Abortion Quest

[cae_raven]

I had a conversation today about abortion, and heard the 'fact' that having an abortion causing damage to the woman. I was skeptical of this remark and decided to find out whether it was true or not. To my frustration, or lack of patience, I couldn't find that information anywhere. While in my quest to find this out, my curiousity expanded to more, wanting to find a list somewhere that could tell me not just that which I've mentioned already, but something that could give me lots of good information in the form of pros and cons. I want to just sorta learn what I can about this ethical controversy.

My solution was to come here.

So, I'm asking anyone who feels like they want to help me to give me the information I'm seeking, in any form you guys can find.

Thanks to anyone who sends me stuff.

[Inverse Icarus]

abortion morally hurts the woman. filthy wh0re.

[St Leo]

You cannot find any information because no damage is actually caused.

[Victor Galis]

Probably depends on the method in which the abortion is performed. When abortions are made illegal, all sorts of methods are used that aren't safe.

[Shi Huangdi]

It can cause mental trauma to the woman.

[Timexwatch]

I'm not a Doctor, but doesn't an abortion (and a miscarriage for that matter), wreak havoc on the hormones and body chemistry for a respectable amount of time?

[Q Classic]

by that token, so does hrt, and birth control. as does the removal of the ovaries, and antidepressants.

anything can wreak havoc with body chemistry for a good long time.

that doesn't stop people from using it or thinking that it's a good thing...

abortions these days are performed in sterile conditions, though. which is better, i suppose, than using a coat hanger, or ingesting various poisons to induce a miscarriage.

[Dinner]

I'm sure the old coat hanger trick has to cause scaring. Of course if you go to a real hospital then I doubt there is any long term physical damage.

[Ben Kenobi]

the 'fact' that having an abortion causing damage to the woman. I was skeptical of this remark and decided to find out whether it was true or not. To my frustration, or lack of patience, I couldn't find that information anywhere.

Most of the references are to several studies, that I have also referred to in my work. One based in Finland shows women who abort are more likely to commit suicide than women who carry to term, and others that assess psychological reactions to abortion by polling women who have had abortions.

Here are the links that I can find,

http://www.priestsforlife.org/postabortion/postabortionmaster.htm

http://www.abortionfacts.com/PAS/PAS.asp

Both contain lots of links to the studies prolifers cite in favour of Post-abortion syndrome, in one place rather than having to look all over for them.

Hope that helps.

[C0ckney]

i'd say the damage is more mental/emotional than physical. i have 3 friends who had that decision to make, 2 of them chose to abort, one chose to have the baby. while, thankfully, no one suffered any physical side effects, the one who had the baby is certainly better off, both mentally and emotionally, than the others.

not that, that is evidence of anything, just my personal experiance.

[chequita guevara]

A small number of studies have claimed that abortion leads to a small increase in breast cancer risks.

In a straight comparison, however, abortion is less likely to result in death or serious injury than carrying a child to term.

Because of of the moralizing of the anti-women crowd, women who have abortion are very likely to feel guilty about it in our society. This can lead to depresion and suicide. In societies where this moral pressure isn't present, this suicide discrepency doesn't exist. Very simply, people opposed to abortion cause suicide, not the abortion itself.

Botched abortions are indeed very dangerous. This is the number one cause of death in women in Latin America. This is because abortion is illegal in Latin America, and so women must resort to coat hangers, screw drivers, throwing themselves down stairs, poisoning themslves, etc.

Outlawing abortion won't stop abortions, it only stops safe abortions.

[JohnT]

Actually, the following link might be more useful, though it is also from abortionfacts.com:

http://www.abortionfacts.com/effects/effects.asp

This is from a more "pro-abortion" site than the above:

http://www.earlyoptions.org/online_cme/m2expected2.asp

The idea that there are no side-effects from abortion is silly... any medical procedure will have side effects.

[chequita guevara]

The two best ways to reduce abortions are thorough sex education (not this condoms don't work and abstinence is the only way crap the right has been peddling) and a social network to help woman raise their children.

Before the fall of Communism, some Eastern Europeans had a concept known as the "mother year." A mother of a newborn would receive one year off with pay and get her old job back when she returned to work. Abortion, though legal, was almost unheard of in these countries. Once the mother year went away, abortion rates skyrocketed in these countries.

If the anti-choice movement really wants to do away with abortion, they should push good sex-ed and the mother year.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
by that token, so does hrt, and birth control. as does the removal of the ovaries, and antidepressants.

anything can wreak havoc with body chemistry for a good long time.

that doesn't stop people from using it or thinking that it's a good thing...

abortions these days are performed in sterile conditions, though. which is better, i suppose, than using a coat hanger, or ingesting various poisons to induce a miscarriage.

Or a liquid vac. :vom:

[Gibsie]

or throwing 'em down the stairs