More Evidence Against "Post-Abortion Syndrome"

[PhaedraMcSpiffy]

MSNBC Women's Health News | Abortion not seen linked with depression

Quote:

WASHINGTON - No high-quality study done to date can document that having an abortion causes psychological distress, or a "post-abortion syndrome," and efforts to show it does occur appear to be politically motivated, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

A team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reviewed 21 studies involving more than 150,000 women and found the high-quality studies showed no significant differences in long-term mental health between women who choose to abort a pregnancy and others.

via Feministing

So essentially, it's been shown again that "post abortion syndrome" does not exist and that surveys supporting it are flawed and politically motivated. I'm not surprised. Even if such a syndrome did exist, would that really be any reason to make abortion illegal? Just because some women have negative expereinces and regrets does not mean that the right to an abortion should be taken away from all women. This "for their own good" crap is insulting to women's intelligence and just serves to disguise the pro-life movement's utter lack of respect and compassion for women.

But in good news: NARAL recently launchedfree.will.power., a pro-choice site geared toward youth. I'm kind of unnerved by what looks like an attempt to make this issue the subject of trendy activism, but I think that it's important to get young people informed and involved. This generation doesn't remember the dreaded backalley abortions and seems disconnected from (and often hostile toward) the women's rights movement of previous generations. We've been bombared with anti-sex and anti-choice media and "education".

Your thoughts?  

[20 Shades of Crazy]

I don't understand pro-lifers who think this is for the good of the woman. They find it horrible and truthful that women suffer from voluntary abortion, but wouldn't bash an eyelash at a woman in despair for being forced through an unwanted pregnancy, which I'm sure will cause much more pain and mental trauma?  

[The_Thread _Reaper]

20 Shades of Crazy

I don't understand pro-lifers who think this is for the good of the woman. They find it horrible and truthful that women suffer from voluntary abortion, but wouldn't bash an eyelash at a woman in despair for being forced through an unwanted pregnancy, which I'm sure will cause much more pain and mental trauma?

It certainly would for me.. (has severe phobia of pregnancy and childbirth and small children, to an extent)

I'd probably become a danger to my own health if I were ever trapped in that situation.. xp  

[Nayva]

So I went to the free.will.power place and it was actually pretty neat, but definitely needs to be expanded on.
I took the quiz thing that they offered and read about my homestate--and I am for sure never moving out of my state!

Quote:

Only six states guarantee women access to birth control prescriptions at their pharmacy: CA, IL, ME, NV, NJ, WA.

Quote:

...in most states, there's no requirement to offer sexual assault survivors the "morning-after" pill in hospital emergency rooms. Only 14 states say it's necessary: AR, CA, CO, CT, IL, MA, MN, NJ, NM, NY, OR, SC, WA, WI.

They gave Washington a A+ ranking and it's the second in the nation of best for providing women's choice! Go, WA! C:

I just hope the site is effective... From what I saw, it's mostly targeted for an audience that has the same opinion; I don't see much trying to sway those of a different opinion at all.
It's all like "this is terrible! Can you believe it!?" and nothing like "this is terrible! And here's why..."  

[punkarama]

I researched this post abortion syndrom bullshit when I wrote a paper about abortion for one of my women's studies classes. Being a psych major definately helped.

Basically some pro life assholes threw a label onto a bunch of things psychological things that can happen when a women has an abortion ... and usually these symptoms come up when the woman wasn't fully certain if she wanted the abortion in the first place.

Even if post abortion syndrom was a legit psychopathology (which it is incredibly far from being), it's effects are nowhere near as devestating as post partum depression. I dont' know about you but I would much rather a woman feel guilt and receive some counceling, than throw her baby in a garbage can or drown it in the bathtub.  

[gskilllet]

In a debate we had in class, some woman went up and said how abortion causes depression after words (post abortion syndrome) and how it increases the ability for a woman to get cancer and how it makes the women infertile.

There was so many lies spewed.. why didn't her god strike her down with lightning?  

[Xxartistic_illusionXx]

PhaedraMcSpiffy

MSNBC Women's Health News | Abortion not seen linked with depression

Quote:

WASHINGTON - No high-quality study done to date can document that having an abortion causes psychological distress, or a "post-abortion syndrome," and efforts to show it does occur appear to be politically motivated, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

A team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reviewed 21 studies involving more than 150,000 women and found the high-quality studies showed no significant differences in long-term mental health between women who choose to abort a pregnancy and others.

via Feministing

So essentially, it's been shown again that "post abortion syndrome" does not exist and that surveys supporting it are flawed and politically motivated. I'm not surprised. Even if such a syndrome did exist, would that really be any reason to make abortion illegal? Just because some women have negative expereinces and regrets does not mean that the right to an abortion should be taken away from all women. This "for their own good" crap is insulting to women's intelligence and just serves to disguise the pro-life movement's utter lack of respect and compassion for women.

