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Abortion, one of today’s great controversies, is a very personal and emotional issue. Because morals differ from person to person, I will disregard the moral implications of abortion. I find myself in favor of abortion, despite its obvious evils, because abortion is imperative to mothers who face a mortal threat due to pregnancy. It is my belief that limiting abortion will adversely affect those who need it most, as well as the mothers who will go to irrational extremes to terminate their pregnancy, if abortion is not available.

The greatest benefit of legal abortion is simply its availability. As many as 1,200,000 abotions are preformed in the U.S. annually (Blank et al. 41). With instances as appallingly high as this, women don’t need any incentive to seek illegal abortion or take their pregnancy into their own hands. Any rational person would say that abortion is wrong, but what would happen if abortion were illegalized?

Back-alley, or illegal abortion, consists of illegitimate “doctors” attempting to terminate a woman’s pregnancy. Although illegal abortion is common—in France, the ratio of live birth to illegal abortion is as high as 1:1—it is also inherently unsafe, no matter the circumstance (Blank et al. 40). Illegal abortions rarely allot adequate medical care. There is no pre- or post-abortion councelling, and certainly no appropriate medications or proper surgical procedures (Blank et al. 66). One such example of this is the instance of Dorothy Fadiman’s illegal abortion, in which she was blindfolded and operated on without anesthesia. Dorothy would have died of peritonitis and blood poisoning, had she not received medical care from a legitimate hospital directly following her abortion (Coale 35). Dorothy is lucky to be alive; had legal abortion been available to Dorothy, she may never have been in mortal danger.

Self-induced abortion can be even more dangerous than back-alley abortion. Despite the attractiveness of self-induced abortion—no cost and the protection of privacy—women performing abortion on themselves can cause irreparable harm: sterility, guilt, and death (Blank et al. 39, 66). Some methods of self-induced abortion render no result, but, as previously stated, some women go to irrational extremes to end their pregnancy (Blank et al. 66). The local hospital at Davis, California sees as many as twelve to twenty patients per year who have self-induced or back-alley abortion. One of their patients had douched with bleach in an attempt to end her pregnancy. She had hurt herself so badly that she couldn’t stand the pain of the physicians examining her (Carole). Another woman who terminated her own pregnancy shot herself with a .22 caliber handgun (deMause 39). These two examples are not isolated, but recurring events. Illegalizing abortion will only make these horrible instances increase.

Legal abortion is tremendously safer than back-alley abortion, but physical damage is always a possibility. Salt poisoning abortion or “saline amniocentesis” is inherently unsafe and may potentially kill the mother. This method of abortion replaces amniotic fluid with saline, which burns and shrivels the fetus. If saline is injected into a blood vessel, “uncontrolled blood clotting throughout the body” can occur, as well as “seizures, coma, or death.” Suction aspiration and dilation and curettage can also cause hemorrhage and infection (Abortion: Medical Facts). As Dr. J.C. Willke states in his book Why Can’t We Love Them Both, “the main causes [of death caused by abortion] are infection, hemorrhage and uterine perforation” (Willke). Other forms of abortion are also physically unsafe, and the process of abortion may cause psychological disturbances in some women.

Stress and other negative emotional side effects are attributed to abortion, but is abortion to blame? According to Dr. Podrygula, most of the stress comes from unplanned pregnancies. Other people are significantly affected by the abortion process “particularly if their religious background is very strong…. It also matters what kind of attitude their partner, the father of the child has.” Dr. Podrygula went on to say that “exposure to violence both as a child and as an adult have more of an impact than abortion does; that sometimes when you see negative results, we think it’s abortion, but really it’s domestic violence that they have been subjected to.” Psychological disturbances are possible results of abortion, but generally most people don’t have any significant problems following abortion.

Although it remains unproven, a popular claim states that women who have had abortions are emotionally damaged, permanently. This is called Post-Abortion Syndrome. While some women may be distraught about their choice, “most people don’t have any lasting significant emotional problems at all” (Podrygula). In my interview with Dr. Podrygula, I asked about Post-Abortion Syndrome. Dr. Podrygula replied, “Most of [the claims about Post-Abortion Syndrome] are unsubstantiated in terms of scientific evidence. People have beliefs, people have anecdotal stories about how so-and-so had such a problem, but in terms of large-scale studies, I’m not aware of anything that shows that.” Abortion can certainly be stressful, but over all, Post-Abortion Syndrome is more like propaganda than fact.

Due to said potential risks, I believe that any rational, educated woman would want to avoid abortion unless she had a compelling reason to have the procedure. In pre-abortion counseling, the goal of the counselor is to educate women on potential harms, both physical and emotional, and allow the woman to evaluate her desire for the procedure. However, fake abortion clinics are extremely harmful for women seeking information. Fake abortion clinics attempt “to persuade the woman to forgo the [abortion] operations” (Blank et al. 235). In other instances, women are harassed to deter their interest in the procedure (Alpha Health Services). Giving false information is potentially dangerous, but extremism is not limited to words.

