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THE AFTEREFFECTS OF ABORTION
ABORTION AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE
In 1973, the United States Supreme Court struck down every
federal, state, and local law regulating or restricting the practice of abortion. This
action was based on the premise that the states no longer had any need to regulate
abortion because the advances of modern medicine had now made abortion "relatively
safe." Therefore, the Justices concluded, it is unconstitutional to prevent
physicians from providing abortions as a "health" service to women.34
National abortion policy is built upon this judicial
"fact" that abortion is a "safe" procedure. If this "fact"
is found to be false, then national policy toward abortion must be re-evaluated. Indeed,
if it is found that abortion may actually be dangerous to health of women, there is just
cause for governments to regulate or prohibit abortion in order to protect their citizens.
This is especially true since over 1.5 million women undergo abortions each year.
Since the Court's ruling in 1973, there have been many
studies into the aftereffects of abortion. Their combined results paint a haunting picture
of physical and psychological damage among millions of women who have undergone abortions.
THE PHYSICAL COMPLICATIONS OF ABORTION
National statistics on abortion show that 10% of women
undergoing induced abortion suffer from immediate complications, of which one-fifth (20%)
were considered major.9,11
Over one hundred potential complications have been associated
with induced abortion. "Minor" complications include: minor infections,
bleeding, fevers, chronic abdominal pain, gastro-intestinal disturbances, vomiting, and Rh
sensitization. The nine most common "major" complications are infection,
excessive bleeding, embolism, ripping or perforation of the uterus, anesthesia
complications, convulsions, hemorrhage, cervical injury, and endotoxic shock.23
In a series of 1,182 abortions which occurred under closely
regulated hospital conditions, 27 percent of the patients acquired post-abortion infection
lasting 3 days or longer.27
While the immediate complications of abortion are usually
treatable, these complications frequently lead to long-term reproductive damage of much
more serious nature.
For example, one possible outcome of abortion related
infections is sterility. Researchers have reported that 3 to 5 percent of aborted women
are left inadvertently sterile as a result of the operation's latent morbidity.33,23
The risk of sterility is even greater for women who are infected with a venereal disease
at the time of the abortion.30
In addition to the risk of sterility, women who acquire
post-abortal infections are five to eight times more likely to experience ectopic
pregnancies.7,20 Between 1970-1983, the rate of ectopic pregnancies in USA has
risen 4 fold.4 Twelve percent of all maternal deaths due to ectopic pregnancy.2
Other countries which have legalized abortion have seen the same dramatic increase in
ectopic pregnancies.14,30
Cervical damage is another leading cause of long term
complications following abortion. Normally the cervix is rigid and tightly closed. In
order to perform an abortion, the cervix must be stretched open with a great deal of
force. During this forced dilation there is almost always caused microscopic tearing of
the cervix muscles and occasionally severe ripping of the uterine wall, as well.
According to one hospital study, 12.5% of first trimester
abortions required stitching for cervical lacerations.31 Such attention to
detail is not normally provided at an outpatient abortion clinic. Another study found that
lacerations occurred in 22 percent of aborted women.1 Women under 17 have been
found to face twice the normal risk of suffering cervical damage due to the fact that
their cervixes are still "green" and developing.26,28
Whether microscopic or macroscopic in nature, the cervical
damage which results during abortion frequently results in a permanent weakening of the
cervix. This weakening may result in an "incompetent cervix" which, unable to
carry the weight of a later "wanted" pregnancy, opens prematurely, resulting in
miscarriage or premature birth. According to one study, symptoms related to cervical
incompetence were found among 75% of women who undergo forced dilation for abortion.32
Cervical damage from previously induced abortions increases
the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and complications of labor during later
pregnancies by 300 - 500 percent.12,15,19,33 The reproductive risks of abortion
are especially acute for women who abort their first pregnancies. A major study of first
pregnancy abortions found that 48% of women experienced abortion-related complications in
later pregnancies. Women in this group experienced 2.3 miscarriages for every one live
birth.19 Yet another researcher found that among teenagers who aborted their
first pregnancies, 66% subsequently experienced miscarriages or premature birth of their
second, "wanted" pregnancies.25
When the risks of increased pregnancy loss are projected on
the population as a whole, it is estimated that aborted women lose 100,000
"wanted" pregnancies each year because of latent abortion morbidity.23
In addition, premature births, complications of labor, and abnormal development of the
placenta, all of which can result from latent abortion morbidity, are leading causes of
handicaps among newborns.16 Looking at premature deliveries alone, it is
estimated that latent abortion morbidity results in 3000 cases of acquired cerebral palsy
among newborns each year. 23,33 Finally, since these pregnancy problems pose a
threat to the health of the mothers too, women who have had abortions face a 58 percent
greater risk of dying during a later pregnancy.23
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ABORTION
Researchers investigating post-abortion reactions report only
one positive emotion: relief. This emotion is understandable, especially in light of the
fact that the majority of aborting women report feeling under intense pressure to
"get it over with."8,23
Temporary feelings of relief are frequently followed by a
period psychiatrists identify as emotional "paralysis," or post-abortion
"numbness."18 Like shell-shocked soldiers, these aborted women are
unable to express or even feel their own emotions. Their focus is primarily on having
survived the ordeal, and they are at least temporarily out of touch with their feelings.
