Experience of Abortion (australia) Posted: 05-22-04 01:12am
Abortion - emotional issues
despite the fact that most australians
support safe and legal abortion, there is
considerable social stigma attached to the
procedure. Around 80,000 abortions are
performed every year, making it one of the
most common operations in the country, but
the experiences of women are generally
under-reported. As a result, it is
commonly supposed that all women who
undergo abortion experience guilt, grief
and shame. Studies undertaken
internationally since the 1960s
consistently show that most women who have
an abortion don't suffer any subsequent
psychological or emotional problems. A
major australian study, funded by the
commonwealth department of human services
and health, extensively researched the
experiences of women seeking abortion in
queensland, south australia and tasmania.
The study - we women decide - found that
the current delivery of abortion services,
including restrictive and sometimes
punitive legislation, is the most
significant cause of negative emotional
outcomes for women.
Making the decision to abort
most women who decide to abort an unwanted
pregnancy consider much the same factors
as women who contemplate motherhood prior
to conception, including:
the state and stability of the
relationship with their partner
whether or not they feel ready to take on
a parenting role
the needs of children they may already
have
career and financial considerations
their state of physical health
their moral, emotional and religious
beliefs regarding pregnancy, abortion and
motherhood.
Ending a potential life
women who seek abortion appreciate that if
the pregnancy wasn't terminated, they
would eventually give birth to a child and
become a parent. Some women see the
pregnancy as part of their own body, while
others acknowledge the growing foetus as a
separate human life. Thinking of abortion
as ending a potential life doesn't tend to
compound a woman's distress, influence her
decision-making, or raise spiritual and
metaphysical dilemmas. Studies indicate
that, instead, a woman who sees the
pregnancy as a separate life is more
likely to view the abortion as a momentous
decision, compared to a woman who views
early pregnancy as indistinguishable from
her own life and body.
Most women feel they made the right
decision
studies show that the vast majority of
women who have abortions (around 98 per
cent) feel they made the right decision.
Typically, emotional distress peaks before
the operation and resolves soon after.
The final decision rests with the medical
profession
australian research indicates that a woman
is more likely to suffer emotionally if
she feels the decision to terminate was,
in some way, not fully hers to make. The
current legislation that requires a woman
to 'convince' the doctor of her
eligibility for the procedure can cause
distress, since the final decision rests
with the medical profession and not the
woman herself. Some women assert they
were initially given misleading or
incorrect information about abortion,
apparently to influence their
decision-making. Others found that some
doctors, counsellors and related health
professionals were judgemental, and tended
to push their own moral views.
Pressure to abort
women who experience subsequent emotional
problems tend to be those who were coerced
into the operation. Some women,
particularly young and older women, are
pressured by partners, family and the
medical profession to have an abortion.
If a woman wants to have the child, or
feels ambivalent about her pregnancy, a
coerced abortion can result in a negative
emotional outcome for her, including
long-lasting grief, depression, anxiety
and guilt.
Women who are denied abortion
women who are denied abortion and keep
their subsequent children suffer greater
emotional distress than those who undergo
the procedure. In one study, more than
half of the women interviewed had
experienced mental disturbances. Guilt
and anxiety levels were also higher in
this group. However, around one in four
were reportedly coping well.
Recommendations from women
women who have experienced abortion tend
to want changes to the current system,
including:
the final decision to abort should rest
solely with the woman.
Clear and unequivocal abortion legislation
throughout the country.
The removal of abortion from the various
state and territory crimes acts.
The genuine experiences of abortion should
be reported.
Things to remember
most women who have an abortion don't
suffer any subsequent psychological or
emotional problems.
It is not true that all women who undergo
abortion experience guilt, grief and
shame.
Studies show that the vast majority of
women who have abortions (around 98 per
cent) feel they made the right decision.
My experience supports everything you say.
I wrote about it in a post on the other
abortion forum.