Violence against abortion clinics is a huge problem. Clinics are bombed, threatened, and blockaded so often that safety measures, such as bulletproof glass, are a necessity (Morgentaler 13). In fact, some pro-life abortionists, such as the “Army of God” organization, are so extreme that they bomb, murder and kidnap pro-abortionists (Bryant 25). The installation of security and safety measures are extra costs to abortion clinics. As stated by Shanta M. Bryant, “anti-choice violence makes abortion services dangerous and more difficult to obtain” (Michelman 15 cool . Doctor Hern has preformed several late-term abortions in order to save women’s lives (Hern 98-99). Doctors like this, who have saved women’s lives by performing abortion, do not need this extra threat to their persons and their ability to provide essential medical services to pregnant women.

It would be misleading to portray the pro-life community as terroristic. Although radical groups, such as the “Army of God,” do more harm than good, pro-life arguments have more merit, in my opinion, than pro-choice arguments. As stated by Dr. Bernard M. Nathanson, “the unborn child is simply another human being, another member of the human community… indistinguishable in every way from any of us” (The Silent Scream). The implication that a fetus is a human being makes abortion an especially inhumane process.

The type of abortion that was focused on by Dr. Bernard M. Nathanson in The Silent Scream is suction aspiration. In this type of abortion, the limbs of the fetus are torn from its body before the fetal head is crushed and removed (Abortion: Medical Facts). Although the fetus cannot perceive pain, suction aspiration is undoubtedly brutal (Planned Parenthood). According to The Silent Scream, which had a sonogram recording of an actual fetus being aborted, “the physician who performed the abortion… had already done close to 10,000 abortions in his young life. When he was asked to… review the film, he was so appalled that he had to leave the room momentarily, came back to finish the editing but never again did another abortion” (The Silent Scream). Despite being inhumane, abortion, as the pro-choice argue, is sometimes necessary.

Partial-birth abortion is perhaps the most controversial form of the abortion procedure. It is the safest choice for late-term pregnancy, but requires the siphoning of brain matter from the fetus’ skull after making a deep incision on the back of the fetus’ head. As stated by the House of Representatives Majority view, “clearly, the only difference between the partial-birth abortion procedure and homicide is a mere three inches” (House of Representatives 103). However, as previously stated, partial-birth abortion avoids “the risk of embolism of cerebral tissue into the woman’s blood stream…. [This] can be almost immediately fatal” (Hern 97). However ironic, abortion is sometimes responsible for the preservation of life.

One of the key pro-choice arguments is that “abortion saves lives.” Although this argument sounds reasonable, the statement does not speak for itself. One instance of a woman whose life was saved is described by Dr. Hern in A Procedure of Medical Necessity: a diabetic woman from Rapid City, South Dakota was suffering from uncontrollable vomiting, due to her illness. In order to see Dr. Hern, she had to fly to Boulder. She arrived barely able to speak, having almost died during her flight. Even though she and her husband wanted to have the child, Dr. Hern was able to persuade the woman to have an abortion. Had this procedure not occurred, not only would the fetus have died, but the mother as well (Hern 9 cool . Another patient of Dr. Hern’s was resting in his “recovery room in preparation for her abortion… when suddenly, without warning, the woman developed signs of shock…. The placenta had torn away from the wall of the uterus and she was bleeding to death” (Hern 99). The fact is, abortion is sometimes necessary to save women, even if they wish to deliver their babies. Women in mortal danger, due to their pregnancy, are not just part of a hypothetical situation designed by the pro-choice community. These are real women who need treatment quickly; banning abortion would only be to the detriment of these said women.

Right or wrong, abortion must be legal to prevent serious hazards caused by back-alley abortion. Being blindfolded, denied anesthesia, and becoming seriously ill due to infection is a situation that should never be allowed. Whether abortion is sought by the woman in mortal danger, the woman who trusts the back-alley abortionist, or the woman who would leave abortion to her own unskilled hand, it must be available in order to prevent the aforementioned groups from death preceded by suffering.

Interview

me: All right, I had a few questions about abortion

Dr.: Sure.

me: I was wondering if you've dealt with any patients who have had an abortion?

Dr: Oh quite a few, yes.

me: In your opinion, does it cause emotional damage to go though that procedure?

Dr.: No.

Me: okay...

Dr.: I mean, the unplanned pregnancy is obviously a very difficult thing, but I think that if there is stress, that's where most of it comes from. It's just a very stressful event for most women who have had an unplanned pregnancy.

Me: All right, so emotional damage wouldn't be a lasting effect from having abortion?

Dr.: Not for most people. There might be a few people, particularly if their religious background is very strong where it could lead to some conflicts. It also matters what kind of attitude their partner, the father of the child has. If families and partners are supportive, it shouldn't cause any significant emotional problems at all.

Me: Alright.

Dr.: But if partners and parents are punitive or harsh or judgmental, then it could be difficult but again, I think it's their attitudes that cause the problem.

Me: Alright, so married women generally don't have a problem with it?

Dr.: No, not at all. It's an uncomfortable experience and sometimes there's some regrets, but either way, but you know, it's stressful and not even as a rule, most people don't have any lasting significant emotional problems at all.

Me: Alright, there's been a lot of claims about post abortion syndrome...

Dr.: Yes, and most of them are unsubstantiated in terms of scientific evidence. People have beliefs, people have anecdotal stories about how so-and-so had such a problem, but in terms of large-scale studies, I'm not aware of anything that shows that, and in fact, when I'm done I can give you the names of some articles and a websites that give you some authoritative information

...

Dr.: Okay, one is American Psychological Association and briefing paper on the impact of abortion on women, and it's being updated right now, but let me give you the information that I have on the older sheet and I'll give you the older website. It's www.apa.org/ppo/pi/factsheet1.html. and it's a policy of the American Psychological Association adopted by the council of representatives and the current one is under review, but they have some current information there, and then the other one would be there's a study in professional psychology from 2001. They look at 25000 women that who revealed their abortion and--oh shoot, part of it's cut off--and it sounds like exposure to violence both as a child and as an adult have more of an impact than abortion does; that sometimes when you see negative results, we think it's abortion, but really it's domestic violence that they have been subjected to. And then the other thing--I'm trying to see here--I'll read it to you. It's www.apa.org/monitor/sept03/website.html. And that's an article from an official newsletter from the American Psychological Association just on this issue. The appointed a committee to study the task force and there's no reliable information that abortion causes posttraumatic stress and it talks about some of the people who claim the opposite. There's also another study from 1992 I'm looking at right now on abortion, child bearing, and women's well being. Also some professional psychology. It's kind of fun because I'm on the editorial board of this journal. They've studied for eight years national families of 5200 American women quote, "no evidence of widespread post abortion trauma was found. Having one abortion was positively associated with higher global self-esteem, particularly feelings of self-worth, capableness and not feeling one is a failure. "Either having one abortion or repeat abortions have an independent relationship to all beings suggesting that it's a fertility control procedure and it is related to coping," and it says that... certainly no significant negative effect. And again, of course for one individual there might be, but generally what the research suggests and what bodies of experts, you know, panels suggest is that there really isn't any long-term effect. But again, I think it can be an issue again because a particular case and the kind of support the person gets or doesn't get in facing that difficult decision--it's clearly a difficult decision; there's no doubt about it--but it's the supportiveness that I think that people get or don't get is the key factor.

Me: Alright,
...
Dr.: And your dad works on the floor next to me, right?

Me: I just have one more question.

Dr.: Sure, please.

Me: ...if you have time. Generally, how do women that have had abortions feel about their decision? Are they relieved?

Dr.: I think it varies very much from woman to woman. The problem pregnancy is the problem. The unplanned pregnancy. What we see is a lot of women who don't have access to birth control who don't have supportive family and partner attitudes toward that, have difficulty getting contraception. It's the unplanned pregnancy that, in my experience, that has been the overwhelming source of stress. And then they try to figure how to get away from it or how to get out of it. And some choose, and I think rightfully so to carry the child and adopt off or become a single parent. Others choose to terminate the pregnancy. So I don't want to minimize the impact of the decision in terms of a person maybe getting upset, but it's a very weighty decision. Most women, I think, feel relieved that they made the decision, and I don't know the numbers and what percentages pregnancies ended in abortion versus not having, but my own feeling is that it's too high, that too many women have to face this choice. That's where I'm coming from and I think that the way out of it is to help people use birth control and use reliably and having treatment available, and that way we wouldn't have to worry about abortions and have any, or have very few, and I think that's where most health psychologists would come from also. It's a decision that a woman shouldn't have to make. There should be adequate reproductive planning where... and good quality methods of reproduction planning and control where they [abortions] shouldn't be coming up very often, and the sad thing is that it unfortunately does. So, I don't think that there's anyone who says that abortions are a good thing, but are they traumatic? Not by and large. Again, women shouldn't have to be in this position as often as they are.

-end of interview-

Well written, its good addressed both sides of the topic but made your thesis very clear. So few people actually address both sides, their either for one or the other and they sound like ignorant fanatics for whatever cause.

And yes The Slient Scream is a good movie but horribly disturbing, its not something you'll forget quickly.

Again, well done.