Are the side effects of abortion worth getting the operation?

[AminaSharif]

Abortion is a substantial decision to make and it can be very difficult at times. It is happening more and more around the world and it is becoming more common as the years go by. Some people decide to get it by decision and some by force; some by accident and some on purpose. Whatever the reason, it is truly important to know what can happen in result of this process. That is what my research is about; to know what you can gain and lose from this process and how this will affect you in your future.

 

With our topic being about abortion, I think the most fascinating thing is the children involved. The person who chooses to have abortion is willing to give away their child which is a very hard thing to do. The mother is very passionate about her child but feels she is not ready to take care of this child. But the most fascinating part is the child because this mother has carried it in her stomach and maybe if she hadn’t had this operation, this child could have grown to become an amazing person like the next president or an entrepreneur, etc. At the end, the choice depends on the woman and it is her decision what she wants to do with her child.

[Phi for All]

When abortion was made legal in the US, 18 years later we had a sharp decrease in crime nationwide. The only conclusion was that there were fewer unwanted children who turned to crime because of a lack of parental guidance and support. Very positive side effect.

 

I also believe we've seen women have fewer abortions when they're legal. Something about having that ultimate choice available makes the decision clearer, if not any easier.

[Delta1212]

When abortion was made legal in the US, 18 years later we had a sharp decrease in crime nationwide. The only conclusion was that there were fewer unwanted children who turned to crime because of a lack of parental guidance and support. Very positive side effect.

 

I also believe we've seen women have fewer abortions when they're legal. Something about having that ultimate choice available makes the decision clearer, if not any easier.

I'm not entirely sure you can have fewer abortions and fewer unwanted children born as a result of legalization. I mean, I suppose you could if you assumed that making abortion legal made more of the people who gave birth actually want their children, or the decrease in the number of abortions was from a group that actually did want their children but got abortions anyway only so long as it was illegal.

 

To be clear, I'm firmly pro-choice, but at first blush those two outcomes seem contradictory.

[Phi for All]

I'm not entirely sure you can have fewer abortions and fewer unwanted children born as a result of legalization. I mean, I suppose you could if you assumed that making abortion legal made more of the people who gave birth actually want their children, or the decrease in the number of abortions was from a group that actually did want their children but got abortions anyway only so long as it was illegal.

 

To be clear, I'm firmly pro-choice, but at first blush those two outcomes seem contradictory.

 

Well, we have the crime statistics, and I remember reading that abortion rates were down in the US during the time of a 2001-2009 study. And I don't think it's unreasonable that fewer abortions and fewer unwanted children could happen simply because it's legal. Sometimes having choices takes pressure off the decision making process that allows one a form of clarity and perspective you can't get when you only see one way out.

[John Cuthber]

Well, the physical problems due to the surgery are generally relatively minor (and don't forget that the complications with birth can be severe).

 

The other issue is one of the mother's mental health.

the scientific research shows that such problems are rare.

 

 

"Major medical bodies have found that induced abortions do not cause mental-health problems, and that the risk of mental-health problems is equal whether an unplanned pregnancy is carried to term or terminated via abortion."

(from wiki)

 

Unfortunately, it's a topic where plenty of people are prepared to lie about it.

(ageni, from wiki)

"Despite the weight of medical opinion on the subject, some pro-life advocacy groups have continued to allege a link between abortion and mental-health problems.[12] Some pro-life groups have used the term "post-abortion syndrome" to refer to negative psychological effects which they attribute to abortion. However, "post-abortion syndrome" is not recognized as an actual syndrome by any medical or psychological organization,[13] and physicians and pro-choice advocates have argued that the effort to popularize the idea of a "post-abortion syndrome" is a tactic used by pro-life advocates for political purposes."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_and_mental_health

 

 

So, if you are planning to do any research in this field, be sure to check that any information you find on-line isn't a bunch of lies spread for political reasons.

Edited April 22, 2014 by John Cuthber

[Greg H.]

... I remember reading that abortion rates were down in the US during the time of a 2001-2009 study^[1].

Quoting myself from the other thread, in reference to PfA's comment:

 

 

According to the CDC¹, the abortion rate in the United States has actually declined from 2000 to 2009(the last year I could find a report for).

---

1: See Pazol, K, et. al. (2009) Abortion Surveillance - United States 2009, available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6108a1.htm

Edited April 22, 2014 by Greg H.

[Phi for All]

With our topic being about abortion, I think the most fascinating thing is the children involved. The person who chooses to have abortion is willing to give away their child which is a very hard thing to do. The mother is very passionate about her child but feels she is not ready to take care of this child. But the most fascinating part is the child because this mother has carried it in her stomach and maybe if she hadn’t had this operation, this child could have grown to become an amazing person like the next president or an entrepreneur, etc. At the end, the choice depends on the woman and it is her decision what she wants to do with her child.