Studies within the first few weeks after the abortion have
found that between 40 and 60 percent of women questioned report negative reactions.3,23,35
Within 8 weeks after their abortions, 55% expressed guilt, 44% complained of nervous
disorders, 36% had experienced sleep disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision,
and 11% had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor.3
In one study of 500 aborted women, researchers found that 50
percent expressed negative feelings, and up to 10 percent were classified as having
developed "serious psychiatric complications."10
Thirty to fifty percent of aborted women report experiencing
sexual dysfunctions, of both short and long duration, beginning immediately after their
abortions.23,8 These problems may include one or more of the following: loss of
pleasure from intercourse, increased pain, an aversion to sex and/or males in general, or
the development of a promiscuous life-style.
Up to 33 percent of aborted women develop an intense longing
to become pregnant again in order to "make up" for the lost pregnancy, with 18
percent succeeding within one year of the abortion.23,22,29 Unfortunately, many
women who succeed at obtaining their "wanted" replacement pregnancies discover
that the same problems which pressured them into having their first abortion still exist,
and so they end up feeling "forced" into yet another abortion.
In a study of teenage abortion patients, half suffered a
worsening of psychosocial functioning within 7 months after the abortion. The immediate
impact appeared to be greatest on the patients who were under 17 years of age and for
those with previous psychosocial problems. Symptoms included: self-reproach, depression,
social regression, withdrawal, obsession with need to become pregnant again, and hasty
marriages. 29
The best available data indicates that on average there is a
five to ten year period of denial during which a woman who was traumatized by her abortion
will repress her feelings.23,24 During this time, the woman may go to great
lengths to avoid people, situations, or events which she associates with her abortion and
she may even become vocally defensive of abortion in order to convince others, and
herself, that she made the right choice and is satisfied with the outcome. In reality,
these women who are subsequently identified as having been severely traumatized, have
failed to reach a true state of "closure" with regard to their experiences.
Repressed feelings of any sort can result in psychological
and behavioral difficulties which exhibit themselves in other areas of one's life. An
increasing number of counselors are reporting that unacknowledged post-abortion distress
is the causative factor in many of their female patients, even though their patients have
come to them seeking therapy for seemingly unrelated problems.13,17
Other women who would otherwise appear to have been satisfied
with their abortion experience, are reported to enter into emotional crisis decades later
with the onset of menopause or after their youngest child leaves home.6,21
Numerous researchers have reported that postabortion crises
are often precipitated by the anniversary date of the abortion or the unachieved "due
date."23,29 These emotional crises may appear to be inexplicable and
short-lived, occurring for many years until a connection is finally established during
counseling sessions.
A 5 year retrospective study in two Canadian provinces found
that 25% of aborted women made visits to psychiatrists as compared to 3% of the control
group.5
Women who have undergone post-abortion counseling report over
100 major reactions to abortion. Among the most frequently reported are: depression, loss
of self-esteem, self-destructive behavior, sleep disorders, memory loss, sexual
dysfunction, chronic problems with relationships, dramatic personality changes, anxiety
attacks, guilt and remorse, difficulty grieving, increased tendency toward violence,
chronic crying, difficulty concentrating, flashbacks, loss of interest in previously
enjoyed activities and people, and difficulty bonding with later children.23,24
Among the most worrisome of these reactions is
the increase of self-destructive behavior among aborted women. In a survey of over 100
women who had suffered from post-abortion trauma, fully 80 percent expressed feelings of
"self-hatred." In the same study, 49 percent reported drug abuse and 39 percent
began to use or increased their use of alcohol. Approximately 14 percent described
themselves as having become "addicted" or "alcoholic" after their
abortions. In addition, 60 percent reported suicidal ideation, with 28 percent actually
attempting suicide, of which half attempted suicide two or more times.24
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. "Abortion in Hawaii", Family Planning
Perspectives (Winter 1973) 5(1):Table 8.
2. "Annual Ectopic Totals Rose Steadily in 1970's But
Mortality Fell", Family Planning Perspectives (1983) vol.15,p.85.
3. Ashton,"They Psychosocial Outcome of Induced
Abortion", British Journal of Ob&Gyn.(1980),vol.87,p1115-1122.
4. Atrash, et.al., "Ectopic Pregnancy in the United
States, 1970-1983" MMRW, Center for Disease Control, vol.35, no.2ss9.29ss.
