Psychological Effects Of Abortion

Abortion is murder and it is already a crime to kill an innocent being. Mother Theresa once said that, “If a mother can kill her own child - what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me - there is nothing between” (Good Reads, 2001). It has already been said that abortion is the act of terminating pregnancy meaning that abortion stops the growth of living being from reaching completion. There is no way to sweet coat the idea of abortion being what it is, murder. Medical practitioners affirm that a foetus begins to have a heartbeat 3 weeks and 1 day after fertilization (EHD, n.d.). That means that a life has been produced. And so, when a mother goes ahead to make a decision to terminate her pregnancy, she is killing a life. It may be said

Research shows that the aftermath of abortion could include depression, sadness and regret. A study conducted in 2002 showed that women who committed abortions were 154% more likely to commit suicide than the women who carried their pregnancies for the full term (Reardon, et al., 2002). Other psychological side effects of abortion include nightmares or insomnia, eating disorders, loss of self-confidence, sense of loneliness or isolation, and even relationship issues (American Pregnancy Association, 2013). These statistics go ahead to prove that abortion should be banned because the aftermath of such an act is not such a pleasant experience. Such effects can affect the life of the woman afterwards. Guilt alone is a killer and the woman who has committed abortion will have to live with such guilt for the rest of her life. No matter the strength of such a woman, abortion causes a mental anguish that never truly goes away (Ross, n.d.). Women who have committed abortions do not only suffer mental or psychological effects but also stand at risk of suffering physical damage as well. In quite a number of cases, these women lose their lives in the process of abortion (Brown, 2013). Additional physical effects include excessive bleeding, haemorrhage, infection, or cervical damage which happens if the woman keeps committing abortion and which could lead to an “incompetent cervix” which may not be able to carry a later pregnancy and that can lead to a miscarriage or premature birth (Abortion Facts, n.d.). On the other hand, it is believed that abortion does not necessarily cause any mental or psychological problems and that most of the women already had psychological issues even before they committed abortion so whatever happened after the abortion had already been there. Such arguments have gone ahead to say that on the contrary, abortion enhances the psychological