Preview

Post Abortion Stress Syndrome

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1243 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Post Abortion Stress Syndrome
In America, 24% of all pregnancies end in abortion annually. Further, 46 million babies are aborted worldwide each year. (French, 2009) These figures are made all the more weighty by a third statistic: 98% of all abortions are because of a personal choice. 98 out of 100 aborted babies were unwanted or an inconvenience to the mother. Setting aside personal pro-life or pro-choice preferences, what kind of affects does an abortion have on the mother of the aborted baby? That decision can’t be easy to make even if the baby is an “inconvenience” and many ex-mothers claim to experience nervous disorders, loss of sleep and depression, increased substance abuse, suicidal behaviors, and guilt about prematurely terminating the life of their baby. These symptoms have been given the name “Post Abortion Stress Syndrome”. Studies haven’t been able to exactly pinpoint whether or not this disorder really exists, they have had mixed results thus far. Having said that, the bulk of studies and research have found that there doesn’t appear to be an actual mental illness associated solely with abortion.

A little background on the legal issue surrounding abortion: the pro-life/ pro-choice battle has been raging for decades, especially since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. (The OYEZ, 2006) This court battle eventually gave women the freedom to choose the fate of their baby during the first trimester of pregnancy (first 12 weeks after last day of last menstrual period) and during the second and third trimesters, it was up to the individual state to decide. Many considered this a great leap forward in women’s rights, while others considered it a great leap back. This decision sparked many heated debates that are ongoing and no one seems to be able to find a happy medium with this issue.

Despite extensive research that has been done to prove or disprove the theory of Post Abortion Stress Syndrome, there hasn’t been a solid answer yet. (Robinson and others, 2009)


Cited: " Abortion Statistics - Voice of Revolution." Voice of Revolution » The online magazine from the ministry of Dr. Michael Brown. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://www.voiceofrevolution.com/2009/01/18/abortion-statistics/>. Fergusson, D., Horwood, L., & Ridder, E. (n.d.). Abortion in young women and subse... [J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2006] - PubMed - NCBI. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1 Koop, CE. "Post abortion syndrome: myth or reality? [Health Matrix. 1989] - PubMed - NCBI."National Center for Biotechnology Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubme Robinson, G. E., & others. (n.d.). Is There an “Abortion Trauma Syndrome”? Critiquing the Evidence, Harvard Review of Psychiatry, Informa Healthcare . Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/ Russo, N. F., & Zierk, K. L. (n.d.). Concordia University. Concordia University. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cu-portland.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=8&sid=e92b4cd6-84f0-4d23-9f5b-74a90f929ff4%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=pdh&AN=pro-23-4 The OYEZ. (2006). The supreme court | pbs. In Thirteen/WNET New York. Retrieved from http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1971/1971_70_18
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Issue Of Abortion In The United States
    • 308 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Issue Of Abortion In The United States

    67% of women who have a late-term abortion experience post traumatic stress disorder, also known as "PTSD". Women who have an abortion may also experience suicidal thoughts, mood disorders, social anxiety, alcohol abuse, or other substance abuse. "Additionally, women having later abortions were more likely to report having disturbing dreams, reliving the abortion, having trouble sleeping and experiencing intrusion, a PTSD symptom that involves having recurring memories, flashbacks or hyperactivity when confronted with reminders of the trauma.", says the experts at…

    • 308 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Abortion in the United States
    • 1912 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Abortion in the United States

    When evaluating risk, one should take in account of women’s feelings after an abortion. Feelings of depression and anxiety is something woman feel prior, and of course afterwards. Women sometimes choose abortions because of medical issues with the babies, or horrifying circumstances leading to the unwanted pregnancy. Henry P. David, PhD stated…

    • 1912 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Roe V Wade: Pro-Life (Mla Format)
    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Roe V Wade: Pro-Life (Mla Format)

    The debate on abortion is one that still to this day has been constantly argued. This argument can be historically dated back to 1973, where a popular case was brought into the Supreme Court. This was the Roe V Wade case, which legalized abortions in “abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without restrictions and with restrictions in later months” (Lewis). Jane Roe was the alias for Norma McCorvery. She was the one arguing that in Texas there should be abortions allowed due to the protection of her rights as well as many other women that she was speaking for. The argument of abortion, however, works well beyond just the “rights” of the women wanting it. There is death involved as well as responsibilities that apparently many women aren’t ready for. However there are certain circumstances in which the pregnancy might not have been exactly planned or the child wouldn’t be safe in the living conditions of its parents. In this case, abortion should still not be looked at instead adoption should be thought about. The Roe V Wade case should be reconsidered to only have an abortion done if it was absolutely vital to the person asking for it.…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Free Abortion Essays: Pro-Life
    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Free Abortion Essays: Pro-Life

    They may also argue that that ten percent of women who go through a full-term pregnancy develop a mood disorder or even depression (pro action league); However, according to psychology today having an abortion could cause even worse effects such as Post Abortion Stress Syndrome which are the psychological aftereffects of abortion (Susanne Babbel Ph.D., M.F.T). Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) symptoms would be depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts. Studies have even shown that 40-60 percent of women get Post Abortion Stress Syndrome within the first few weeks after abortion (studentsforlife.org).…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mental Health And Abortion Summary
    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Mental Health And Abortion Summary

    The APA Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion now believe that a women’s first abortion and her mental health have nothing to do with each other. This group of people started collecting and analyzing information on mental health of women after an abortion in 2006.…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Abortion Exploratory
    • 2280 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Abortion Exploratory

