Women may be at risk of mental health breakdowns if they have =
abortions, a=20
medical royal college has warned. The Royal College of Psychiatrists =
says women=20
should not be allowed to have an abortion until they are counselled on =
the=20
possible risk to their mental health.
This overturns the consensus that has stood for decades that the risk =
to=20
mental health of continuing with an unwanted pregnancy outweighs the =
risks of=20
living with the possible regrets of having an abortion.
MPs will shortly vote on a proposal to reduce the upper time limit =
for=20
abortions =93for social reasons=94 from 24 weeks to 20 weeks, a move not =
backed by=20
the government. A Sunday Times poll today shows 59% of women =
would=20
support such a reduction, with only 28% backing the status quo. Taken =
together,=20
just under half (48%) of men and women want a reduction to 20 weeks, =
while 35%=20
want to retain 24 weeks.
Some MPs also want women to have a =93cooling off=94 period in which =
they would=20
be made aware of the possible consequences of the abortion, including =
the impact=20
on their mental health, before they could go ahead.
More than 90% of the 200,000 terminations in Britain every year are =
believed=20
to be carried out because doctors believe that continuing with the =
pregnancy=20
would cause greater mental strain.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends updating abortion =
information=20
leaflets to include details of the risks of depression. =93Consent =
cannot be=20
informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate =
information,=94 it=20
says.
Several studies, including research published in the Journal of =
Child=20
Psychology and Psychiatry in 2006, concluded that abortion in young =
women=20
might be associated with risks of mental health problems.
The controversy intensified earlier this year when an inquest in =
Cornwall=20
heard that a talented artist hanged herself because she was overcome =
with grief=20
after aborting her twins. Emma Beck, 30, left a note saying: =93Living =
is hell for=20
me. I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a =
good mum.=20
I want to be with my babies; they need me, no one else does.=94
The college=92s revised stance was welcomed by Nadine Dorries, a =
Conservative=20
MP campaigning for a statutory cooling-off period: =93For doctors to =
process a=20
woman=92s request for an abortion without providing the support, =
information and=20
help women need at this time of crisis I regard almost as a form of =
abuse,=94 she=20
said.
Dawn Primarolo, the health minister, will this week appeal to MPs to =
ignore=20
attempts to reduce the time limit on abortion when new laws on fertility =
treatment and embryo research come before parliament.
Dr Peter Saunders, general secretary of the Christian Medical =
Fellowship,=20
said: =93How can a doctor now justify an abortion [on mental health =
grounds] if=20
psychiatrists are questioning whether there is any clear evidence that=20
continuing with the pregnancy leads to mental health problems.=94
Royal =
College of=20
Psychiatrists statement on abortion and mental health, 2008
The =
college's=20
stance on the psychiatric factors in abortion, 1994
I debated this matter at Oxford,at = Oxford 2=20 summers ago. I could feel the silence in the room when I talked about=20 "Lady Macbeth like" nights that may affect some who = have had=20 abortions. In the U.S. Planned Parenthood does not give teens informed = consent.=20 Nor will Dems talk about it.
Julia Thompson, Washington,DC, US
In the United States, pain = management of very=20 old women has been complicated due to terrible guilt the woman has over = an=20 abortion fifty or more years in the past. You can suppress guilt for a = time but=20 it just gets worse. And we men need to shoulder our share too.
Jay Maupin, Los Angeles, United States
i had 2 abortions both due to a = partner as=20 soon as i woke from the op i was in tears because i knew it was wrong. = why did i=20 let some one else make me feel i had no choice. now im alone and dearly = wish i=20 could turn the clock back i now relie on tablets to get though each day =
kim , birmigham, uk
I'm 43 and being treated for = depression after=20 my partner coerced me into an abortion. I take no joy in simple things = and have=20 a hard time raising my little one. Everytime I see her I think of the = baby that=20 was taken from me....I resent my partner.
Joy - Canada
Joy, Thunder Bay, Canada
i had an abortion when i was 16 and = now i am=20 nearly 18 and have to see a psyciadrist because of what i did
ashleigh, manchester,
Abortion for financial or 'mental = health'=20 grounds can never be right. My choice as a father was ignored by the = law. What=20 about the father's mental health? I've been a mess since: anxiety etc = Abortion=20 should be a joint decision, if society wants guys to be good fathers. A = lone=20 decision is WRONG!
CHRISTIAN LEE, Hyde, UK
My husband whom I just married for 3 = months=20 divorced me while I was pregnant, but he wanted the baby for himself and = threaten to kill me if I fight for custody... I was so sad and depressed = that I=20 did abortion at 9th week. I didnt know what else to do, my life was a = hell with=20 him... Till now I'm sad
Safaa, Sheffield, UK
I aborted at age 16. One thing was = on my mind=20 - relief. I was not in any position to have a baby and coaxed by my = boyfriend,=20 and did not want to tell my mother.
- I am now 50 and full of = sadness=20 and regret and have suffered since. PLEASE think and seek guidance by = minister=20 or priest ! PLEASE
Tammy , Three Rivers, CA, Tulare
Childbirth can also trigger mental = illness in=20 some individuals, as can carrying to term an unwanted pregnancy.
Bowleserised, Berlin, Germany
My children whom I have killed are = named=20 Matthew, Michael, David and Sophia. They are in heaven and waiting for = me. I=20 never forget who I am - a child of God and God loves me.
This is = the=20 only thing that gets me through the night, the day and even the moment.=20
And I am 50 years old and it began in 1975.
God Help All Of = Us
Sherri Irvin, Marietta, GA
This overturns the consensus that = has stood=20 for decades that the risk to mental health of continuing with an = unwanted=20 pregnancy outweighs the risks of living with the possible regrets of = having an=20 abortion.
Er, no it really doesn't. It simply states the = obvious, that=20 for some women there will be significant emotional consequences to = having an=20 abortion. However, that doesn't show anything about what would have = happened to=20 those same women's mental health if they went ahead with an unwanted = pregnancy,=20 or the consequences for the mental health of the children they went on = to have.=20
The Times should know better than to extrapolate such a sensational=20 conclusion from what has actually been said.