I get very tired of hearing all the
closed-minded anti-choice arguments.
Expressing opinions is fine. There's
nothing wrong with feeling that abortion
is wrong--that's a belief that should be
respected. But how about those who
believe that abortion is wrong simply
don't have abortions? That makes sense
to me. And then they can just leave the
pro-choice people alone. We can all
follow our own beliefs (like freedom of
religion). I'm a good person who happens
to be pro-choice.
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purple333
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 06-13-04 04:06am
Poopy,
just how much do you know about my (note
my!!) country & what makes you think
you have the right to post something
specifically australian (with which I
basically agree) as opposed to finding
something specifically british - assuming
you are actually in the uk!!(note uk sort
of like yuk!! - at least with you there -
as I personally love the united kingdom.
It's just people like you - wherever
they're from that I have a problem with)
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sparklypixie12
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Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 3099
Posted: 06-13-04 08:09am
I was thinking that myself actually about
her not being australian.
Not sure about your comparison to 'uk' and
'yuk' though purple but since you
mentioned you love the u.K. I dont
suppose you meant that comment to be nasty
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purple333
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Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 06-13-04 10:23am
Pixie,
you're right sort of, I do love the u.K.
But I was feeling so bugged at her for
using australian research that I saw red
hence the uk & yuk bit.
Especially since the 3 states mentioned in
the research are hardly typical for so
many reasons & in so many ways that it
made me mad too because, well would she or
you think much of research done in
mid-wales, essex & cornwall?? Or
americans of research done in say utah,
montana & arizona??
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sparklypixie12
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Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 3099
Posted: 06-13-04 11:16am
Ok I see well the uk isnt yuk for a start!
:d its pretty nice :d and no I wouldnt
think much about research done in those
areas of the u.K. That you mentioned
because well....They're kinda quiet! But
I would say that because I live in the
second city of england which isnt so
quiet!
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purple333
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Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 06-13-04 11:23am
Exactly for research to be relevant it
needs to be done in relevant places &
places which are indicative of the
country/state not places that are just
different to the rest of the
country/state.
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oopoopoop
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Joined: 18 Mar 2004 Posts: 1255 Location: ,
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Posted: 06-14-04 09:14am
Purple, I didn't intend to step on your
territory. That was simply a summary
which countered some of the ludicrous
psychological statements being made by
others about the negative effects. The
pro-choice side is, unfortunately, not as
dedicated to carrying out this sort of
research as the anti-choice side, so there
isn't that much to choose from. I
provided the reference so that its
provenance and applicability could be
assessed by the reader. I'm interested
that you see it as unrepresentative.
Interestingly, that post was up there for
about three weeks, and you have only just
taken offence.
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purple333
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Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 06-14-04 09:48am
I took offence as soon as I read
it>>> having been absent from
this forum due to a) drivelbottom, b) my
family & I have all had flu, c)
daughter's uni & stage show work
requiring my driving her all over the
place & d) computer being ill &
"hospitalized" !!!!
Tasmania is our "in-bred" state - also our
"apple isle" & truly delightful but
out of step with the times in many ways
& somewhat different for being
separate to the rest of the country.
South australia is a state of vast
differences desert to ocean, vineyards to
shipwrecks etc. Many say it's most like
england, people are very laid back &
it isn't really heard from alot.
Queensland, is where wild youth & old
age retirees come together in the sun, it
is also where aborigines (natives) are
treated worst by any state government. It
is also a state with high tourism all year
round which of itself leads people to
behave differently at times.
I went to the site just to check & as
you say it says it was funded by the
commonwealth gov't >>
but>>> the site is for the
victorian state government which I find a
little strange >>> yet another
state mentioned despite not being involved
in the research & yet victoria would
have been like my own state of new south
wales far more representative.
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oopoopoop
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Posted: 06-14-04 10:06am
So in that sense, the women they
interviewed (let's maybe leave aside the
in-bred ones!), you feel would not be
representative of women who have
abortions? So it is where someone lives
which would affect how they feel?