 

Since these children could also have grown up to be a wife-beater, a mass-murderer or the next Bernie Madoff, I fail to see what is so fascinating about them. Potential works both ways, so there's no guarantee that a lump of cells that's arguably human at that point is going to automagically turn out "amazing".

 

 

Quoting myself from the other thread, in reference to PfA's comment:

 

Thanks, Greg H!

[Delta1212]

 

Since these children could also have grown up to be a wife-beater, a mass-murderer or the next Bernie Madoff, I fail to see what is so fascinating about them. Potential works both ways, so there's no guarantee that a lump of cells that's arguably human at that point is going to automagically turn out "amazing".

 

 

 

Thanks, Greg H!

Just out of curiosity, I compared abortion rates to birth rates for the same period 2000-2009.

 

The abortion rate (number of abortions per 1,000 women) fell by 7%. The birth rate (number of live births per 1,000 women) fell by 6%.

 

I'm wondering if increasing access to birth control, suppressing the birth rate and especially those pregnancies falling into the category of "unwanted," may have played the larger role in the drop in abortions, rather than the abortion being made legal having a suppressing effect 30 years on.

 

(Although looking at it from a cycle of poverty perspective, I suppose if the people whose children were mostly likely to grow up and get an abortion instead got abortions themselves at a higher rate after Roe v Wade, you'd ultimately see a negative trend in abortion rates generationally as a result).

[swansont]

 

I'm wondering if increasing access to birth control, suppressing the birth rate and especially those pregnancies falling into the category of "unwanted," may have played the larger role in the drop in abortions, rather than the abortion being made legal having a suppressing effect 30 years on.

 

 

That seems a reasonable conclusion. Abortion bans don't stop the, they just drive them underground.

 

What kills me is that those who want to reduce abortions are also against birth control being available. For some, it's apparently just the thought that someone is having sex that sets them off.

[Phi for All]

What kills me is that those who want to reduce abortions are also against birth control being available. For some, it's apparently just the thought that someone is having sex that sets them off.

 

I think it's the thought that someone is enjoying sex that sets them off.

 

If you follow the anti-choice rhetoric, it all seems aimed at these imaginary women who can't get enough sex, get pregnant every nine months and then use abortion as birth control. These seem to be part of the same group that sponges off welfare, never does a lick of decent work and probably came to the country illegally. Somehow they simultaneously have too many children getting benefits and also get too many abortions.

 

The anti-choice crowd makes a straw effigy to burn that's obviously not reflective of reality.

 

It's pretty much a program that says, "Stop treating sex like it's fun; you're doing unimaginable harm to me with the behavior you exhibit in private."

[imatfaal]

 

I think it's the thought that someone is enjoying sex that sets them off.

 

If you follow the anti-choice rhetoric, it all seems aimed at these imaginary women who can't get enough sex, get pregnant every nine months and then use abortion as birth control. These seem to be part of the same group that sponges off welfare, never does a lick of decent work and probably came to the country illegally. Somehow they simultaneously have too many children getting benefits and also get too many abortions.

 

The anti-choice crowd makes a straw effigy to burn that's obviously not reflective of reality.

 

It's pretty much a program that says, "Stop treating sex like it's fun; you're doing unimaginable harm to me with the behavior you exhibit in private."

 

 

It is becoming increasingly difficult to comprehend the legislative programme of certain bible-belt states without recourse to a mental perspective change to the mindset of an elderly man who isn't enjoying life anymore. In the words of Robin Williams "In more dire need.... "

[Greg H.]

It isn't difficult to comprehend at all as long as your first premise is that they think they have the right to legislate the morality of other people. After that it all makes a twisted kind of sense.

 

It still makes me want to climb in a hole and permanently seal the hatch after me, but ...

[Phi for All]

 

 

It is becoming increasingly difficult to comprehend the legislative programme of certain bible-belt states without recourse to a mental perspective change to the mindset of an elderly man who isn't enjoying life anymore. In the words of Robin Williams "In more dire need.... "

 

I think, for people who believe their morality is tied to their religion, it seems like everyone else are those people the preacher is always talking about, sinning their way to hell and falling prey to lustful urges. The "moral" folks elevate themselves above those sinners by behaving in certain ways, and then comparing their actions to those around them.

 

All of this makes it difficult to empathize with someone who is in a different set of circumstances.

 

To me, the whole argument pivots on a single point: It's not uncommon for anti-choice protesters outside an abortion clinic to sneak in the back way and have an abortion done on themselves. In every story I've heard like this, they justify their stance by saying their pregnancy was an accident, it's just this once, this isn't the right time for a child and they aren't like the other women who go to clinics like this.

 

Apparently, their hypocrisy knows no bounds. Either that or they just don't realize how common their problems are, and that there's no need moral judgement.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Phi for All
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