Tennison, edinburgh, scotland
Forcing single women into a = so-called "choice"=20 of ONLY adoption or abortion is common in United States. Limiting a = woman's=20 perceived "options" makes it possible for males to avoid taking = responsibility=20 for pregnancy prevention and for the children born to them. But for many = women,=20 it is a horrendous "choice". Every woman I've ever known who was forced = to give=20 "it" up for adoption suffered horrendously. By the time "it" is born, = "it" is=20 not an "it" but her closest family member, her baby. People who would = consider=20 it terribly cruel to take a newborn puppy away from it's mother are = nevertheless=20 eager to get a newborn human baby away from mom as soon as legally = possible. In=20 some states in the US it's "legal" to obtain a mother's surrender in a = few as 24=20 hours after birth, with no revocation period. We have a whole industry = built=20 around infant "adoption", with "professionals" suggesting to a woman = that she=20 "consider adoption", promising her she'll feel good about it. It's sick. =
Laurie, Marion, IA, USA
One facet of this discussion that I = haven't=20 seen brought up is the fact that so many mothers of pregnant girls are = coercing=20 their daughters to abort. Yes, many guys try to force their girlfriends = to=20 abort, but at the crisis pregnancy center where I volunteer we've seen = way too=20 many moms doing the emotional blackmailing. Several mothers have = threatened to=20 kick their daughter out of the house if she wouldn't abort. Another mom = got a=20 loan to pay for her daughter's abortion so she wouldn't be a single mom. = Many of=20 these girls didn't want to abort, especially when their boyfriend was=20 supportive, but did abort because of mom. We don't really understand = what is=20 driving this trend, but find it very disturbing.
Jane , Loveland , USA/CO
Given that human beings currently = number 6.8=20 billion, there are only 3500 tigers let, (among the myriad species we = are=20 pushing to extinction in our quest for lebensraum) I find it tiresome = that=20 abortion is still, in this day and age, being presented as a tragedy. = Remember=20 that one in three pregnancies ends in a miscarriage anyway. There are = some of us=20 who don't feel guilty, just relieved. Some women, shock horror! don't = want=20 children. The trouble is, society only really allows women to talk about = abortion in terms of regreting it. Where are the women who are perfectly = happy=20 with the choice they made? Not upset at all? Here I am! Get over it = already.
maz, Berkshire,
Every woman I've ever known that had = an=20 abortion suffered because of it. No matter how necessary, it's still = traumatic.=20 The first I witnessed was aged 13. This young girl was allowed to do it = without=20 her parents permission but her treatment was horrendous. She was over 12 = weeks=20 and induced. She named him. When we visited her after school she was = still=20 covered in blood. It's insane that we see it as a form of contraception. = The=20 woman is pregnant, the hormonal changes happen. Of course it affects a = woman's=20 psychological state. To avoid getting pregnant I have had to be = extremely=20 careful. Sex may be fun but the potential consequences are no laughing = matter.=20
Mariette, London,
Each of us would like to be outcome = of real=20 love and that is a minimum that each of us should and can have. If women = decided=20 to do abortion of unwanted pregnancy in favor of wanted pregnancy where = she/they=20 will be happy from the first sign of pregnancy such women=E2=80=99s are = my heroes. One=20 unwanted pregnancy more often means one wanted pregnancy less!
Antoan, Compiegne,
hi - i m a 37-year-old mum of 16 = months old=20 twin girls which i still got after 2 miscarriages the year before - i m = very=20 proud and happy about them - so it is everything possible- my = relationship has=20 changed we are still together but most of the time i took care of my = girls alone=20 - now i am pregnant again from the same man my husband and we had big=20 discussions about having this baby or maybe babies???am still in = consideration=20 of what to do but i myself am terribly scared of an abortion and at the = same=20 time i don t really know how to cope with the new life and my twin girls = when i=20 cannot find enough support through my partner - relationship is = difficult now-=20 wish there is someone out there who feels something to say to my = story...=20
Constanze, London , United Kingdom
Of course abortion affects women's = mental=20 health, and some women make the wrong choice for them, but wouldn't it = be useful=20 to make compative studies looking at the mental health of single mothers = and=20 those who get married as a consequence of pregnancy?
I have a = number of=20 friends who are single mothers and suffer greatly from anxiety over lack = of=20 money and support. These were all women who didn't want abortions and = some have=20 gone on to have several children, by different fathers, none of whom are = involved emotionally or financially. Since their kids are statistically = more=20 likely to do less well at school and more likely to get involved in = crime, and=20 are seen as a huge drain on the public purse, they are not the revered = creatures=20 that the 'pro lifers' would have us believe.
The anti-abortion = lobby=20 might better employ their time educating young men about being good = partners and=20 fathers. Depression is the reward for women in these circumstances, = whatever=20 their decision.
anne, coventry, UK
I had a miscarriage and the effect = was=20 devastating on me mentally. I consider myself a logical person but I did = really=20 wierd things for a couple of weeks. Why? Because a fetus is more than = flesh and=20 blood, it is a living soul within your body. After this incident I can = believe=20 that an abortion causes mental problems. You have to experience it to = know. . .=20
I know of many women who have suffered silent agony for years before = being=20 able to confess their true feelings and get help, professional help. If = a=20 salesman pushes me too hard to buy a product I become suspicious, I = believe this=20 is the same: Why push so hard for a decision on life and death if you = are not=20 hiding the true effects?
In conclusion: I was an unwanted child = (nearly=20 aborted), yes we suffered financially, but I am truly greatful that my = mother=20 decided to keep me. I have so much I still want to do and become. Love = makes up=20 for finacial hardship, finances can't make up for love.
Marlene Briel, Hartbeespoort, South = Africa
It has been over thirty some years = for
me=20 since I had my abortion and I still
think about my child that I = destroy.=20
I regret it everyday of my life and yes
I do suffer from = depression now.=20 I have
to take medecine for it everyday. At
the clinic they = offer=20 counselling but
made the hasty decision to have
the abortion = done right=20 away. If
abortions weren't allow back then
and even now ...
