More on Abortion, Mental Health and Feminists
I posted a month ago on new research linking abortion to negative mental health outcomes.
Well, there's new research out this week saying the same thing, this time from New Zealand.
From the abstract
Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders. This association persisted after adjustment for confounding factors.
Also, OxBlog links to an exercpt from Meet the Press with Kate Michelman, the president of NARAL. She gives the pretty standard feminist party line on the issue...
But you can be absolutely anti-abortion, if you will, and pro-choice; believing that women ultimately, not the government, not Dennis Hastert and Tom DeLay and Bill Frist, but women themselves must determine the course of their lives, and central to that determining the course of their lives is determining when and under what circumstances they will become mothers. Because the thing that most women want is to be successful at mothering. And the first ingredient is being able to determine when that time is right and not being forced by the government and by politicians or by judges to bear a child under circumstances of one—not of one’s choosing. So I...
MS. O’BEIRNE: Well, as Kate just explained, you cannot believe that there ought to be legal protections for the unborn and not be read out of the modern women’s movement.
Well, there's new research out this week saying the same thing, this time from New Zealand.
From the abstract
Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders. This association persisted after adjustment for confounding factors.
Also, OxBlog links to an exercpt from Meet the Press with Kate Michelman, the president of NARAL. She gives the pretty standard feminist party line on the issue...
But you can be absolutely anti-abortion, if you will, and pro-choice; believing that women ultimately, not the government, not Dennis Hastert and Tom DeLay and Bill Frist, but women themselves must determine the course of their lives, and central to that determining the course of their lives is determining when and under what circumstances they will become mothers. Because the thing that most women want is to be successful at mothering. And the first ingredient is being able to determine when that time is right and not being forced by the government and by politicians or by judges to bear a child under circumstances of one—not of one’s choosing. So I...
MS. O’BEIRNE: Well, as Kate just explained, you cannot believe that there ought to be legal protections for the unborn and not be read out of the modern women’s movement.
Labels: Bioethics, I'm Not A Feminist
posted by Auds | 11:38
8 Comments:
I don't think we need medical research to tell us that abortion leads to some women experiencing negative mental health. Going through something so traumatic is bound to cause depression and anxiety in some people.
But what we also don't need is this kind of obvious research being used by in a propagandist manner by Pro-Life organisations to deny women the choice to make up their own minds about unwanted pregancies.
But what we also don't need is this kind of obvious research being used by in a propagandist manner by Pro-Life organisations to deny women the choice to make up their own minds about unwanted pregancies
But we do need to know that abortion is not like getting your tonsils out, as some pro-choice activists like to claim.
It is a serious decision and to expect any woman to make an informed decision and give informed consent to a medical procedure without making her aware of the growing evidence that suggests negative psychological after effects, is fundamentally anti-woman.
Also research like this does help us a society in examining abortion as a public policy issue (regardless of the intensely personal nature, unexpected pregnancy is something that as a society we have to deal with)
You never hear it said because of the background camps the pro- and anti- movements are rooted in but, in my opinion, the focus should be on ensuring that a woman who does not want to get pregnant does not get pregnant.
That means freely available contraception, including a freely available morning-after pill, and an open and honest society that teaches horny teenagers (and everyone else) about sex, pregnancy, parenthood and STDs. No woman should become pregnant if she does not want to be because of society's repressed attitudes.
Any issues around abortion for medical reasons (danger to the mother or handicapped child) can then be dealt with separately from the emotional/societal reasons.
"But we do need to know that abortion is not like getting your tonsils out, as some pro-choice activists like to claim."
I don't know anyone who is pro-choice that would make that kind of glib and irresponsible claim. Anyone who has an abortion doesn't make the decision lightly.
"I don't know anyone who is pro-choice that would make that kind of glib and irresponsible claim."
unfortunately I have. One particular pro-choice doctor has made that and similar claims at 2 seperate times - one on radio and the other at debate.
Noone makes the decision to have an abortion lightly. It is not a simple or easy decision.
In that original sentence I meant to say that women don't know, not we.
Fully informed consent to all the risks of abortion, including the pyschological is essential.
Also, some pro-choice activists (including the doctor mentioned above) refuse to believe this growing evidence. This is not good enough.
"unfortunately I have. One particular pro-choice doctor has made that and similar claims at 2 seperate times - one on radio and the other at debate."
Auds - how would anyone, especially a doctor claim that an abortion is like getting your tonsils out? It's an emotive issue and anyone pro-choice making remarks like that would be doing their pro-choice campaign no favours. Do you know the doctor's name? Or what show it was on?
It's interesting how people who are not pro-choice can always claim that someone they know/have heard on the radio has made a "Oh I had an abortion on my lunchbreak and I couldn't care less" remark. It's quite convenient.
I still do not believe that anyone would make such a flippant remark, but I would certainly believe anti-choice groups would have no problem in conjuring up these people.
Yes I know the doctor Sinead - i'm not making stuff up.
"I still do not believe that anyone would make such a flippant remark, but I would certainly believe anti-choice groups would have no problem in conjuring up these people."
That's an incredibly biased view point, Sinead.
You can say this about any issue - that those that disagree with you will always make things up.
I wasn't implying you were making things up.
The anti-choice movement has come up with an awful lot of bizarre, offensivee and sensationalist statements to back up their views. That they think it's ok to show pictures of dead foetuses on O'Connell street where children can see them always astounds me. It seems like a real disregard for the rights of those children.
Anyone with an opinion on anything has a bias.
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