Since we were discussing last class about adoption vs.
abortion, I decided to look deeper into the choice of abortion. Since abortion is more popular by 28% of
teens in the United States, I wanted to see why most teens pick this and the
effects it has on teenagers who choose abortion over adoption or parenting.
Even though teens that have abortion don't actually give
birth. The effects it has on young girls don't end as soon as they choose to
have an abortion. In fact I found on some websites that the emotional effects
abortion has on these teens can be detrimental to their lives.
Here are some links to these sites:
I was shocked to see how many negative effects it can have
on one person after they have an abortion such as:
· Regret
·
Anger
·
Guilty
feelings
·
Shame
·
Drug
and alcohol abuse
·
Sense
of loneliness or isolation
·
Loss of
self confidence
·
Insomnia
or nightmares
·
Relationship
issues
·
Suicidal
thoughts and feelings
·
Eating
disorders
·
Depression
Anxiety
This is not to say that all women that have abortions will
experience any of these effects, experts say that if women that choose abortion
that have pervious emotional conflicts will be more likely to be susceptible to
these. Some of these examples are:
·
Individuals
with previous emotional or psychological issues
·
Individuals
who have been coerced, forced or persuaded to get an abortion
·
Individuals
with religious beliefs that conflict with abortion
·
Individuals
with moral or ethical views that conflict with abortion
·
Individuals
who obtain an abortion in the later stages of pregnancy
·
Individuals
without support from significant others or their partner
·
Women
obtaining an abortion for genetic or fetal abnormalities
Although adoption and parenting might not be the right
decision for everyone, the choice of abortion might be too emotionally damaging
to young women. In contrast, the choice of adoption provides benefits to a baby by allowing her to grow up in a
stable and loving environment. Many teens experiencing an unplanned pregnancy
do not feel ready to parent a child, either because of age, financial
background or social circumstances. Choosing adoption provides stability with
adoptive parents who are ready to parent a child. Not only is it a great
alternative for your child, for the young mother it can be her second chance and
she can return to her life before she got pregnant. They are also less likely
to have another unplanned pregnancy and report positive feelings toward
adoption and their decision.
I think this is a very interesting post. In class we have talked and read about abortion, adoption, and parenting. These topics and this post have made me think about what I would do if I was in a situation where I had to make a parenting decision. If I ended up pregnant right now, I think I would do my best to go through with the pregnancy and raise the child. I am twenty years old and have a supportive family and boyfriend, so those factors would be helpful to me. I know that choice would mean schooling would probably be put on hold, and many of my dreams and future goals might not ever be accomplished, but I would still lean towards parenting the child.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if I was in high school and became pregnant, I think I would heavily consider placing the child for adoption. Due to my religious and personal beliefs, I just cannot justify going through with an abortion. However, I don't judge or blame others for making that decision, I just don't think I could live with myself and feel that I made the right decision with abortion. Pregnancy before marriage would be disappointing to my family, but it would take the disappointment to an entirely new level if I had an abortion. In a way, I feel that abortion is punishing the unborn baby, and my mindset is that if I was in a situation where my behavior was making me vulnerable to pregnancy, then I should be prepared to face the consequences. In other words, if I end up pregnant, I should take responsibility and go through with the pregnancy. I also think I would like to see the baby and have an open adoption so that I could see the child grow up, and one day they could know the relationship and circumstances that led to the adoption. It would be heartbreaking to give up my parenting rights and to realize that I am sort of in between being a mother and being just another random person in the world, but at least I would not always wonder. With adoption, you can give a child a promising family and life, and you can fulfill a couple's wishes to expand their family.
I think any decision related to teen pregnancy is very difficult and stressful, but these are the ideas and opinions that shape my thoughts and decisions regarding this topic.