But in good news: NARAL recently launchedfree.will.power., a pro-choice site geared toward youth. I'm kind of unnerved by what looks like an attempt to make this issue the subject of trendy activism, but I think that it's important to get young people informed and involved. This generation doesn't remember the dreaded backalley abortions and seems disconnected from (and often hostile toward) the women's rights movement of previous generations. We've been bombared with anti-sex and anti-choice media and "education".

Your thoughts?

My thoughts?

While some women may regret their abortion, emotional hardship, anger, resentment and guilt isn't always a guarantee. There are a lot of women out there who felt that their abortion was a relief (imnotsorry.net). What happens to some women doesn't mean it'll happen to another. I don't think that's a good argument to use fighting abortion. Just how I don't think using the whole "abortion has been found out to be connnected to breast cancer" argument.


But, like you said, even if post abortion syndrom did exist, that's still no reason to make it illegal!  

[Zephyrkitty]

A year ago, a few of my friends mentioned that they were against abortion because of post-abortion syndrome. I was getting sick of it, so I ended up going to the APA website, printing out what they said on the matter, and bringing it to school and showing it to them. One pro-life friend responded that he thought they were lying, but wouldn't really explain why. While I'd love to send this to him and ask him what he thinks, I'm certain he'd respond that they're lying to further their own agenda, as well.

I'd say that there are certainly women who do regret having an abortion (as well with women who regret having a child). However, some women's reactions to it isn't a good reason to make abortion legal or illegal.  

[pidgezero_one]

Ooh! Post in the Library of Logic (LoL? wat) thread if you haven't already!! mrgreen  

[MipsyKitten]

Xxartistic_illusionXx

My thoughts?

While some women may regret their abortion, emotional hardship, anger, resentment and guilt isn't always a guarantee.

Exactly. Also, I find it funny that no lifer has ever had a comeback to the fact that most women who regret their abortion, do so because of the lifers in their life telling them they did the wrong thing. Women who made the choice for themselves don't feel regret. Sure, they might feel sad because of the circumstances (and that's their right), but they don't regret their choice because someone else wanted them to.

 

[20 Shades of Crazy]

MipsyKitten

Xxartistic_illusionXx

My thoughts?

While some women may regret their abortion, emotional hardship, anger, resentment and guilt isn't always a guarantee.

Exactly. Also, I find it funny that no lifer has ever had a comeback to the fact that most women who regret their abortion, do so because of the lifers in their life telling them they did the wrong thing. Women who made the choice for themselves don't feel regret. Sure, they might feel sad because of the circumstances (and that's their right), but they don't regret their choice because someone else wanted them to.

And they don't acknowledge that 1) women regret pregnancies, too and 2) a forced pregnancy will cause more distress than a voluntary abortion.  

[Xxartistic_illusionXx]

MipsyKitten

Xxartistic_illusionXx

My thoughts?

While some women may regret their abortion, emotional hardship, anger, resentment and guilt isn't always a guarantee.

Exactly. Also, I find it funny that no lifer has ever had a comeback to the fact that most women who regret their abortion, do so because of the lifers in their life telling them they did the wrong thing. Women who made the choice for themselves don't feel regret. Sure, they might feel sad because of the circumstances (and that's their right), but they don't regret their choice because someone else wanted them to.

I agree.  

[Xxartistic_illusionXx]

20 Shades of Crazy

MipsyKitten

Xxartistic_illusionXx

My thoughts?

While some women may regret their abortion, emotional hardship, anger, resentment and guilt isn't always a guarantee.

Exactly. Also, I find it funny that no lifer has ever had a comeback to the fact that most women who regret their abortion, do so because of the lifers in their life telling them they did the wrong thing. Women who made the choice for themselves don't feel regret. Sure, they might feel sad because of the circumstances (and that's their right), but they don't regret their choice because someone else wanted them to.

And they don't acknowledge that 1) women regret pregnancies, too and 2) a forced pregnancy will cause more distress than a voluntary abortion.

I think it's very unrealistic to believe that all women

a)want kids
b)love kids
c)look at pregnancies as a joy.  

[Treacherous Desire]

I agree with xxartist. It's not guaranteed.

They told me before my jaw surgery NOBODY had regrets coming ******** lies. I wish I'd never had it done. I really do. I regret it.

With major surgeries there is almost always the chance you will experience some doubts, guilt, anger, resentment afterwords.