Psychological And Emotional Effects On Abortion example essay topic

Introduction: A lot of people throughout the world have different views on abortion. People view it differently, some view it as the killing of a human life while others view it as a normal part of life and as something that is just meant to be. It is quite obvious that abortion has more of an effect on the mother than on anyone else. 'Abortion' means the premature expulsion of a fetus and 'effect' means the result of a cause or action by some agent.

This essay will be looking into the various methods of abortion, medical, emotional and psychological effects of abortion. Methods of Abortion: The two main types of abortion methods are the early abortion method and the late term abortion method. The early abortion method is performed in the first trimester and the late term abortion method is performed during the second trimester. 89% of abortions are performed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (Alan Guttmacher Institute's Issues in Brief). This comes to show that there is a high percentage of women who decide on an early abortion.

Early abortion methods include Vacuum aspiration abortion, in which the women's cervix is dilated and a thin, flexible tube is inserted into the womb. The baby is torn from the womb by suction, often into pieces, into a container. Another early abortion method is Dilation and Curettage (D&C). It is similar to the suction aspiration abortion except that a loop-shaped knife or curette cuts the baby as it is being suctioned from the womb. This is the most well known method of abortion. RU-486 is an early drug abortion method, a method of abortion using drugs.

Its effect is to block the use of an essential hormonal nutrient by the newly-implanted baby, who then dies, and drops off. It has an effect only when the baby is at least two to three weeks old. Another early drug abortion method is the Salt poisoning. In this method a strong salt solution is directly injected into the amniotic fluid. The baby breathes and swallows it, is poisoned, struggled and sometimes even convulsed. The mother gives birth to a dead child two days later.

The last early abortion method is Methotrexate, which is a treatment for cancer and arthritis. It stops the baby's cells from dividing. Some late term abortion methods are Dilation and Extraction (D&E) In this method the cervix is dilated using a gradually expanding material. A curette is then used to dismember the child, the head is crushed and the baby is then removed from the women via forceps. It is done over a 2-3 day period. Another late term abortion method is the D&X or the partial birth method.

This method allows the cervix to be dilated for the passing of ring forceps. A foot or lower leg is located and pulled into the vagina. The baby is extracted in breech fashion until the head is just inside the cervix. The baby's legs hang outside the women's body. With the baby face down, scissors are plunged into the baby's head at the nape of the neck and spread open to enlarge the wound. A suction top is inserted and the baby's brain is removed.

The skull collapses and the baby is delivered. This is the most commonly preformed late term abortion method. Only by understanding the various methods of abortion will it be easy to understand the medical, emotional and psychological effects of it. Medical Effects: There are numerous medical effects for abortions.

Death tops the list. Legal abortion is reported as the fifth leading cause of maternal death. The leading causes of abortion related deaths are hemorrhage, infection, embolism, anesthesia and undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies. Another high risk medical effect of abortion is breast cancer. For women aborting a first pregnancy, the risk of breast cancer doubles and is multiplied with two or more abortions (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, October 1996). Other types of cancer that are co-related with abortions are cervical, ovarian and liver cancer.

Women with one abortion face a 2.3% risk of cervical cancer when compared to non-aborted women. Similar elevated risks of ovarian and liver cancer have also been linked to single and multiple abortions. Uterine perforation is another medical effect of abortion. Uterine damage may result in complications in later pregnancies and may eventually evolve into problems which require a hysterectomy, which itself may result in a number if additional complications and injuries including osteoporosis. It is to be noted that uterine perforation can also be caused in normal pregnancies during delivery. Another medical effect is placenta previa.

This causes abnormal development of the placenta due to uterine damage, increases the risk of fetal malformation, prenatal death, and excessive bleeding during labor. One of the most common medical effects of abortion are Pelvic inflammatory disease or PID. It is potentially a life threatening disease which can lead to an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy and reduced fertility. Normally signs of PID start to show 4 weeks after a first trimester abortion. Abortion also increases the risk of HIV infection. Women have an increased risk of 172% of HIV infection after an abortion.

Researchers are 99% confident with this result. "Significantly higher prevalence's of infection [HIV-1] were associated with induced abortion (0.49%) than with delivery (0.18%) " (European Journal of Epidemiology, Deliveries, abortion and HIV-1 infection in Rome, 1989-1994). In general one abortion, 95% of the time, leads to multiple abortions or can lead to the birth of handicapped newborns in later pregnancies. Repeat abortion is also associated with the increase in low birth weight and short gestation when compared with either one live birth or one abortion (World Health Organization, Special Program of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction: 7th Annual Report, Geneva, 11/78). Moreover abortion is linked to behavioral changes such as smoking, drug abuse, and eating disorders which all contribute to increased risks of health problems. Psychological Effects: A post abortion study of patients showed that 8 weeks after their abortion 44% complained of nervous disorders, 36% had experienced sleeping disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision and 11% had been prescribed with psychotropic medicine by their family doctors (web).

