March 18, 2008
Mental health risks associated with abortion
Despite the current UK government's
seeming desire to plunge headlong
into as much babykilling as possible, there are a couple of interesting
developments on the pro-life front in Britain at the moment.
First, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has reversed its earlier
stance that abortion's mental health risks to the mother
were outweighed (before 24 weeks) by the relief of getting an abortion
when the mother found the pregnancy distressing.
Now they have announced, based on a review of the
literature, that the possible mental health risks of abortion are
significant enough that they need to be taken seriously and that the
whole question of the mental health risks associated with abortion
needs to be revisited, with possible changes to medical practice and
public policy.
I guess I am too skeptical to think that this study will have any serious effect. I can easily imagine the counter that will be used if this is given any real attention. It will all be put down to something like "Catholic guilt" or some form of religious guilt. Even for women who are non-believers who suffer from this it will be put down to societal mores that they unconsciously absorbed. If only society was totally open to the wonder of abortion then there would be nobody suffering these unneeded effects.
Though I would love to be wrong. It just doesn't matter what the real effects of abortion and contraception are. They will be seen as "necessary evils" required so that the culture can continue down the road of sexual promiscuity and avoidance of children.
Posted by Jeff Miller at March 18, 2008 06:18 PM | TrackBackWe'd noticed on the pro-life full-term anencephaly boards that the moms who carried their pregnancy to term (at which point the baby died of the birth defect) were less likely to end up on antidepressants and have marital troubles or marital dissolution. It was strange to us because doctors had promoted--to nearly all of us--that we should abort our babies because it would be easier on us in the long run.
Instead we found that having no regrets about our decisions and having had the time to bond with our babies and have everything we planned was really a comfort in the days after the baby died.
I understand this study was talking about women having abortions for reasons other than birth defects, but it makes sense that some of the same reasoning would apply. Women who "choose" abortion (either for birth defects or for social reasons) often feel they can't fully grieve "because that's what you chose, wasn't it?"
They're told the abortion is between them and their doctor and a medical procedure, whereas a woman who loses or makes an adoption plan for a full-term baby is treated as someone who is grieving.
The element of choice makes it seem that the woman should be happy with what she chose, and that creates an unrealistic expectation. The woman then has no support network and is forced to bury and inner feelings of anxiety because expressing them is seen as dangerous or counterproductive. In many cases, she may not even regret what she decided, but the grief is still real and still needs to be aired. In the absence of being aired, it becomes bigger until it impacts her mood and her mental state.
Posted by Jane email at March 19, 2008 10:39 AMThe Royal College of Psychiatrists needed another literature review to convince them that abortion has a negative effect on the mental health of women.
Huh?
I guess I'm still not used to how inured some people's minds are to the obvious. Or what you'd think would be obvious.
More people to pray for, these.
Posted by Margo email at March 20, 2008 12:22 PM