Cathy, Smyrna, DE
I' m Christian and non judgmental. =
I would=20 help a girl and her baby, without ever calling her any name. She is a = human=20 person who deserves respect, just like her child.
Tony Pelletier, Moncton, Canada
If you don't like abortion don't = have one.=20
I'm sick of narrow minded anti choicers. For christ sake we have = enough=20 unwanted children as it is. Their the chavs who attack you on the = streets at=20 night, who sponge off the benefits system, who fill our prisons up, who = are=20 multiplying at an ever increaseing rate. If abortion is banned it should = damn=20 well be the anti choicers who suffer the tax burdon all these unwanted = children=20 will place on the state.
Most of the women i've known who had = abortions=20 didn't regret them. Neither was it an easy choice for them. But a little = depression compared with the financialy crippleing uphill battle of = raiseing a=20 delinquent child. Ha.
Typical christian anti choicer retoric. = Anyone=20 want to bet who funded the study?
Joe B, Wolverhampton, UK,
Life as I knew it ended with the = untimely=20 co-erced abortion of my daughter, Sara, who would turn 17 next October = had she=20 been allowed to live. Her father moved on (thank you, God), married = (unhappily,=20 I hear) & had 3 MORE children, oblivious to the destructive force of = his=20 pressure on me to end our daughter's life. I think the abortion's = effects in his=20 life were also deleterious.
Men support abortion far more than = women,=20 for financial reasons and responsibilty factors already blogged. =
All=20 that said, countless women who think they made the decision of their own = volition continue to experience Post-Abortion Trauma issues. Even = poor-choice=20 folks can suffer grave psychological distress from ending their child's = life.=20
The reason? We are supposed to protect our children. To do = anything but=20 is to fly in the face of everything hard-wired into the human spirit and = our=20 instrinct to survive as a species.
It's time the medical = community and=20 the media reported the truth.
lark, Readington, USA/NJ
I had an abortion when I was 18 = years old. I=20 must admit that I had a mental health breakdown - because I lost all my=20 'friends'. I was a member of an evangelical church. They called me a = whore=20 because I had sex before marriage and a murderer.
I think that = abortion is=20 wrong but before I decided to do this I realized that nobody in my = family or my=20 church would have liked to supporte me and a baby.
Katrin, Cambridge,
What is sad is that the safest place = in the=20 world used to be a mother's womb. Not anymore.
Cherry, San Diego, CA, USA
The comments here have gone way = beyond what=20 the majpr point of the article is: SOME people have problems after an = abortion=20 and there is research to back up that statement. We should let people = know that.=20
Is it that hard?
In slightly unrelated news: Adoption = can be a=20 great choice for many people.
Josh, West Valley, USA
My father has been participating in = the "40=20 days for Life" event in his town. Folks have been praying at abortions = clinics,=20 24/7, not engaging visitors, just standing and praying. Interestingly, = the=20 persons most outraged by the presence of prayerful people outside = clinics have=20 been men aged 18-30. It seems that they are adamant about the right for=20 abortion. I was baffled by this,what would they care? until I realised = that=20 abortion is their ticket to freedom from a child and a woman they might = not care=20 to be linked to.
These men may be coercing abortions in their = partners, I=20 wonder how much that contributes to mental health issues for the women. = Its one=20 thing to make a choice and live with it. Its another to have a choice = made for=20 you and then have to live with feelings of self hate and regret. =
Mot Keen, Lake forest Park , WA, Usa
Thomas Kane: Apparently you do not = understand=20 very simple statements so I will try again. This is my original quote = "Men=20 should keep their comments to themselves, unless they have participated = in=20 aborting a child." Where does that say, according to you, that they = don't have a=20 right in the decision? They DO have a right in the decision. However, = unless a=20 man has participated in the aborting of a child, their comments (such as = here)=20 don't do a great deal of service. It's all theory.
As for your = comment:=20 "Seems like you still are involved in feminist selfishness. You have = alot of=20 deconditioning left to do." You should really apologize for that. You = can't even=20 read my comment CORRECTLY and then you are going to offer condescending = advice?=20 You sound like a real winner to me. As I said above....nothing real = constructive=20 to offer if you've never been a part of the process. Keep your comments = to=20 yourself. You're doing a disservice to those men that actually have = something=20 beneficial to say.
Melissa, Franklin, Indiana, USA
When I found out I was pregnant back = in 1981,=20 I, like a million other young women at that time, had contemplated = abortion.=20 Abortion was not such a huge issue as it is today, and I didn't know the = full=20 truth about the subject. It was when I decided to call a clinic in my = city just=20 to know and understand the abortion procedure. A man came on the phone = and began=20 to answer my questions with, I felt, was the most heinous, insensitive, = cold,=20 unfeeling, description of just how the baby--mind you, a very alive = baby--is=20 terminated. I was extremely shocked that any human being--whether a = medical=20 doctor or not--could be so inhumane regarding human life. After I = recovered from=20 the shock, I made up my mind that no matter what I had to go through = alone to=20 raise my baby, I wasn't going to make the decision to kill it. I felt my = child=20 did not deserve its life to be ended in such a self-centered, = cold-hearted=20 manner. Today, my daughter is 26 years old and a wonderful blessing to = me.
Pam Jenkins, Los Angeles, California
I have known this for 30 years. I = had an=20 abortion when I was 27, single and dating the wrong man. I got pregnant = and=20 could not imagine how I could manage being a single mother. I was very = alone and=20 tricked myself into thinking that I was just postponing having a baby, = not=20 actually ending the life of a child. The only way I could really do it = was to=20 lie to myself. 5 years after that I experienced a premature menopause. = Ending=20 the "possibility" of a child was in fact taking the life of my only = chance at=20 having a child and ending the life of a real child with its own distinct = DNA and=20 life ahead of him/her. As I allowed myself to absorb this truth, I was = filled=20 with remorse and regret. This has been a sorrow and a major thing I had = to come=20 to terms with in my life. I also firmly believe that the false feminism = which=20 celebrates abortion as a woman's choice and empowerment is so wrong, = denying=20 scientific and medical reality. And denying reality is the root of = mental=20 illness.