First and foremost, I think that all of the issues and possible lasting effects of an abortion that Alex mentioned above are completely valid and something that should be included in the discussion of parenting decisions. Abortions can undoubtedly lead to various levels of short-term and long-term emotional consequences. Additionally, it is important to note that you may be at a higher risk for many of these conditions if you are already suffering from or susceptible to emotional or mental instability. However, I think a piece that is missing from this discussion is the fact that most, if not all, of these effects of choosing abortion can also be found in mothers who choose to parent. We know from class that parenting can be extremely stressful on a woman, especially on a teenage mother. High amounts of stress from parenting can similarly contribute to depression, regret, shame, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, etc. just as abortion can. I would imagine that these associated effects might even be higher for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies than those that are planned, simply because the unplanned nature of the pregnancy lends itself to being a more sensitive and stress-inducing issue, rather than a time of joy and celebration.
ReplyDeleteI do not wish to argue that either parenting, adoption, or abortion has more potential for emotional consequences than any other, only that when considering your options, you should be aware of the benefits and costs (mentally, physically, financially, emotionally, etc.) of ALL of the options. Furthermore, when researching these topics, it is important to understand where the research is coming from. Some websites are biased in a certain direction or another. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but it is something you should be aware of when looking for help or accurate information. Two of the links in Alex’s post above appear to be unbiased and information-based, whereas another (though not explicitly stated) is centered in a pro-life and slightly religious foundation. Again, this does not make these sites any less valuable, but it is important to find the kind of support and information that fits with you and your needs.
The discussion of choice is definitely one that must be analyzed on a case to case basis. I know personally that I am pro-life. However, I don't really know how I would be thinking if I got pregnant as a teen in high school or even now at my age. That kind of situation would definitely test my faith and my beliefs. Just as the episode of16 and pregnant when the young girl gave her baby for adoption and her very religious father said that her getting pregnant would definitely test his faith. The discussion above is very interesting. I agree it's Alex that there are these very negative side effects of abortion. But Evan brought up the good point that even parenting under negative circumstances can bring about negative effects for the parents and children. I think when considering abortion or adoption or parenting, biased opinions definitely sway decisions and don't give all the options equal opportunity. One aspect of choice that I thought was very interesting that we discussed in class was the idea that when discussing abortion or adoption or not, many forget that parenting is even a viable option anymore. This is definitely true at least in class today. When someone talked about abortion they just talked about why it wasn't agreeable versus why parenting might before agreeable. Another interesting topic was how Markai was shown in the No Easy Decision as getting an abortion of her second child. Firstly,bathe title of the episode 'No Easy Decision' implies mainly whether to abort or not. However, this goes along with the discussion that choice includes parenting and adoption as well. I think this episode sends out a powerful message on choice. Markai chose to keep her first child. However she aborted her second because she could not afford having another child and did not want to deprive either children. It is interesting to see that Markai unexpectedly got pregnant as a teen and decided to parent. But, then she experienced parenting and loves her child, but decides that she cant handle another child. She realizes how hard it is to be a parent. In the end, the choice of parenting, adoption, or abortion is a difficult one to make and a difficult one to discuss because there are so many factors and different situations that require different decisions.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely say it would be hard to be in someone's shoes who was going through this and analyze what I might do in their position. Abortion is a big decision with if course the long lasting effects that are mentioned. As a young teenager in school as are most of these situations I am sure it would hard to accept what's really going on, I can see how abortion seems to be the only choice. Especially if there were previous family issues with the mother. Most teens that we're raised In a bad family environment would probably believe that they were not fit to raise a child and they don't think they could deal with the pressure of carrying the child to term and then finally deciding that abortion is the only true choice that is the best for everyone. I can not judge the choices of others when I know I couldn't make the choice myself. Life is hard as it is even if you and your family are not struggling g and even more so if you are. Bringing a new child into a home is always a stressful situation. You can't blame or judge those who are u sure of their ability to go through with being a mother or even the pregnancy itself. There are so many factors that go in to making what possibly could easily be concluded as one of the most hard decisions a young woman will ever make. No one but that one person will probably ever know what all went into the decision making process. Outsiders do not have the right to condemn the choice of others.
ReplyDelete