The Psychological Effects of Abortions amongst Teens
An Introduction of Abortion
Are you familiar with the name Dr. Karen Ashford, probably not? She is a factious character that would have been if she was allowed to be born. She was never given a chance at life because she was aborted at only 16 weeks in uteri. She was forced to be aborted by her would be grandmother of her 13 year old mother. The young mother was not given an opportunity to voice her opinion about the outcome of her pregnancy. The decision that the young girls’ mother chose for her affected her life in many different ways. After the abortion, the young girl felt guilty, withdrawn, and she was self-destructive.
Abortion causes Guilt
Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS) is a term that has been used to describe the emotional and psychological consequences of abortion (leaderu.com). Guilt is one of the emotions that teens struggle with following an abortion. Many ...view middle of the document...
Some teens may only want to be around the people and friends that make them happy, and those that do not think negative of them because
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ABORTION AMONST TEENS 4
of their decision. Being around their mothers or authority figures usually brings the painful memory of the abortion back into the thoughts of teens. Teens try to focus their attention elsewhere and try to suppress the whole abortion process. Studies have shown that the major factors in pregnancy decision making among teens are the attitude of the teen’s parents, the baby’s father, and her peers; the personality of the teen herself; and the cultural and public policy attitudes toward abortion by which she is surrounded. Compared to older women, teens are more likely to abort because of pressure from their parents or sexual partners, putting them at higher risk for adverse psychological effects after an abortion (Sobie, March 2001).
Teens become Self-destructive
In addition to feeling guilty and being withdrawn, many teens engage in destructive behavior. More teens tend to increase their illegal drug activities such as smoking marijuana (Goss, March 2014). They also take prescription drugs to numb their thoughts. Abortion is significantly linked with a twofold increased risk of alcohol abuse among women (1981). In order to keep their “sanity” these are some the activities teens use as a coping mechanism to deal with their emotions. Partying is no different from the other activities. Teens are trying to get over the fact that they just had such an excruciating procedure done and they want to forget about it as quickly as possible.
Abortions Have Long-lasting Effects
No one knows how difficult it is for a teen to endure the burden of an abortion unless they themselves have gone through the experience. Because of the special difficulties of teenage pregnancy and abortion, teenagers run a very high risk of developing post-abortion problems (Klammer). There are many side effects to an abortion that do play a role in your
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ABORTION AMONST TEENS 5
future. For those teens that have had an abortion, it is a consequence that is always in their subconscious that never goes away.
