Emotional Aspects Of Abortion

Abortion occurs when a pregnancy is ended before birth takes place. When a woman decides to endher pregnancy for personal or health-related reasons, she may choose an elective medical abortion or an elective surgical abortion.

What is the information for this topic?

Research findings suggest that a woman who choose to have an abortion usually has at least3 reasons for the decision. The following are common reasons:

She is not ready for the changes that motherhood would bring. These includechanges affecting a job, further education, or the achievement oflife goals.

She cannot afford to care for a child.

She does not want to be a single parent.

She does not feel prepared or mature enough for the responsibility ofparenthood.

She does not want anyone to know that she has been sexually active or that sheispregnant.

She does not want more children.

Her partner or parent wants her to have an abortion.

She or the embryo or fetus has a health problem.

Her pregnancy is the result of incest or rape.

Studies indicate that most women experience a mixture of feelings after anabortion. Most women feel relief. They may also feel sadness, guilt, regret, oranger for a short time after the abortion. Abrupt changes in hormone levelscaused by abortion might affect a woman’s sense of well-being. There can beconcerns related to the social burdens of having had an abortion.

Sometimes more serious emotional reactions occur after an abortion, including atype of depression that is similartopostpartum depression. Theseseriousemotional problems are rare and occur far less commonly than severe emotionalproblems after childbirth.Severe emotional reactions following an abortion tend to affect women whowanted the pregnancy but were at risk in terms of their health if theycontinued to full-term delivery. Problems in a relationship or traumatic lifeevents can lead to the decision to have an abortion. These can cause morecomplex emotional reactions.