e&artments &erforme! a stu!y that consiste! of 142 $omen $ho sought an
abortion+ $ho also sche!ule! a three an! si7 month follo$ u& e-aluation. 9he research inclu!e! si7
!e&artments of *bstetrics an! Fynecology. Four &ercent of the $omen ha! sym&toms of P98" before
the abortion. An! t$enty three &ercent of the $omen ha! e7treme le-els of !e&ression an! an7iety
&rior to the o&eration. At the three month follo$ u& a&&ointment the P98" rates $ere at fi-e &ercent.
An! at the si7 month &erio! si7 &ercent. 9he $omen $ho choose to !ro& out of the stu!y ha! the
higher rates P98" an! P988. Fifty one $omen !e-elo&e! P98" !uring the obser-ation &erio!. An! A1
$omen ha! trauma e7&eriences relate! to the abortion &roce!ure. 9hough the number of $omen $ho
!e-elo&e! P98" $ere relati-ely lo$+ it !oes sho$ that there are !efinite an! measurable affects on the
$omen $ho choose abortion. Ho$e-er some $oul! argue that it !oes not ta#e into account the long
term effect on a $oman/s life. (Dun!ell)
Planne! Parenthoo! states that abortion hel&s $ith maturity an! co&ing s#ills. ,n their fin!ings
they also say that %<& to 0. &ercent of the $omen $ho ha-e abortions ha-e no regrets an! $oul! ma#e
the same choice again in similar circumstances.' (9he Emotional Effects of ,n!uce! Abortion)
A
Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
,n rebuttal of the i!ea that the number of $omen $ho e7&erience effects seem to be smaller than
those that !o not+ ,an Fentles+ a Gor# <ni-ersity historian argues+
%9he thing that has ma!e the -ery e7istence of PostBAbortionB8yn!rome !ebatable is the
fact that it often !oes not surface until many years after the abortion. ,t is -ery common
for a $oman to say that she is fine about the $hole thing+ but later in life she fin!s
herself engulfe! in feelings of guilt+ confusion+ an! e7&loitation. 9he reason for the
surfacing an7iety is &artly a mystery+ but is often associate! $ith the birth of a $ante!
chil!+ or !uring unrelate! counseling.' (Fentles+.AB.>)
Fentles belie-es that much of the mo!ern research fails to recogniHe the fact that the effects of abortion
can lay !ormant for years+ but are still -ery real.
Many Men 3egret 9heir 8u&&ort

Figure 2? Men are inclu!e! in the
number of those $ho can regret
abortion an! feel the effects.
=<nite! Metho!ist *fficials? 5learly More to :e "one to Promote Abortion.
=United Methodist Officials: Clearly More to Be Done to Promote Abortion. 4.&.+ n.!. Web. 00 Feb. 2014.
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Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
While $omen an! men are -ery !ifferent+ an! co&e in many !ifferent $ays+ they both
e7&erience sym&toms from un!ergoing abortion. 9hough there arenEt as many fin!ings on the si!e
effects of men/s e7&eriences $ith electi-e abortion+ some ha-e re&orte! feelings of relief+ sa!ness+ an!
sometimes &ain. :ut the most e-i!ent $as that of a !esire to su&&ort their &artner in their choice.
,n the article %Fatherhoo! Aborte!'+ Fuy 5on!on+ Presi!ent of 5are 4et (a &ro life organiHation that
&ro-i!es information an! assistance to struggling &regnant $omen) e7amines the anguish e7&erience!