5. Badgley,et.al.,Report of the Committee on the Operation
of the Abortion Law(Ottawa:Supply and Services,1977) pp.313-321.
6. Cavenar, et.al., "Psychiatric Sequelae of Therapeutic
Abortions", North Carolina Medical Journal (1978),vol.39.
7. Chung, et.al. Effects of Induced Abortion on Subsequent
Reproductive Function and Pregnancy Outcome, University of Hawaii (Honolulu, 1981).
8. Francke, The Ambivalence of Abortion (New York:
Random House, 1978).
9. Frank, et.al., "Induced Abortion Operations and Their
Early Sequelae", Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners (April
1985), vol.35,no.73,pp175-180.
10. Friedman,et.al.,"The Decision-Making Process and the
Outcome of Therapeutic Abortion", American Journal of Psychiatry (December 12,
1974), vol.131,pp1332-1337.
11. Grimes and Cates, "Abortion: Methods and
Complications", Human Reproduction, 2nd ed., 796-813.
12. Harlap and Davies, "Late Sequelae of Induced
Abortion: Complications and Outcome of Pregnancy and Labor", American Journal of
Epidemiology (1975), vol.102,no.3.
13. Heath,"Psychiatry and Abortion",Canadian
Psychiatric Association Journal (1971), vol.16, pp55-63)
14. Hilgers, "The Medical Hazards of Legally Induced
Abortion," in Hilgers and Horan, eds., Abortion and Social Justice(New York:
Sheed and Ward, 1972).
15. Hogue,"Impact of Abortion on Subsequent
Fecundity", Clinics in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (March 1986), vol.13,no.1.
16. Hogue, Cates and Tietze, "Impact of Vacuum
Aspiration Abortion on Future Childbearing: A Review", Family Planning
Perspectives (May-June 1983),vol.15, no.3.
17. Kent, et al., "Bereavement in Post-Abortive Women: A
Clinical Report", World Journal of Psychosynthesis (Autumn-Winter 1981),
vol.13,nos.3-4.
18. Kent, et.al., "Emotional Sequelae of Therapeutic
Abortion: A Comparative Study", presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian
Psychiatric Association at Saskatoon, Sept. 1977.
19. Lembrych, "Fertility Problems Following Aborted
First Pregnancy",eds.Hilgers, et.al., New Perspectives on Human Abortion
(Frederick, Md.: University Publications of America, 1981).
20. Levin, et.al., "Ectopic Pregnancy and Prior Induced
Abortion", American Journal of Public Health (1982), vol.72,p253.
21. Mattinson, "The Effects of Abortion on a
Marriage",1985 Abortion: Medical Progress and Social Implications,(Ciba
Foundation Symposium, London: Pitman, 1985).
22. Pare and Raven,"Follow-up of Patients Referred for
Termination of Pregnancy",The Lancet(1970) vol.1,pp635-638.
23. Reardon, Aborted Women-Silent No More, (Chicago:
Loyola University Press, 1987).
24. Reardon,"Criteria for the Identification of High
Risk Abortion Patients: Analysis of An In-Depth Survey of 100 Aborted Women",
Presented at the 1987 Paper Session of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research,
Denver.
25. Russel, "Sexual Activity and Its Consequences in the
Teenager", Clinics in Ob&Gyn, (Dec. 1974). vol.1,no.3,pp683-698.
26. Schulz, et.al., "Measures to Prevent Cervical Injury
During Suction Curettage Abortion", The Lancet (May 28, 1983),pp1182-1184.
27. Stallworthy, "Legal Abortion, A Critical Assessment
of Its Risks", The Lancet (December 4, 1971) pp1245-1249.
28. Wadhera, "Legal Abortion Among Teens,
1974-1978", Canadian Medical Association Journal (June 1980),
vol.122,pp1386-1389.
29. Wallerstein,et.al., "Psychosocial Sequelae of
Therapeutic Abortion in Young Unmarried Women", Archives of General Psychiatry
(1972) vol.27.
30. Wilke, Abortion: Questions and Answers,(Cincinnati,
Hayes Publishing Co., 1985).
31. Wilke, Handbook on Abortion, (Cincinnati, Hayes
Publishing Co., 1979).
32. Wren, "Cervical Incompetence--Aetiology and
Management", Medical Journal of Australia (December 29, 1973), vol.60.
33. Wynn and Wynn, "Some Consequences of Induced
Abortion to Children Born Subsequently", British Medical Journal (March 3,
1973), and Foundation for Education and Research in Child Bearing (London, 1972).
34. United States Supreme Court, Roe v Wade, U.S. Reports,
October Term, 1972, 149,163.
35. Zimmerman, Passage Through Abortion (New York:
Praeger Publishers, 1977).
Copyright 1990 Elliot Institute, David C. Reardon , text from a brochure
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