Patricia, Brooklyn , NY
To all those women who say that men = should=20 have no opinion (or right) in the matter of a woman's pregnancy, I = wonder if you=20 told your boyfriend or husband that before you had sex. Last time I = checked all=20 women have a father, be it a good one, bad one, live one or dead one. = Even those=20 who have lesbian mothers, I am yet to meet one who could produce sperm.=20
Why is it that if a women decides to keep a baby the man is = forced to=20 support that woman and child regardless if the couple stays together. = Yet if a=20 woman does not want the child, he has no say as to whether his son or = daughter=20 shall live. Am I the only father who is upset by this?
The = greatest=20 drawback of the women's movement has been the determination of feminists = to=20 downplay the importance of fathers.What percentage of gang members have = a=20 positive father figure at home? I dare guess, less that 10%. Anyone like = to=20 challenge me on that one?
Rob , St. Catharines, Canada
I find it interesting that doctors = in England=20 are willing to admit that abortion has long-term consequences for mental = health.=20 I wish doctors in America would stop pretending that it doesn't. The = abortion=20 lobby here is very good at making trouble for anyone in medicine who = suggests=20 publicly that the depression, nightmares, sexual dysfunction, and even = suicides=20 that too often follow abortion are in any way related to the experience = itself.=20 It's time we opened our eyes to Planned Parenthood's (and other's) abuse = of=20 women's trust.
Kathleen Wagner, Virginia Beach, VA
I don't think anyone has the right = to judge.=20 Unless you walk in someone else's shoes you have no idea what they = experience.=20 However, there is also the right of the clinician who is expected to = abort the=20 baby. Even if it is providing the medication to self administer for = abortion=20 they are in an unenviable position.
Kate, Glasgow,
For everyone who says that a child = is not=20 developed before the 3rd month they are wrong. I found out I was = pregnant at=20 about 8 weeks and when i saw the picture of the ultra sound my daughter = was=20 moving. I could not feel her because she was small, but she was moving = during=20 the screening. I thank God for my little girl. Maybe if we think of = marriage and=20 family before sex abortions wouldn't be as wide spread. I think that = abortion=20 would destroy you mentally because it there is no turning back once it = is done.=20 Having a child is hard work but the rewards outweigh the struggle. Think = first=20 before you lay down!!
vo, Paterson, New Jersey
I think the "cooling off " period is = a great=20 idea, obviously many women consider abortion, but it may not be the = solution for=20 all of them and some will obviously need the extra time to think and = gain some=20 perspective.
As for all the people commenting on here who = condemn women=20 for having abortions and cite an unfounded superstition as a reason for = ignorant=20 hatred,i think they should be ashamed of themselves. What right have = they to=20 pile guilt on the head of already miserable and emotionally vulnerable = women? I=20 think it's appalling.
Besides, the issue of whether abortion is = right or=20 wrong is not the issue here, the issue is the mental health of women who = may (or=20 may not) have rushed into this huge decision without being properly = advised. We=20 just have to hope that the councellors are compassionate and unbiased. I = don't=20 envy them because of the abuse they'll recieve from fundamentalists like = some of=20 the people commenting on here, but i hope they persevere.
Katy, London, UK
If having an abortion is the = smartest choice=20 you've ever made you must have a pretty sad life.
Sean, Sacramento, CA
It is interesting to note that those = little=20 ones who were aborted are called 'children' or 'child.' If one ever = believes in=20 God, then killing as you all know goes against the 5th Commandment. = Also, those=20 who abort show by their commentaries that they only care about = themselves. It is=20 selfish self-centeredness. The little one in their belly should be they = care=20 about. Not themselves. It is not 'self-love' but love of their neighbor, = so to=20 speak that is required. The woman's 'right' is to care for her children. = How any=20 woman could not have a big enough conscience to truly realize that she = is=20 killing her own child is an abomination. And this is no different from = Herod in=20 the time of Christ killing all the Innocents. So...Rachel continues to = weep for=20 her children. Shame on those of you who have killed your child. It is = certainly=20 not the way of love nor the way to heaven. Wisdom is needed. It's time = for women=20 to open their hearts to loving children and provide that example to = others.
Magdalene, Harrisburg, USA/PA
Melissa: boys are aborted too. Those = boys=20 would have
grown up to be men. But men don't have a say? Some of = those=20 aborted children may actually have had Fathers who
wanted them. But = men=20 don't have a say? Men have to deal with
women who are destroyed by = the bad=20 choices they made. But
men don't have a say? Seems like you still = are=20 involved in fem-
inist selfishness. You have alot of deconditioning = left to=20 do.
Thomas Kane, Quincy, Uninted States
Suicides can not be analysed = afterwards even=20 with a note which can only be taken at face value. Nevertheless, the = leaving of=20 a note is very manipulative behaviour and indicates a desire to have = power over=20 events after death.
Actually, we do not have to allow ourselves to = be=20 manipulated by the dead. That would set a negative example.
It would = definitely be a step backwards for feminism if the authorities compel us = to have=20 psychiatric analysis before any important decision we take. Female = subjugation=20 to "experts" is a thing of the past. Get over it. We must make our own = decisions=20 without interference and it is entirely up to us to know our own minds = thanks.=20
The psychiatric/guidence industry/s is as usual, job creating. Most = people=20 do not like being forcibly messed with by "experts" or other busy = bodies.=20 Perhaps this was an issue in this case and she was reacting to pressure = from=20 psychiatrists.
More positive publicity for abortion is needed to = prevent=20 tragedy.
finella, geneva, switzerland
EVERY child IS a wanted child. There = is a=20 waiting list for couples waiting to adopt. There are ministries (search = on=20 google for Nathhan/Chask) that find adoptive families for special needs = babies,=20 too.