by $oul!Bbe fathers $ho ha! a chil! aborte!. 5on!on uses true stories of others to &ro-e his stance on
the negati-e after effects of abortion. *ne regretting man !eclares %,t $asnEt a &roblem that $as
aborte!I it $as my chil!. , $ante! to be a goo! father+ but e-en before , ha! begun+ , ha! faile! my first
son.' Di#e$ise many other men e7&erience feelings of regret an! sorro$. E-en $hen they encourage or
su&&ort their &artner in the !ecision+ o-er time+ the guilt seems to catch u& $ith them. An! for
numerous men these feelings !o not surface until they !eci!e to ha-e a family. An! some !$ell on
$hat coul! ha-e been. Men can ha-e a large im&act on their &artner/s $ell being. Women/s abilities to
co&e are much higher an! the effects of !e&ression slightly lo$er. Also $hen $omen sense that their
&artners are fully su&&orti-e+ the relationshi& after an abortion can be &ositi-e. (5on!on+ 2>)
9he "ebate 5ontinues
9hrough e7amining many !ifferent stu!ies+ an! research &erforme! on the to&ic of &ost abortion
effects+ 9here is still much !ebate that surroun!s it. 8ome stu!ies in!icate that there are $omen $ho !o
e7&erience emotional an! &hysical &roblems although sometimes not imme!iately a&&arent. 8ome
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Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
research suggests these effects can e7ten! to the men that are in-ol-e! as $ell. ,t is also suggeste! that
for men an! $omen these &roblems surroun!ing such an e-ent can resurface in their li-es many years
after the abortion has occurre!. ,t !oes ho$e-er seem to be a !ifficult to&ic because of the as&ect of
&ersonal e7&erience an! not all those in-ol-e! e7&erience si!e effects+ lea!ing to the inability to clearly
!etermine abortions effects.
.
Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
5itations
=Abortion.= Merriam-Webster. MerriamBWebster+ n.!. Web. 0. Feb. 2014.
=Abortion 3is#s? A Dist of MaJor Physical 5om&lications 3elate! to Abortion.= After Abortion. 4.&.+
n.!. Web. 00 Mar. 2014.
:loo! Money. "ir. "a-i! K Kyle. Perf. 8an!ra 5ano+ 5lenar! 5hil!ress 6r.+ 5arol E-erett+ Feorgette
Forney+ an! Al-e!a King. 9AH+ 2010. "ocumentary.
:ur#e+ 9heresa an! "a-i! 5. 3ear!on. =Forbidden Grief: The Unso!en Pain Of Abortion"# "o-er.
Acorn :oo#s+ 2002. Print.
=5alls for Further 8tu!y of Effects of Abortion on Women K 43D 4e$s 9o!ay.= $%& $e's Today Calls
for F(rther )t(dy of *ffects of Abortion on Women Comments. 4.&.+ n.!. Web. 00 Feb. 2014.
5anario+ 5atarina. Figueire!o+ :arbara. 3icou+ Migel. %Women an! Men/s Psychological A!Justment
After Abortion? a 8i7 Months Pros&ecti-e Pilot 8tu!y'. 6ournal of 3e&ro!ucti-e an! ,nfant
Psychology. 6uly 2011+ Lol. 20 4o. 2. &2>2B21A.
5on!on+ Fuy. %Fatherhoo! Aborte!'. 5hristianity 9o!ay. 12M00M0>+ Lol. 40 ,ssue 14+ &2>. 4P
*ncycloedia"com. High:eam 3esearch+ 01 6an. 200.. Web. 0. Feb. 2014.
Fentles+ ,an. (E!) A time to 5hoose Dife. 9oronto 5ana!a? 8tu!!ar! Publishing 5o.+ 1000. :roen+ A.4.+
Moum+ 9.+ :N!t#er+ A.8.+ O E#eberg+ P. (2004). Psychological im&act on$omen of miscarriage -ersus
in!uce! abortion? A 2Byear follo$Bu& stu!y. Psychosomatic Me!icine+ >>+ 2>AQ211.
Kent+ Post 9raumatic 8yn!rome+ 4e$ Gor# 10.0
=Dife8ite4e$s Mobile K Abortion an! 8uici!e? 9he Frim 8tatistics.=&ife)ite$e's. 4.&.+ n.!. Web. 00
Feb. 2014.
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Kamie Pearson
Ms. Hull
English 2010
February 10 2014
Dun!ell+ ,nger Wallin. %Post traumatic stress among $omen after in!uce! abortion?a 8$e!ish multiB
centre cohort stu!y.' :M5 Women/s Health. 2012+ Lol. 12 ,ssue 1+ &1B21.
=3oe -. Wa!e (1012).=PB). P:8+ n.!. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
=8tu!y 8ays Most Women "on/t 3egret Abortion.=WebMD. WebM"+ n.!. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
=9he Emotional Effects of ,n!uce! Abortion.=Planned Parenthood. 4.&.+ n.!. Web. 20 A&r. 2014.
=<nite! Metho!ist *fficials? 5learly More to :e "one to Promote Abortion.=United Methodist
Officials: Clearly More to Be Done to Promote Abortion. 4.&.+ n.!. Web. 00 Feb. 2014.
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