    Kimport, Katrina, Kira Foster, and Tracy A. Weitz. “Social Sources of Women’s Emotional Difficulty After Abortion: Lessons from Women’s Abortion Narratives.” Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health 43.2 (2011):103-109. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct 2011.…

    • 2280 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Essay On Partial Birth Abortion
    • 1780 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Essay On Partial Birth Abortion

    Do you think that Partial-Birth Abortion is a type of murder? Do you think the women going through this termination method of abortion are doing their baby a favor? Why would anyone willingly carry a baby for nine months if all they're going to do is go through with an abortion using the (PBA) method? This method is traumatizing to the mother both physically and more importantly psychologically. I think the psychological damage is more devastating than the physical. Psychological scars can take years to heal, and in some cases may never heal. When we think of psychological damage, we often ignore the fact that it is really a combination of trauma done to both the physical and mental…

    • 1780 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cons Of Abortion
    • 1796 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cons Of Abortion

    Many women experience physical and psychological complications after they have had an abortion. This leads to complications in their behavior and therefore many consider the care of a psychiatric or physician. Statistics prove that the risks of Physical problems among women who have aborted at least once are high. Approximately 10% of women undergoing abortion will have to suffer immediate abortions and about 2% of them are life threatening. Death is a very serious issue for all women considering abortions. Legal abortion is reported as the fifth leading cause of maternal death . Statistics prove that women who have had an abortion are four times more likely to die in the following year than ones that have carried their pregnancies to term are. Abortion is also clearly linked to a dramatic increase in suicide risk. Between 7 to 30% of all women who have aborted have been reported to attempt suicide. In Canada a study of government funded medical programs showed that 41% of women had to receive psychological treatment after having an abortion. Putting death and suicide aside, there are many other problems that one may have to suffer from. Facing complications in labor and having handicapped newborns. Statistics show that women who have "aborted once are two to three times more likely to having a pre term delivery" Not only does…

    • 1796 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Abortion Should Be Illegal
    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On Abortion Should Be Illegal

    After an abortion women can experience heavy bleeding, pain, fever, continuation signs of pregnancy. Some women can never conceive another child as long as they live after their first abortion. If a woman has the same exact symptoms as a pregnant woman, why have an abortion? Some women go in deep depression, and might have the temptation to commit suicide. The psychological trauma following the temptation to commit suicide may come from the sense of regret, anger, guilt, shame, sense of loneness or isolation, loss of self-confidence, insomnia, nightmares, relationship issues, eating disorder or…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Roe V. Wade Case Analysis
    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Roe V. Wade Case Analysis

    in 2011. In an article of MAY 29, 2014, Michael Stokes Paulsen, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, affirmed about the Roe v. Wade case, “After nearly four decades, Roe’s human death toll stands at nearly sixty million human lives, a total exceeding the Nazi Holocaust, Stalin’s purges, Pol Pot’s killing fields, and the Rwandan genocide combined. Over the past forty years, one-sixth of the American population has been killed by abortion (Paul Stark). Besides the social facts that this case brought, it is interesting to also consider the effects that an abortion is most likely to have on a woman. According to 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 (David C. Reardon).” Moreover, researches founded that within eight after the abortion, 55 percent of the women expressed feeling of guilt, 44 percent accused nervous disorders, 36 percent had suffer sleep disturbances, 31 percent had regrets about their decision, and 11 percent had started taking psychotropic medicine (David C.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Negative Effects Of Post Abortion
    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Negative Effects Of Post Abortion

    Abortion could lead to mental and emotional health problems. For example it could lead to post abortion syndrome. “Common side effects of post abortion syndrome are thoughts of post abortion syndrome are thoughts of self-harm and suicide, increase in dangerous activities, depression, inability to perform normal self-care activities, difficulty sleeping, panic disorders, eating disorders, codependency, abusive parenting, or overprotective parenting, compulsivity…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Should Abortion Be Illegal?
    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Should Abortion Be Illegal?

    It may be strange to hear that abortions can help a mother's mental health seeing as many consider it a sin. It is reported that some women feel a sense of relief after having an abortion; however they should…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Abortion Should Be Legal Essay
    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Abortion Should Be Legal Essay

    Abortion is a topic has split people into two different sides. Pro-choice where women are believed to have a choice in whether they want to go through with their pregnancy, and then the people that make up Pro-life, where they believe abortion should be illegal. Pro-choice seems to be more focused on the status of the mother. They focus in on the aspects, such as her age, income, and if she is truly ready to take on this huge life experience. States should not be able to determine whether or not abortion clinics should be allowed in their cities and towns because this can cause great amounts of stress on the women who are trying to get an abortion.…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Abortion Affect Relationships
    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Does Abortion Affect Relationships

    Abortion can significantly affect each relationship a women has; not only is her relationship with her partner influenced, so are her relationships with other individuals in her family and friends. After a premature birth, the rate of marital breakups is anywhere between 40 to 75%. This is often identified with the malfunction of intimacy and trust. Furthermore, numerous ladies experiment sorrow, blame, and anger related to feelings of having been let down by their partner, which, thus, leads to communication problems and sexual dysfunction. If their partners changed their mind about having and abortion, women tend to feel outraged and betrayed, and men, ordinarily, feel lost control and pride particularly if they were not consulted. Sherman…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Thesis Example
    • 5567 Words
    • 23 Pages

    Thesis Example

    This research entitled “Effects of Illegal Abortion” was prepared by Rowena Louise V. Eustaquio and hereby submitted for approval.…

    • 5567 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics