The choice of whether or not to have an abortion is sometimes thought to be very difficult to make.
While some women may feel that they know right away what the right answer is for them, up to half say that they felt rushed into the decision [1].
Abortion hurts two lives—the baby, and the mother who has to live with the knowledge that she has taken the life of her child.
In light of this, it’s also important to note that 67% of women who have received an abortion report that they did not receive counseling prior to the procedure [2].
An unplanned pregnancy can cause a significant amount of stress. Just this alone can lead to psychological vulnerability. But the abortion procedure can make this stress even worse. This is evidenced by the fact that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has been noted in approximately 65% of post-abortive women [3].
Most women want to know the risks before they have an abortion, how could they not?
But the fact is that they are not being told. The best way to change this is simply to provide women considering abortion with information and resources, in an unbiased way.
As of today, far too many women are making uninformed decisions about their pregnancies. Women who do not have the opportunity to evaluate all their options are not really given any choice at all.
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References
[1] Physicians for Life. (2010).“Poor Counseling Predicts Post-Abortion Psychological Problems.“ (2010). http://www.physiciansforlife.org/content/view/1845/49/.
[2]Ibid.
[3]Ibid.
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