Some women may not suffer guilt following their abortions = because=20 their conscience is seared. Too bad that this is no protection against = the high=20 risk of breast cancer following an abortion. Google abortionbreastcancer = and=20 abortionNo
Sharon G. , Ontario, USA/California
I seem to be missing what's theistic = about=20 insisting that all members of the human species be accorded equal = rights,=20 including the right to life. I know atheists who oppose abortion for = just that=20 reason. I've duly noted that some women who've had abortions do not = appear to=20 have adverse effects, but why on earth would they want to deny other = women the=20 knowledge that some women don't pull through a-ok? Why can't we trust = women with=20 all the information and let them decide what they need to know to make = this very=20 serious decision. What's the danger here, that some women might choose = life? Me=20 thinks they doth protest too much...
Peter, Portland, ME
I believe that abotion should be = allowed up to=20 3 months - as afterwards the baby is very developed and for the pregnant = woman=20 herself - the more you wait to have an abortion and the more you feel = bad.=20
I used to condemn abortion but took an abortion pill a year ago. = I was 5=20 weeks pregnant and was still half way through my university degree. My = boyfriend=20 was also at university. We both come from strict families.
I = still=20 regret failing to take proper contraception - once - and I do feel bad = about=20 that human life. However, I do NOT have any mental illness or depression = - I=20 regret that I put myself in this situation but I do not regret aborting = because=20 Iam sure that I took the right decision.
Please have your own = opinions=20 and live your life as you wish but allow people to take their own = decisions=20 without judgement as well.
Jenny, London, UK
I will never be the same. I was in = my mid 30's=20 and old enough that I should have known better. I hope my baby in Heaven = forgie\ves me. I know God did, but I know I'll never forgive myself for = killing=20 my baby.
Tamara, Springfield, New Jersey-USA
It is about time. After counseling = girls all=20 through college and seeing the emotional carnage, it is about time the = medical=20 the medical institution realized what God has said since the beginning = of time=20 "Thou shall not kill", It is not natural for a woman to kill their = child. It=20 goes against all that is in them.
Chet, Boerne, Texas
To Everyone out there who says = they've never=20 net a person who did not regret having an abortion.
Hi, I'm = Emma. My=20 abortion was a difficult choice, but still the smartest choice I ever = made. I DO=20 NOT REGRET IT.
Now you've met one!
Cheers
Emma
Emma Fox, Sydney, Australia
Have any of you women actually seen = the=20 products of an abortion???
We are called "the fair sex"! What a=20 misnome
Angela, toronto, ON
It's amazing to me that there isn't = ONE=20 mention in ANY of these comments about adoption. Every child is a wanted = child.=20 It might not be by the parents, but there are couples out there that = would take=20 that baby in a heartbeat.
I had an abortion almost 14 years ago. = I was=20 18. It was selfish and I only cared about MY life and MY career and what = I=20 wanted to do. It's not in a baby's best interest to kill it. Sure, = adoption=20 would be a hard thing to do. So hard that it takes a SPECIAL woman to do = it.=20 Those of us that aborted did not have the STRENGTH to go through with = giving=20 birth and placing for adoption. We thought that aborting was an easier = way=20 out....until you live with the consequences (which there are). Nobody = talks=20 about those beforehand. You are led to believe that it's over and done = with=20 never to be thought of again. NOT TRUE.
Men should keep their = comments=20 to themselves, unless they have participated in aborting a child. Women = that=20 haven't done it don't know the first thing.
Melissa, Franklin, Indiana, USA
I have had two abortions over my = reproductive=20 years, and I am just fine thank you very much. And so is my sister who = had one=20 20 years ago.
Women are not children but the world continues to = discuss=20 what is best for us like we are.
Helen Immonen, NYC, NY
While the phenomena of abortion = certainly is=20 not new, there always was (and still is) a stigma to be attached to a = woman who=20 opts to terminate her pregnancy. The term "therapeutic abortion" is = intended to=20 eliminate feelings of guilt a woman may feel in ordering the death of = the human=20 being growing inside her womb. While socially acceptable in today's = permissive=20 society, there is a moral downside, and in many cases the woman = subconsciously=20 views herself as less than a real woman and later in life as a murderer. = When=20 mental instability ensues, it can be debated if it was caused by the = event or=20 latent mental aberrations existant since birth.
Dr.Proctor, Philadelphia , PA
No uterus? No opinion!
The = number of=20 men commenting on this story disturbs me. I know many women who have had = abortions, none of them made the decision easily nor do they regret it. =
Natasha, Manchester, UK
My Honey and I have been through = this=20 decision. She had had an abortion done before ( with somebody else) and = I=20 refused to to let her do it again even though financialy it was crazy. = She lost=20 the baba anyway, probably through stress, but my point is, that if we = selfish=20 males sire babies, its our job to support our partners and lovers. =
John=20
John R, Danbury, CT
Responding to Anna, Bristol, England = who said=20 "a potential child (please note the use of the word potential) that = wouldn'tve=20 been wanted, much loved, or supported to any degree financially." =
Anna=20 you have fallen for psychobabble that has convinced a generation, = worldwide,=20 that the human being in the mother's womb is merely tissue, cells, an = embryo, a=20 fetus, a potential. Well ask yourself, if that very alive baby in the = mother's=20 womb is not a very real person, baby, child, or human, then what species = is it?=20 Here in the U.S. in 2007, our Supreme Court (supremely ignorant) = authored a much=20 celebrated horrific abortion manual known as the Partial Birth Abortion = Ban in a=20 case known as Gonzalez v. Carhart. The ban was only a deception to allow = the=20 abortionist to cut up the baby delivered up to its naval instead of its = neck.=20 And it gets worse. Mental illness is on the mark when you have been = convinced=20 its OK to murder your own baby. The result is you're now the mother of a = dead=20 baby. SICK!
Brett, Denver, Colorado
Wait a minute, wasn't it just a = couple weeks=20 ago that poor woman killed herself over the abortion she had and = everyone piled=20 on her, excoriating her, saying she was weak and abortions are a dandy=20 experience?
Either life matters or it doesn't. If it doesn't = there's no=20 problem. If life matters, then an innocent has been killed. People = should be=20 something fairly powerful about that.
J. Haley, Santa Barbara, USA
Abortion is unavoidable if you are = raped and=20 don't want the child to be born and live in a hell where the society = will be=20 cruel to them.
But if some one does abortion just because they = did not=20 want a child after being careless when doing sex, that is completely=20 unacceptable. Those women should be punished in court of law as a = criminal.
buddy, UK,
Women's rights?
What about = the rights=20 of unborn women?
Andrew, Edinburgh,
First of all, no man should ever = have a say=20 whether a woman does or does not keep a pregnancy. Man only has a say = when he is=20 the one who's life could be at risk.
Second, what's wrong with=20 counseling. I think women should be given all sides of having an = abortion before=20 making the decision. We are told that abstinence doesn't work, that we = should=20 give kids all facts about sex, including contraceptives, because they = are going=20 to have it anyway and should have all the information available. The = same thing=20 should go to having an abortion. Get all of the info and then make your=20 decision.
V. Bean, McKinney, Texas, USA
Vicki Bean, McKinney, TX
Amazing, all these men posting who = don't only=20 know what some women who have had an abortion feel but what every single = one of=20 us feels - wow, now that's mindreading on a truly breathtaking scale. = This is=20 despite the fact that many women are also posting here and saying that = actually,=20 despite not being what most of us would ideally have wanted, it was our = choice=20 and we're glad we made it. Personally, I was in an extremely abusive=20 relationship and didn't want to introduce a child into that and I'm glad = I=20 didn't - I certainly don't need any man to tell me what I felt then, = feel now or=20 ''should'' feel about it, thanks.
I agree that there should = always be=20 counselling for any woman considering an abortion, but most definitely = not from=20 any fundaloonies (who never seem so fussy about the sanctity of the = lives of=20 those already born, certainly not outside Western nations) ot others = biased=20 against or for it, but from people who can calmly, objectively help in=20 considering the options).
Ruth , Glasgow, Scotland
It is high time Psychiatrists = recognized what=20 many people have known all along. It is not normal for a mother to kill = her=20 offspring, whether in the womb or outside it. There are many women = suffering in=20 silence, bearing the grief caused by their decision years ago. Thank = goodness=20 there are groups like Project Rachael, who seek to aid women who've had=20 abortions.
http://www.hopeafterabortion.com/
JD Keating, New York, NY
I don't believe for a second that=20 post-abortion guilt is in any way caused by the abortion itself. Rather, = when it=20 occurs it's caused by the collective morality of others (invariably = people=20 devoid of any empathy whatsoever, who enjoy nothing more than imposing = their own=20 limited world views on others, and then wallowing in the malicious joy = of their=20 own schadenfreude) weighing down inexorably on the fragile psyche of a=20 vulnerable, insecure person. (There's no limit to the harm this sort of = socially=20 acceptable bullying can do.) I know this to be true, because I know = women who=20 feel no guilt whatsoever over their own abortions, only relief and the = calming=20 satisfaction of a difficult decision well taken.
And let us not = forget=20 that all women should have absolute dominion over their own bodies. = Anything=20 less than that is an utterly abhorrent repudiation of what it means to = be human.=20 Forced pregnancy? What sort of society compels a woman to carry, for = example, a=20 rape pregnancy to term?
Oliver Cunningham, London,
You cannot equate what happened to = Andrea=20 Yates children with abortion. Although the end result was tragic, their = lives=20 had meaning while they lived. It is like saying if a child is hit by a = car and=20 killed, it would have been better off if it had been aborted. We cannot = know=20 what the value is of any human's life, nor is it for us to decide. We = just have=20 to act in as unselfish way as we are able, and live with the = consequences when=20 we don't. That's what tears so many woman up; the realization that they = chose=20 their own life over another's so entirely at their mercy. I do not judge = them -=20 but I can judge the act. I was in that spot once, and knew I had to face = the=20 results, even when the father wouldn't. I believed that I couldn't = foretell what=20 the future held for either of us, even though I thought it would be too = hard to=20 bear- for both of us. I won't say what happened after that, just as no = one can=20 say what will happen if they do or do not abort. Life is like that.=20
Kay, La Mirada, United States
What about the risk to your mental = health that=20 bringing a child into the world when you aren't ready, can't afford it, = or were=20 raped? What about "New mothers who wanted an abortion are extremely = likely to=20 experience a mental breakdown" or some other such study...
EB, New Orleans,
A scientific study has now told us = that women=20 are harmed by abortion. Where is our defense of women now? If we really = care=20 about women we would say we should do all we can to protect women from = abortion=20 even though the science goes against what we want to be true. And = leading pro=20 abortion geneticists tell us that it is a human life, not a potential = life. To=20 say it is a potential human life is an unscientific opinion. The article = did=20 nothing to lambast women for abortions. It stated scientific fact and = spoke of=20 protecting women from a proven harm. Properly researched we will find = that women=20 are harmed by abortion for many years to come. There must be a better = way to=20 deal with an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy. A way that does the least = harm to=20 both the baby and the mother.
Geri, New Jersey, USA
Let's not forget, that at least here = in the=20 States the abortion mills we have are in it for the money. The media in = the=20 states is so afraid of the powerful abortion lobby that this mental = health story=20 would never have appeared in the print media in the states.
Also, = when a=20 female student at UCLA is told she is pregnant she is immediately = hustled off to=20 an on site person who refers her to abortionists.
There is another = aspect to=20 this as well. It is the role of the media who repeatedly urges young = women in=20 movies and the trash that is TV to have sex earlier and earlier. Many of = these=20 girls/women would not have gotten pregnant in the first place if it = weren't for=20 the trash that Hollywood serves our young people.
Samantha, Marina del Rey, CA
it makes no difference if you = understand the=20 functioning of your body from a spiritual or a physical understanding. = the only=20 thing you need to know is that if you violate what is a natural = function, there=20 is a price to pay. it is not possible to adequately rationalize a reason = for a=20 mother to throw away the "normal built in" actions relative to = motherhood and=20 have that to be okay.
harold, casa grande, Az.
h. vangilder, casa grande, USA/AZ
Anyone who calls abortion a 'crime = against=20 humanity', or parallels it with Nazi eugenics, is simply foolish. This = is not a=20 spiritual issue. I can understand that, if I did have an abortion, I = might feel=20 a sense of regret when wondering at the potential life which did not, in = the=20 end, exist. But 'potential' is the key word here. An embryo is merely=20 'potential' life. It is entirely dependent upon the mother for = nutrition, etc.=20 So, until it is physically able to function outside the womb, it remains = the=20 bodily property of the mother... who has the right to determine its = destiny as=20 she wishes. The state, or church, or any individual, does not have the = right to=20 control what a women does with her body, in this respect.
And let's = not=20 forget - some children would perhaps have been better off unborn. I = refer you to=20 the work of Harvard economist Steven Levitt, who points out the link = between Roe=20 vs. Wade (1973) in the USA, and the subsequent drastic drop in crime in = about=20 1992.
Danielle, London,
Potential,?
Give me a break! = As a Side=20 walk counselor who has been outside an abortion millfor over 15 years, I = have=20 never heard a mother who came out to say I aborted my "potential' fetus. =
They all know for a fact, it was their unborn child. =
Also, with=20 the 4 D ultrisounds today, that "potential" baby argrument wont fly.=20
Ruth T
Ft Inn, SC
ruth, Ft Inn, USA
All i can say is i had one 16 years = ago-at the=20 insistance of my boyfriend. I regret it very deeply now.I am a mentally = strong=20 person,but at times have a very difficult time with it. It is one thing = you=20 cannot undo.
If i would have kept it-no matter what happened in my = life it=20 would not be as miserable as never seeing that baby-and knowing it is my = fault.
lisa, california, usa
It is easy to pass judgment when it = is someone=20 else's situation. I am not going to tell a woman that she should not = have an=20 abortion because there may be a risk of mental illness that may or may = not=20 occur. Did everyone forget Andrea Yates (of Texas), the woman that = killed all 5=20 of her children. Can anyone tell me what those 5 children went through = was=20 better than if Andrea Yates had had 5 abortions? The mental illness = Andrea Yates=20 suffered was probably going to be whether she had the children or not. = Has=20 anyone stopped to look at what other factors that may have contributed = to the=20 mental illness in these women in the study? I think this is just a BS = study. The=20 study should make sure that these woman do not have other stresses (job, = relationships, financial) that do not contribute to mental illness.
Dee, Atlanta,
If I were ever to have an abortion = I'd feel=20 much more guilty for the things I've been lambasted as in this blog = alone than=20 the fact I was getting rid of a potential child (please note the use of = the word=20 potential) that wouldn'tve been wanted, much loved, or supported to any = degree=20 financially.
Anna, Bristol, England
The grace period may sound like an = excellent=20 idea, but will this result in a better decision being made? Most women = do not=20 make their decision overnight about having an abortion. It becomes a = labor some=20 process for them and their significant other, should they be present. =
It=20 is the responsibility of the patient to seek help, with depression = and/or other=20 illnesses. The physician is there to help the patient, not to tell the = patient=20 was is best. Therefore, if the situation doesn't present itself, then = the=20 physician need not discuss it. The literature on abortions side effect = (ie.=20 Depression) is out there. It is the patients responsibility to seek = advice, not=20 the physicians to provide information that may not be sought or = warranted.
Ron Baptiste, Washington, DC
Some people due to political and = social=20 beliefs, ignore the fact that most...MOST women who have had an abortion = will=20 experience mild to suicidal depression, anxiety, and require medication = to hide=20 not relieve not rid,,, thier guilt. Which is what it is. In todays PC=20 environment no one is allowed to speak what the truth is. So women = suffer. The=20 same women that "pro-choice" groups are fighting to "protect" are being = sent ...=20 impressionable girls like lambs to slaughter in order to keep and = protect a=20 political and social view. There are not nor were there ever back alley=20 abortions that killed millions of women. It is all lies. Just like the = lie that=20 an abortion is a minor surgical procedure. You don't suffer through = years of=20 torment guilt and dispair as the result of having a tooth pulled. That = is a=20 minor surgical procedure. If abortion is not murder... why do women feel = the=20 guilt and pain as if it is....and I mean women who never hear terms such = as=20 murder who live in PC communities.
Tony, Tucker, Ga.
First of all I think that = information about=20 pregnancy and avoiding falling pregnant should be enforced at an early = age=20 therefore there would be less abortions and unwanted children. Children = are=20 eager to grow up and therefore are carrying out acts they know little = about.=20
This also goes for the women who have abortions. The = =E2=80=98cooling off=E2=80=99=20 period spoken about seems ideal and would benefit many women. Perhaps if = the=20 artist Emma Beck had this she would still be alive.
The reduction of = time=20 given to have an abortion would only put more pressure on women = therefore=20 leaving it at 24 weeks will rouse less aggravation than changing it to = 20 weeks.=20
It is inevitable a woman who is faced with this difficult decision = will have=20 an aftermath of emotion that leaves them distraught and scarred. =
Leela, London, England
Yes! God indeed did create us in = Her/His=20 Image, I have known Mr. and Mrs. God since they were in diapers! Lovely = balanced=20 pair they are too! They have given us free will, since they are hoping = we will=20 one day grow out of our infancy; is this where I can use a semicolon! in = other=20 words, quit acting like fools.
Miss May, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
No one should ever counsel a = woman....she=20 should trust her feelings.
Charles, Vancouver, Washington
I've had contact with several woman = post=20 abortion. I can say that yes, having an abortion leaves scars that don't = heal=20 and these scars have NOTHING to do with pro-lifers. They have to do with = feelings of loss and personal guilt at having taken the life of a baby = that was=20 growing inside you. The article advocates letting women think over this = critical=20 decision before jumping to it. I agree.
