Air About the
BORXION MarthaShuping,M.D.
e abortions?
At least 70 percent of women having abortions say
they believe it is immoral. But they choose against their ,
conscience because of pressure from others and their ^
circumstances.
Most women choose abortion out of fear—fear of not
being able to raise a child, fear of losing their partner if
they do not have an abortion, fear of losing control over
their lives, etc. Some polls show that more than 80 per
cent say they would have completed their pregnancies
under better circumstances or with more support from the
people they love.
It is precisely because so many women who abort are
acting against their consciences and maternal instincts
that the psychological impact of abortion can be so pro -
found.
Didn't former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop con
clude that there are no psychological consequences from
abortion?
Actually, no.
What Dr. Koop reported to President Reagan was that
all the studies on abortion complications were seriously
flawed. As a result, the data was simply inadequate to
determine the extent and degree of the psychological
impact of abortion. He made a recommendation for a
government-funded study to answer this question.
Unfortunately, this study was never done.
Some extremists have twisted Dr. Koop’s letter to the
President to mean, “Koop didn’t find anything, so noth
ing exists.” Dr. Koop has publicly refuted this misrepre
senfation of his views. He has stated that he is personally
convinced, even by the existing evidence, that many
women do suffer serious post-abortion psychological
problems. It is the degree of this problem that has not
been measured.
Still, don't most experts agree that there is no significant psy
chological impact from abortion?
While many abortion proponents will discount the
psychological costs of abortion, others are more candid.
For example, Dr. Julius Fogel has personally performed
more than 20,000 abortions. He is unique in that he is
both a psychiatrist and an obstetrician, and he insists that
“every woman, whatever her background or sexuality,
has a trauma at destroying a pregnancy....[I]t is not as
harmless and casual an event as many in the pro-abortion
crowd insist.”
In fact, there are more than 375 studies dealing with
the psychological impact of abortion on wojmen. All show
that at least a minority of women, typically between 10
and 20 percent, have one or more negative reactions
shortly after an abortion. Studies looking at long-term
reactions indicate that the longer after an abortion one
looks, the more negative reactions will be reported.
So what are the psychological aftereffects of abortion?
Every woman is different. They each have different
responses in different time frames. Some women repress
or are unaware of any aftereffects for many years.
Commonly reported reactions include: feelings of
guilt, shame, anxiety, helplessness, grief and/or remorse;
uncontrollable crying; feelings of anger, bitterness, and
resentment; feelings of distrust and betrayal; lowered self
esteem; avoidance of babies, small children, or anything
to do with pregnancy; fear of future pregnancies or, alter
natively, a desire to have a “replacement” baby; flash
backs to the abortion experience; nightmares or sleeping
disorders; depression; sexual dysfunction; eating disor
ders; substance abuse; self-destructive behavior; broken
or abusive relationships; problems bonding with other
children; suicidal thoughts or tendencies; and other
problems.
A trained post-abortion counselor can be of tremen
dous help in resolving these problems.
You said that some of these reactions might be delayed or
repressed. Are there times or circumstances when negative
reactions ore more likely to occur?
Delayed reactions are often triggered by subsequent
life events such as the birth of a child, the death of a
loved one, the end of a relationship, a religious conver
sion, or even physical changes like menopause.
Many women have “anniversary reactions,” such as
anxiety attacks, depression, suicidal impulses, or abdomi
nal cramping around the anniversary date or month of the
abortion or around the time when their babies would have
been due.
Dr. Martha Shaping, M.D., is a psychiatrist wMt more than ten years of
experience m hewing women with post-abortion issues.
Supporting citations an posted at wyrw.afterabortion.org
Hope and Healing
Educational Insert
My name is Amanda
My name is Amanda and I am 18 years old. When I told my boyfriend [I was pregnant] he blamed me for
getting pregnant and insisted that I have the abortion.
My mom told me that I either had to have an abortion or get out of her house.
No one would support me, not my boyfriend and not my family. I felt alone and trapped. I went through
with the abortion but I never wanted to do it.
The amount of guilt I feel is tremendous. Everything reminds me of what I did. I am trying very hard to
get through this.
The only advice that was ever offered by my boyfriend and my mom was to just not think about it.
They said that it was the right thing and that I did what I had to do. I think that is a joke.
I just can’t get over it.