This wasn't an opinion poll, so i'm not
sure why their location would affect how
they feel, except in the sense that those
who are living where the vast majority are
opposed to abortion might feel more
isolated, depressed, etc.
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purple333
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Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 06-14-04 10:24am
Location can affect how they feel, as can
what they say be affected by location,
form of question, means of being
wuestioned, who else is present, who else
may have access to the answers etc etc.
Plus answers/feelings etc are affected by
access. Access to services, counselling,
education, alternatives to what
family/community "decide" is right etc
etc.
The site you referred to re the research
gave no indication as to how many women
were interviewed, what areas they came
from, their cultural, social, religious,
educational backgrounds, how many in total
in each area etc etc etc. Thus the
research techniques may be totally flawed
& given the states chosen I would tend
to think the results are at least
inaccurate & quite possibly skewed
towards what the government wanted
>> not unheard of in government
research!!
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oopoopoop
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Posted: 06-14-04 10:27am
I understand that you term yourself
"anti-abortion" but "pro-choice".
So it seems you would like abortion to be
available, but women who have one should
suffer for it.
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purple333
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Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 06-14-04 10:52am
Poopoopoo,
i know I live upside down but I have to
wonder if you read upside down at times or
maybe right to left or something?? Where
on earth (or anywhere else) did you get
the idea that i'm anti-abortion???? I am
pro-choice.
I would prefer that women not rush into
abortions, I think they should consider
all options & consequences etc first
& I would like to see more babies
being put up for adoption etc. Also I
don't think abortion should be used just
because someone is too lazy to use
protection etc. But I am totally
pro-choice.
Abortion should be available & women
should not suffer for it. They may suffer
simply because either they made the wrong
decision (wrong for them) or because they
weren't counselled beforehand to
understand what they were doing & then
couldn't deal afterwards or because of
what others (like samie) say but I don't
think they should suffer & I do not
believe that any god would cause them to
suffer. Unless of course a woman chose to
fall pregnant just for the "fun" of having
an abortion - & there are some weirdos
out there!!
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oopoopoop
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Posted: 06-14-04 11:51am
purple333
wrote:
i am a woman & I am
basically anti-abotion but I beleive
strongly in pro
choice
i guess that was where I got the idea.
It rather seemed that your reaction to the
study results implied your disagreed with
them. I take your point that they may not
be representative of australia or anywhere
else, but in that sense no woman/group of
women is representative. You can say that
unless a random sample was taken of all
women everywhere that it isn't worth
publishing the results? Actually, the
study itself did not claim to generalize
to the population. The conclusions and
recommendations also refer to other
research, and "the australian study" is
only one part. On the other hand, the
next post, from ny, agreed with them.
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purple333
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Context & Read It All Posted: 06-14-04 14:17pm
Poopoopoo,
again you show your inability to
comprehend a post in its totality,
possibly because you seem unwilling?
Incapable? Of reading the entire post.
In fact I doubt your ability to comprehend
even in small doses - now had you read the
2nd line of my initial reply to your post
you would have seen "with which I
basically agree" - hm let me try to
explain what that means>>> it
means that while I object to you posting
from that source without the appropriate
background knowledge to understand it that
I nevertheless agree with the content of
the research in terms of arguments for
pro-choice. Why am I bothering that is
way beyond your ability to understand.
As to your taking a part of a post from me
from another thread - so out of context
totally >> I am a woman: fact; I am
pro-choice: fact; I am basically
anti-abortion: fact. I don't see a
problem. I don't think abortion is
something to do lightly, or for just any
reason or without care, caution, thought
& counselling but there are times
(& those times differ for different
people) when it is the best option under
the circumstances, maybe the only option
& regardless of my views I believe
that others have a right to make their own
choices not the choices anyone else would
make for them. Note too that I am also
pro-choice for myself since I terminated a
pregnancy.
