Haley Jangard
English 2010
The Abortion Conflict; Know the side effects
“43% of women will have an abortion before the age of 45.” (Durrett, Deanne). With
numbers so common, we are led to believe that abortion must be a successful form of birth
control. Abortion is a private matter so it isn’t talked about in the public. Young girls usually
choose to rely on things they’ve heard through friends, popular media and other unreliable
sources. Many women don’t know what they’re getting themselves into when faced with the
decision of abortion. The true facts about how aborting a baby affects you have been hidden
behind the “ethical” debate. Nobody should tell you what to believe is right or wrong, but
everybody should have the chance to hear about the harmful side effects of abortion and how
that event permanently changes lives.
Abortion is extremely common among young adults, over 52% of women obtaining
abortions are under age 25. According to an anonymous undergraduate chemistry student,
“there is no reason why a woman should have to face all the consequences from something she
did not do alone. If a guy can get a woman pregnant and then run away, there is no reason why
she should be the one responsible for everything… I believe that it is best for a child to not be
born at all than to be born hated.” (Public Agenda Issue Guide: Abortion) Women have also
complained about the burden of a child, they don’t have the time or means to raise their baby.
Another serious issue is the case of rape or incest. Some people feel that in such cases abortion
should be used. In contrast to these pro-choice arguments, I believe that people should be
aware of the side effects of an abortion before obtaining one. In a survey given to 100 high
school students, a prochoice student said that “a woman’s choice to abort should not be
controlled by the government.” They stated that every woman has the right to determine the
circumstance of their lives, and that the United States shouldn’t tell a woman what to do with
her baby. With 5,728,612 abortions occurring worldwide each year (Health Statistics:
Abortions) there has to be a better solution of what we can do with these so called “unwanted
babies”. Without taking away women’s rights, it is still possible to make a change with what’s
currently happening with abortions. Although the popular belief is that abortion is the easy way
out, facts prove otherwise.
In a survey taken by me, from high school students, they were asked the following
questions; what is your stance on abortion? Are you aware of the side effects of abortion? And
do you know anyone under the age of 20 that has received an abortion? The results show that a
large amount of students knew of people receiving abortions, yet were unaware of the side
effects resulting from abortions. Out of 100 students, 40 said that they were unaware of the
side effects. This shows that young people may be getting themselves into a situation they
know little about because they are unaware of the dangers.
Many young women, especially teenagers, receive an abortion without knowing what
they are fully being faced with. In a desperate act to conceal the fact that they are pregnant,
many will abort the baby suddenly, without researching it. With such a permanent procedure it
would be better for a woman to be educated about the side effects of this decision. Having an
abortion has negative and irreversible effects on the body. One problem with the abortion
procedure is that it can lead to unfertilized eggs to remain in the fallopian tubes blocking them
off and requiring a painful operation to unblock them. An abortion can also result in a
weakened cervix, uterine scarring, and damage to the reproductive system. These are just a
handful of physical consequences of abortions; there are also some severe surgical side effects
that can lead to such extremes as infertility and death. Women don’t realize that they are
putting their own lives at risk. Though bleeding is normal for around 12 days after surgery,
risking tearing their cervix and uterus can cause serious excessive bleeding. This could cause the
need for a blood transfusion in order to control the bleeding. Also as the uterus has been
punctured, it is possible that the excessive bleeding may cause hemorrhaging. Another problem
associated with abortion is a woman’s later life after abortion, the probability of miscarriages,
stillbirths, premature babies, and infertility increase after an abortion (D'Silva, Roy).
The actual procedure has also been hidden from young women. According to Planned
Parenthood the procedure is uncomfortable and painful. The most common type of abortion
used by over 95% of aborters, occurs within the first 16 weeks of conception. It is known as the
“Aspiration Abortion” also called the “vacuum”. This procedure will last five to ten minutes, but
over an hour is needed for the recovery. First the uterus is examined by the health care
provider and a sedative is offered to relax the patient. A speculum is inserted into the vagina,
and then the numbing medication is injected into the cervix. The opening of the cervix is
stretched with dilators (thick rods). Then the doctor inserts a tube into the uterus and uses a
suction device to empty the uterus out. Following this, an instrument called a curette is used to
remove the remaining tissue that lines the uterus and checks that the uterus is empty. After the
abortion, women complain of having cervical bleeding, blood clots, and painful menstrual-like
cramps. This is only one of the procedures given. The longer you wait before receiving an
abortion the more difficult the procedure gets. Other methods include shots in the abdomen to
kill the fetus, more advanced medical equipment, injection with a burning fluid, medication to
induce labor and pass the fetus, and a longer healing time.
There are some unpleasant problems anticipated when following an abortion. Such
things as abdominal pain, nausea, and bleeding from the vagina are very likely to occur. These
are just the expected side effects. (Possible Physical Side Affects : American Pregnancy
Association) According to americanpregnancy.org, if you suffer from severe abdominal and
back pain that prohibits you from standing, bleeding that is heavier than your usual period,
foul-smelling discharge, a fever above 100.4 F, and continuing symptoms of pregnancy need to
see their doctor or seek medical attention immediately. This could be signs that something
severe went wrong while obtaining your abortion and can lead to death. But how common are
these negative effects? About 20% of women who have an abortion will suffer physical
consequences ranging from abdominal pain to death.
A friend of mine who had an abortion explained severe bleeding and extreme pain. She
was given Loritabs to numb the pain but even after taking the Loritab she was in excruciating
unexplainable pain. She describes that her pain was around her uterus and lower back, “It felt
like period cramps times 50, I threw up quite a few times.” she explains.
Another problem that is hidden from young women is that abortion also has emotional
side effects that will affect you for the rest of your life. One of the most common side effects is
Post-Abortion syndrome. This is all mental, but can lead to harming the victim physically as
well. Women who choose abortion are going deeply against their natural instincts to nurture
and care for their child. Due to going against what they know is right creates impacted grieving,
anxiety and a sense of hopelessness. There have been a number of women who have been
harmed or committed suicide due to this harmful side effect. Other mental side effects include
eating disorders, flashbacks, and depression. In an interview with Dr. Tom Barman, an internal
medicine doctor, he stated, “… that young women aren’t always aware of how they will react to
an abortion until years later. At a young age, it’s difficult to know how you will be affected by
losing a child and how you will feel about that decision when you’re older wanting children.
Some women will say that they have no regrets, but most women said they do. It’s impossible
to know how you will feel in the future so it’s better not to put yourself in the situation to begin
with.”
According to my same friend who chose abortion, right after the abortion she felt a
sense of relief, but a couple weeks later she started feeling guilty. She had continual thoughts
about regret and maybe she should have given it up for adoption. She goes on to explain that
she discussed the option of adoption to the father but he wouldn’t let her, he said she needed
to go through with an abortion. In contrast to Dr. Tom Barman my friend explains at this point
in her life she thinks it was probably the best choice for her and she doesn’t feel like she will
regret the decision later.
In an article written by Theresa Karminski Burke Ph.D. Psychotherapist she talks about
her experiences with women who have suffered with Post Abortion Syndrome. She tells an
example of the suffering from one of her patients, Donna Flemming. “One week after Donna
Fleming’s second abortion, depressed and distraught, Donna ‘heard voices’ in her head and
tried to kill herself and her two sons by jumping off a bridge in Long Beach, California. Donna
and her five-year old son were rescued; her two-year old son died…Donna claimed she tried to
kill herself and her other children in order to reunite her family.” Although this is an extreme
case, other women have complained of severe regret, inability to forget, irritability, panic
attacks, tremendous distress and horrific grief. (The Post abortion Review p.4) A recent report
from the Rhode Island Right to Live Organization “women who have abortions show higher
rates of mental health problems, depression, substance abuse and suicidal behaviors.” Women
turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the emotional pain. These are the facts young women
should be presented with.
There has to be a change with the current trend of abortion. The side effects of abortion
must be known. According to Womensissues.com, an organization formed to talk about
reproductive rights, they believe that one of the reasons abortion is such a common problem is
because, “Those who choose abortion are often minors or young women with insufficient life
experience to understand fully what they are doing. Many have lifelong regrets
afterwards.”(pro-life,p.1) If high schools and other educational institutions made the facts and
effects of abortion better known, young women might second guess their decisions to go with
the “easy way out.” There is also a change the government must make. With the current
abortion laws the government pays 14% of all abortions with public funds. (Abortion in the
United States) The government should be funding other measures such as education, and
contraceptive measures if the government wants to take a stand against “unwanted” children.
They should advertise and educate the minor population about the post-abortion side effects.
This would save women from getting into a situation they regret. Although Planned Parenthood
is funded by two thirds by the government, the side effects about abortion are still not being
exposed to the minor generation. If the abortion option is chosen, is in fact a very expensive
process. My friend explained, “It was $20 to take a mandatory class at Planned Parenthood,
then $425 for the actual abortion. I had to fill a prescription at Walmart for the Loritab and
nausea medicine that was another $15. It was about $460 for everything, not including the
drive to Ogden for the class and Salt Lake for the Actual abortion.”
Abortion is a difficult problem to solve because it has become such a personal and
controversial choice. We need to educate and inform young people by discussing these physical
and emotional side effects that can educate women before making this irreversible choice.
Dealing with an abortion is not an easy task. Teenagers especially need to be educated
before they are faced with pregnancy. With the stresses of being a young adult, some
teenagers are not in the position to research and make irreversible decisions on their own. To
reduce feelings of regret, and protect women from permanent damage or even death, young
women need to be better educated about this procedure. I feel like if my friend was educated
more on how to prevent this pregnancy it could have been prevented. While some people
believe that easy way out is to have an abortion, people need to understand what they’re
getting themselves into before making a choice that can affect them for the rest of their lives.
SOURCES
“Possible Physical Side Affects : American Pregnancy Association." Promoting Pregnancy
Wellness : American Pregnancy Association. 21 Feb. 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.americanpregnancy.org/unplannedpregnancy/possiblesideeffects.html>.
“Abortion in the United States — Infoplease.com." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac,
Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help.
— Infoplease.com. 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0904509.html>.
“Abortion." Telephone interview. 28 Apr. 2010
Durrett, Deanne. The Abortion Conflict: a Pro/con Issue. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow,
2000.
"What Happens During an Abortion - In-Clinic Abortion Cost." Planned Parenthood.
Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/in-clinicabortion-procedures-4359.asp>.
"Abortions (most Recent) by Country." NationMaster - World Statistics, Country
Comparisons. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_abo-healthabortions>.
D'Silva, Roy. "Anti-Abortion Arguments - Reasons Against Abortion." Buzzle Web Portal:
Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/antiabortionarguments-reasons-against-abortion.html>.
“Public Agenda Issue Guide: Abortion | Public Agenda." | Public Agenda. 20 Jan. 2011.
Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://publicagenda.org/citizen/issueguides/abortion>.