Repression, is used by many post aborted women, as a coping mechanism. There may be a long period of denial before a woman seeks psychiatric care. Therefore, these repressed feelings may cause psychosomatic illnesses and psychiatric or behavioral problems in other areas of her life. A random study showed that 19% of post-abortion women suffer from diagnosable post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD or PAS). Not all, but some of these women showed a high level of stress and avoidance behavior relative to their abortion experiences. PTSD is a psychological dysfunction which results from a traumatic experience which overwhelms a person's normal defense mechanisms resulting in intense fear, feelings of helplessness, being trapped, or loss of control.

PTSD results when the traumatic event causes the hyperarousal of "flight or fight" defense mechanisms. The hyperarousal causes these defense mechanisms to become disorganized, disconnected from present circumstances, and take on a life of their own resulting in abnormal behavior and major personality disorders. Women may experience abortion as a traumatizing event for many reasons. The fear, anxiety, pain and guilt associated with the procedure are mixed into the perception that they are violently killing heir own child. The major symptoms of PTSD are classified under 3 headings: hyperarousal, intrusion and constriction. Hyperarousal is when a person is on permanent alert for threat of danger.

Symptoms include exaggerated startle responses, anxiety attacks, irritability, out bursts of anger or rage, aggressive behavior, difficulty concentrating, ect. Intrusion is when the person re experiences the traumatic even at unwanted times. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares and recurrent and intrusive thoughts, etc. Constriction is the numbing of emotional resources. It is an attempt to deny and avoid negative feelings. Symptoms are inability to recall the traumatic experience, efforts to avoid activities that might include recollections about the event, withdrawal from relationships, efforts to deny thoughts or feelings about the event, etc.

The psychological effects of abortion may also cause suicidal ideation, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, increase smoking, eating disorders, child abuse, etc. It could also lead to repeat abortions. Emotional Effects: The emotion most women experience after abortion is relief. Because of the abrupt hormonal changes caused by abortion some women experience short term anger, regret, guilt or sadness. After abortion most women who feel a brief sadness or other negative feeling recover very quickly. Emotional effects are therefore linked with psychological effects.

A recent study showed that after an abortion 92% or women had 'emotional deadening' (Reported either as feeling less in touch with their emotions or feeling a need to stifle their emotions). 86% of women increased their anger and rage rate. 48% reported that they became more violent when they got angry. 86% became self conscious that other people would become aware of their abortion.

82% of women felt lonely and isolated. 75% had less confidence. If a woman does have prolonged feelings of sadness, guilt or depression it is important for her to talk about her feelings with a councilor. Conclusion: There are many effects of abortion on mothers'. There are various methods available for abortions. The two main types being the early abortion method and the late term abortion method.

The medical effects of abortion can be cured at times and at other times it leads to death. Some of the medical effects can also be caused in regular pregnancies during the deliveries. The psychological and emotional effects are somewhat similar. There is a link between the two effects. The most common psychological disorder is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This can sometimes lead to death as well.

Emotional effects tend to increase the anger rate in women. By opting for abortion, the mother is putting her life into risk that can sometimes lead to death. Therefore I feel that abortion is not the answer. There are so many other solutions that can be chosen. Annotated Bibliography Abortions: All sides of the issue. (Online) Available web May 12 2003 This website is intended for a general audience.

Its purpose is to answer the questions and clear the doubts of any age group. The authors of this website have diverse beliefs about this topic and so they try to present both sides of the issue. This website gives a lot of information about the methods of abortion and yearly facts on abortion. It even has public opinion polls. Methods of abortion. (Online) Available web May 12 2003 This website in intended for the Christian audience.

The authors of this website are anti-abortionists. The website has a lot of information about the different methods of abortion. It also has a list of some abortion clinics. Davis, John. Abortion and the Christian: What every believer should know. New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1984 This book was written by John Jefferson Davis who is a professor of systematic theology and Christian ethics.

This book is for readers that want to know what Christianity has to do with abortion. Including this, the book has some medical effects and facts on abortion. Psychological and emotional effects on abortion. (Online) Available web May 13 2003 This website is intended for women who have just had an abortion or for an audience that have questions about the aftermath of abortions. It suggests some remedies of what women can do to heal themselves mentally after an abortion.