Is Abortion Harmful to Women Discussion

[Rex]

This will be the post to discuss this debate.

 

[huajiro]

I would say definitely "yes". I am no doctor, so cannot really talk about the physical effects, but can you imagine interrupting anything as powerful as their maternal instinct? Also, throw the guilt of stopping a life, and you have a perfect combination for some emotional problems.

 

[Ceridwen018]

There have been many studies done which have shown that abortion can be linked to serious psychological issues. Also, abortion has been linked to breast cancer, cervical cancer, and cancer in any other part of the body which is affected by the sudden and unnatural drop in hormone levels and the interference that abortion causes.

 

[Sunstone]

I think we should draft Ceridwen to take one of the sides in this debate! She has a rock-solid intellectual conscience, is a lively debater, and doesn't already have enough school work to keep her busy. Who all agrees with me?

 

[desi]

I suppose abortion would harm anyone with a conscience.

 

[desi]

I suppose abortion would harm anyone with a conscience.

It might also harm women if fetuses have a gender and happen to be female.

 

[Majikthise]

The thing that would really harm women is if they are not given the choise and have to seek a less than reputable physician.

 

[Pah]

Is there an ongoing debate?

It hardly seems so when the opponent takes the same position.

 

[linwood]

It can`t really be debated considering the question is subjective.

Pah supplied answers to my question about the physical harm done (in an earlier thread) and it`s arguably nil.

So we`re left with mental health and that can only be decided on an individual basis.

 

[Pah]

It can`t really be debated considering the question is subjective.

Pah supplied answers to my question about the physical harm done (in an earlier thread) and it`s arguably nil.

So we`re left with mental health and that can only be decided on an individual basis.

What I have said outside the debate does not contradict the harm and risk a woman faces because of abortion which is argued in the debate. Admittedly the risk is quite low but there, none-the-less. It is as objective as it gets but not near the danger of continuing a pregnancy.

 

[standing_on_one_foot]

Admittedly the risk is quite low but there, none-the-less. It is as objective as it gets but not near the danger of continuing a pregnancy.

We could always debate whether pregnancy is harmful to women, I suppose =P

 

[linwood]

What I have said outside the debate does not contradict the harm and risk a woman faces because of abortion which is argued in the debate.

I have yet to be shown what the harm and risk is in abortion on a physical level.

Fears of cancer mean nothing to me considering everything causes cancer if you listen to the experts.

The few stats I have seen on death and or injury seem so irrelevent in the grand scheme of the thing it is nothing.

In fact I`d argue it`s more dangerous to carry to term than to abort.

It is as objective as it gets but not near the danger of continuing a pregnancy.

If we are still talking about emotional/mental health then I disagree that it is objective.
The harm incurred depends upon the individuals reaction to the abortion.
That makes it subjective.

 

[Scuba Pete]

In any abortion the best survival rate is 50%. Only the mom gets out alive.

But in reality, there are many side effects which have yet to be quantified. These range from psychological to physiological trauma and syndromes. I don't think there has been enough "independent" study of the phenomenon to be able to deduce all of them. Until we can stop being so polar about it, there won't be. A scientist with an agenda can never be trusted.

 

[Pah]

I have yet to be shown what the harm and risk is in abortion on a physical level.

Fears of cancer mean nothing to me considering everything causes cancer if you listen to the experts.

The few stats I have seen on death and or injury seem so irrelevent in the grand scheme of the thing it is nothing.

In fact I`d argue it`s more dangerous to carry to term than to abort.

Physical Risks

* Hemorrhage
* Perforation of the uterus
* Infection of the uterus
* Injury to the cervix
* Entropic pregnancy for later conceptions
* Precursor to breast cancer
* Death

* Cervical, ovarian and liver cancer
* Placenta previa
* Complications of labor
* Pelvic inflammatory disease
All are results of abortion and some are experienced in pregnancies following an abortion. The Debate itself carries linked references.

If we are still talking about emotional/mental health then I disagree that it is objective.
The harm incurred depends upon the individuals reaction to the abortion.
That makes it subjective.

I am only talking about diagnosed conditions and not an internal malaise.

 

[anders]

I'll restrict my comments to induced abortions performed in a normal hospital setting, in the early stages of pregnancy.

Abortions may be harmful in many ways, physically and mentally. With the introductory statement, I assume that any physical harm will be negligible. How much and when the woman/girl will be affected mentally is a difficult question, and can't be answered in a general manner. A religious person may think that her fellow believers have some definite stand on the question, and would like to conform to their beliefs, but think that her situation has aspects that override that consensus.

Others may realize that they answer to themselves only, and that they should be in command of their own bodies.

Imagine the following case: A girl, some 20+, engaged, just happens to have an intense encounter with another guy. She gets pregnant. She doesn't want to disturb her relationship, realizing that her relatives would prefer the fiancé and that the other guy might not be interested in pursuing the relationship, and has an abortion. Who could possibly blame her? But herself...

It then so happens that she despite intense efforts can't have a child in a later relation. Possibly, the cause was some sequel of the abortion, but no doctor can neither confirm nor negate that. (There were other complications in the meantime.)

There are so many questions here that can't be answered. It isn't impossible that the decision to have an abortion was the best solution at that time. At the point of decision, nobody can tell what will be the best way in a later perspective. I could have asked some previous posters for evidence, statistics and references regarding possible vs. actual harm, but such aspects are rather meaningless for the person(s) concerned.

Additionally, we have to consider that pregnancies constitute risks to mother and foetus that mustn't be overlooked. Ectopic pregnancies, toxaemia of pregnancy, diabetes of pregnancy, just to mention a few of the possible physical medical risks.

One of the very few tenets of the Christian Bible that I can sympathize with is "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."