The Different Adverse Effects of Abortion

A hot topic of debate in the past few centuries is abortion. The 21st century has made a call for the acceptance of this procedure. Groups such as Pro Life and Pro Choice constantly battle head to head over the issue. For the most part, the arguments surround why women choose to go through with an abortion. People theorize women choose to go through the procedure due to religious reasons, guilt, financial trouble, and a plethora of other reasons. But, the much more pressing issue is the effects of the abortion after the fact. No matter the cause of the abortion, the lasting effects of the procedure are detrimental. Every woman who undergoes an abortion is at risk to face these complications. Every society who accepts this practice of abortion, even promoting it at times, will face the devastating consequences. If the truth was shown regarding the effects of abortion, America would quickly shift its opinions to support those opposing the procedure. The effects of abortion include defacing society’s morals, causing long term economic stress, detrimental physical deterioration of the mother, and most importantly, severe emotional and psychological damage to the mother.

Society consistently changes. One thing that remains a key point of focus is society’s morals. Constant battles such as gay marriage and kneeling for the pledge of allegiance has stirred the discussion on what is right and what is wrong. But abortion brings in the following question: Is an unborn child a life? The answer we decide upon will shape our society for years to follow. Currently, our government has subtly answered the question for us. An example of this is in the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004. This act states if someone murders a pregnant woman, they have technically taken two lives, and therefore, will be charged with double homicide. Not only has law implemented the idea of life in an unborn child, but so have Americans quite blatantly. In the YouGov survey, “66% of Americans say unborn babies are people and 52% say human life begins at conception” (Ertelt, LifeNews.com). The occurrence of abortions defies the morals of society, thus deteriorating them.

Economic growth in a country determines its ability to prosper and keep its people happy. Over many years of American history, there is a clear correlation between economic strength and happiness. When the country is stable fiscally, people report higher levels of happiness as well as lower levels of stress. According to NewsMax, $35 trillion has been lost due to abortions (Shaw, Abortion: 6 Impacts on the Economy). The logic behind this claim stands strong. When children are born, it causes parents to buy things such as diapers, formula, children’s clothes, and later pay for textbooks and college. All of this monetary input keeps the economy flowing. These children will grow up to work in the U.S economy and contribute taxes which again, boosts the economy. When there is a decrease in population, such as the one abortion produces, the demand for products goes down, and companies stop thriving. The economy slowly fails as the flow of money is interrupted. Abortions take away an upwards of 1 million people from the United States’ population each year. This loss in human life causes the economy to drop, therefore putting a tremendous stress on those living in said economy.

Women have made great strides in equality over the past century. Many argue abortion is another right of women; the right to decide what happens with their bodies. Sometimes the pregnancy is unexpected or happens due to a tragedy such as rape or incest. The idea of Pro Choice organizations state if the baby is inside of the women’s body, she should have jurisdiction over what happens. After all, it is the women’s body that will be affected by the physical requirements of birthing a child. However, these peaceful sounding ideals disregard the facts of the affect abortion has. One main point of speculation is that women are at risk to die if they have a child. This is a legitimate concern since life is at risk. But, the numbers over the past decade show the advancements in science and medicine have dropped rates of maternal death. But, there are legitimate concerns regarding birth, or in specific, lack thereof. These legitimate concerns are the effects of abortion. What exactly are these effects? The “minor” effects include diarrhea, cramping, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, and bleeding. The major effects include heavy bleeding, sepsis, cervical damage, infections, uterine scarring, hemorrhage, and even death (Elliot Institute). National statistics show 1 in 5 women who get an abortion have immediate complications (AbortionFacts.com). Also, while most of these complications are treatable, they can lead to long lasting issues.

While the preceding effects of abortion are severe, none of them surmount to the effect abortion has on a mother’s mental stage. Pro Choice supports the ideology that every abortion is for the good of the woman. A woman who has an abortion will avoid the stress of a new child. A woman who has an abortion will not have to pay for a child’s clothing, or schooling, or food, or a car later down the road. A mother who aborts her child is supposedly avoiding a lot of trouble if she were to have the child. But, if a woman avoids these effects, she will run into a world of severe consequences. The most important facet of human life is the brain. The brain controls humans every move, thought, idea, action. In specific, human emotion is the most gripping aspect of life. Psychology and emotional stability are two very sacred ideals. If someone’s psychological state is not clear and steady, they will run into many issues. Losing jobs, losing family, losing friends, and overall losing their humanity. After the abortion, many women report a feeling, or loss of feeling, of complete isolation. They are unable to feel emotion as they are so consumed with the procedure and its after physical effects. Studies have shown an upwards of 60% of women who have an abortion report negative feeling afterwards (AmericanPregnancy.org). Negative emotions that stir up include guilt, shame, and regret. There is overwhelming evidence to support the high occurrence of these negative emotions as a result of abortion. According to AbortionFacts.com, “55% expressed guilt, 44% complained of nervous disorders, 36% had experienced sleep disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision, and 11% had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor.” These results are alarming noting that these number show a high occurrence, some would even say a commonality, amongst women who have abortions. Eventually, these feelings become over whelming. They take control of the human psyche; the emotions represent something deeper. Once the child is aborted, there is no bringing it back to life. Therefore, if a woman begins to feel these extreme emotions, she has no way of shaking them. The baby is forever gone and the feeling is forever lasting. These constant feelings often lead to life-long depression. These negative effects of the abortion will last with the mother far beyond the weeks of physical damage her body has undergone.

Issues can be dealt with after the fact by looking at the effects. If something is truly detrimental to society, the effects will be so severe it will cause the country to act. This is the case with abortion. Abortion causes societal disruption in morals as well as economics. The numerous minor and major physical detriment to the mother still stand. Finally, the emotional tear down of a woman who experiences an abortion are life long and severe. The societal, physical, and emotional effects of this procedure are alarming and far too common amongst post-abortion women.