Questions and Answers about Abortion
Are you thinking about having an abortion or know someone who is?
- Abortion is a medical procedure
- Make sure that you are fully informed on the drugs given and the surgery performed during the abortion procedure.
- Know the side-affects, possible long-term affects, and the risks involved before making a decision. Many women undergo an abortion without finding out about the risks involved. You have the right to be fully informed on the medical procedure involved in an abortion.
There are risks associated with having an abortion
Abortion can have physical after-effects on a woman's body
These after-effects commonly include: - Intense bleeding
- Placental, Uterus, or Cervical Infection
- Reduced Fertility
- Increased risk of Breast Cancer
To learn more about abortion visit:
Family.org Pregnancy Information and Abortion Information Network
Abortion has emotional after-effects:
Guilt
Many women live with secret guilt for years after having an abortion. Whether she admits it to herself at the time of the abortion or later, unfortunately each women who has her baby aborted faces the fact that she has denied her child life.
Post Abortion Syndrome (PAS)
This syndrome is similar to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. PAS occurs when a woman's feelings of fear, anxiety, and pain about the abortion procedure itself are compounded by feelings of guilt and anguish about the death of their child. Her grief process over the loss of her child impacts her ability to move forward in her life.
Symptoms may include anxiety attacks, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, recurrent and intrusive thoughts about the abortion or the aborted child, and feelings of intense grief or depression on the due date of the aborted pregnancy or the anniversary date of the abortion.
If you or someone you know is emotionally upset over an abortion you have had, you can visit: Healing Hearts.org and After Abortion.org for helpful resources.
Abortion affects the father of the unborn child The father of the aborted child is often the forgotten entity in the abortion scenario. Interestingly adoption requires the consent of the birth father, but the consent of the birth father is not required for an abortion to be performed.
The father of the aborted baby often experiences emotional after-effects. Men can have feelings of powerlessness, remorse and guilt. If the father was against the abortion, he may feel powerless, remorse and guilt that he was unable to prevent the abortion. If the father pushed for the abortion, he may later regret having pressured the woman into denying their child life and feel guilt.
For more on a guys perspective visit: The Helpline.org and remember, Antioch Adoption counselors are available to talk with birth fathers and inform you of your rights.
Abortion is not a quick fix to an unwanted problem Abortion may seem to solve problems, but often it creates problems and other physical complications from the abortion procedure. Unfortunately, you cannot - even through abortion - go back to how things were before you got pregnant.
Any choice made about how to handle an unplanned pregnancy (abortion, parenting, or adoption) is a choice that you must make wisely as it has a great effect on the remainder of your life.
|
