In the book Abortion: A Positive Decision, which I’ve quoted from before, an abortion provider says the following:
Abortion is something that we as women have to do to survive in this world… In some situations you see it as a Band-Aid solution. Often a woman will come in with so many issues, troubles, and problems with her life, and she needs so much. And all we can offer her is a sensitive, good abortion, quality abortion medically, emotionally, and psychologically. But it’s clear that so many of the women who come here need so much more.(1)
Many times, a woman seeking an abortion has problems that go well beyond her unplanned pregnancy. Women may choose abortion because of serious hardships in their lives. They may be experiencing domestic abuse, poverty, drug or alcohol dependency, homelessness, lack of resources, family turmoil, or other problems. Abortion does not solve these problems. The woman who is being sexually abused is aborted and sent back to her abuser. The woman who is experiencing domestic violence may be sent back to her unhealthy relationship. The woman taking drugs is left still trapped in her addiction. The woman who is struggling financially continues to struggle. Abortion eliminates the woman’s baby, but it does not eliminate her problems.
When an abortion facility kills a woman’s baby, it sends her home and has no further contact with her. In contrast, crisis pregnancy centers remain involved in the woman’s life and help her on an ongoing basis. These centers can work with women for years. They can help a woman find a place to live if she is homeless. They can support her through domestic abuse and try to find her a safe place to go. Some centers can help her find a job, offer job training, or help a woman apply for government programs that can help her until she gets back on her feet. They can help her overcome her problems. Unlike abortion facilities, crisis pregnancy centers stay involved in a woman’s life and actively try to meet her needs — sometimes for several years after her abortion.
Not only does abortion not help women with the problems they have, it often saddles women with new problems. Physical injuries after an abortion can include:
- hemorrhage
- infection
- ripped or perforated uterus
- cervical injury
- embolism
- anesthesia complications
- convulsions
- chronic abdominal pain
- cervical injury
- endotoxic shock
One study revealed up to 10 percent of women (one in ten) have medical problems after their abortions. Since the abortionist often does not treat these complications, even though he caused them, the woman must seek treatment on her own. Another study found that women who have abortions have 80-180 percent more doctor’s visits afterwards, compared to women who have not aborted. If the woman does not have health insurance, the extra medical care she needs can plunge her further into debt.
An abortion can also do great harm to a woman emotionally. Two studies in Finland, based on medical records, show that women who have abortions are 6-7 times more likely to commit suicide in the years following their abortion.
A different study showed a 154 percent higher suicide rate for women who had abortions compared to women who carried to term. (This was within eight years after an abortion.) Since abortion trauma can increase with time, or be triggered by a life event that happens many years later, the suicide rate might be even higher.
One study found that women who had abortions had a 64 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with clinical depression. The study controlled for factors such as age, race, education, marital status, history of divorce, income, and prior psychiatric state. Studies also show that post-abortive women seek treatment for mental health issues more frequently, and have double the rate of psychiatric hospitalizations.
Other studies have linked abortion with higher rates of anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and substance abuse.
Abortion does not improve women’s lives or solve women’s problems. Instead, it exacerbates them.
Source: Patricia Launneborg Abortion: A Positive Decision (New York: Bergin & Garvey, 1992) 179