Gregor, San Diego, USA/CA
This is certainly a very interesting = development, and I applaud the efforts of the Royal College of = Psychiatrists for=20 coming to an unbiased decision, when it would be so easy to cater to the = culture=20 that demands constant and instant gratification. What I find even more=20 interesting are the arguments against such a finding by the Royal = College - yes,=20 we have to be wary of imposing undue restrictions on the availability of = certain=20 treatments, but what good medical professional would let a young person = pursue a=20 course of treatment without giving them the full and complete = information=20 regarding what might happen after the treatment? If there was a chance = that a=20 particular treatment could harm you in the future, wouldn't you want to = know=20 before-hand? Indeed, some people may feel confident in their decision = making=20 abilities without the help of trained professionals, but, we must be = just as=20 cautious in imposing undue restrictions on the proliferation of adequate = information!
Ben Cavallari, Ganymede,
As a woman who has had an abortion, = I find=20 calls for counseling insulting and patronizing. I was certainly not in = need of=20 professional help to make my decision; indeed, any sort of waiting = period would=20 have caused me enormous difficulty given my youth at the time, and the=20 logistical issues involved in arranging the abortion. While some women = certainly=20 suffer depression and remorse, plenty do not. I have never felt anything = but=20 gratitude that the choice was available to me. Having a child would have = ruined=20 my life. 20 years later, I feel the same way. I absolutely don't want = children,=20 and had I been forced to bear one it would only have been disaster and = misery=20 for all involved. I myself was adopted as an infant - possibly because = my=20 biological mother was not able to obtain a legal abortion. Had I been = aborted, I=20 simply would never have existed. I don't have a problem with that.
Rebecca, New York, NY,
If there is painful guilt after an = abortion it=20 is mostly because of the pro lifers ranting on about god and how evil it = all is.=20
Some say they feel so strongly that life is sacred that they want us = to=20 murder anyone who has an abortion. So the mothers life is not sacred? =
Panikos, Grays Essex,
Folks, this article references a = position=20 statement, NOT a medically peer reviewed journal.
Take it for = the=20 unacademic merit upon which it stands.
Marciah1, Gloucester,
Women need to make their own mind = about=20 abortion, its not for doctors to counsel women, I would see this as = pressurising=20 a woman at a very vulnerable time. Women need to do what is right for = them not=20 what the medical profession thinks is right for them.I took the drastic = decision=20 to have my falliopian tubes removed to avoid getting pregnant. There is=20 absolutely no continuity of care in the NHS. I could not have copied = with being=20 passed around from pillar to post whilst being pregnant or whilst in = labour.=20 Then you have the injustice of social police "health visitors" visiting = you with=20 advice and pressurising you with all their health promotion advice.There = is too=20 much pseudocounselling going on in the NHS and not enough real medicine = with=20 continuity care of patients.I have never ever regretted my decision and = would=20 have hated/completely resented being subject to counselling prior to a = abortion.=20 I am quite capable of making my decisions without the State/NHS=20 interference.
carol, bicester,
Information about the possible = consequences of=20 abortion should be given well before a woman becomes pregnant. It should = be part=20 of the sex education that all children receive, boys and girls: = explaining how=20 to get pregnant, how to avoid getting pregnant and all the possible = consequences=20 in either case.
When a woman is already pregnant, already afraid and = worried=20 about her health and her future is NOT the time to start telling her = about dire=20 consequences of any kind. By then she should already have all the = information=20 she needs. Then she can act as a responsible adult and make her own=20 decision.
Rosemary , Germany,
And God created man/women in HIS = IMAGE! Even=20 those 14 year old teens who mentioned that their mother cut and sucked = out their=20 brother/sister out of their mother's uterus KNEW instinctively that this = was=20 "human life". To those people who mentioned that they have never = regretted=20 having an abortion who have never known anyone who has had one tells me = the how=20 selfish we have become! DO NOT KID YOURSELF THIS is NOT JUST a medical,=20 emotional, or economic issue.....THIS IS A SPIRITUAL ISSUE! We condemned = the=20 Nazis for their hatred and mass murder of the Jews during WWII. But we = fail to=20 see the rhetoric that the Pro-abortionists use to justify and support = the=20 rights/cause of abortion! During WWII the Jews were referred to as = "utermenchen"=20 or "subhuman". Today, Pro-abortionists refer to the unborn as "products = of=20 conception". Abortion on demand, human cloning...any devaluation of = human life=20 can be justified for any reason!
DMW, Racine, Wisconsin
i really dont get firstly what god = has to do=20 with ANY of this? i notice ALOT of judements and the word"murders" and = "killing=20 babies" being said but everyones definition of "life" and when it starts = is=20 different, personally im facing an unwanted pregnancy, my first = experience of=20 being so and i as a woman could NEVER have imagined what this feels like = so how=20 the men on here can be soo careless and insensitive to use those terms = is holy=20 unfair! im not in a position to have it yet im faced with conflicting = feelings=20 of course,i have depression now and part of my reason for prolly having = it IS=20 that. im sure pro lifers are very willing to equally critise a woman who = cant=20 cope with her kids and struggles! as i think more and more, those of you = who=20 agree with pro life should tell me if you have fostered or adopted or = been=20 carers and done ANY volenteer work for grown unwanted kids!?its easy to = SAY=20 harder to LIVE bu what you preach, which happens to involve god!
Sanity, Newbury, UK
I really feel for these women who = find=20 themselves destroyed by guilt and grief for the rest of their lives. Way = back=20 when I was younger, I had always said I would have an abortion if I = found myself=20 in the difficult position of having an unwanted pregnancy. Fast forward = a few=20 years to a happy marriage and the birth of my first child. It was only = when he=20 was born that I understood how utterly wrong abortion is. In that moment = I=20 thanked God for never having to make that decision in my earlier years = as I=20 realized how devastating I would have found it later. Even when an = ultrasound=20 showed our second child would possibly be born with birth defects, we = refused to=20 consider abortion. She was born perfectly healthy but we would have = dealt with=20 her problems regardless.
Teenagers/young women are out there = aborting=20 children without fully understanding the ramifications of their actions = and I=20 think it's a sad testament to society that it's so easy.
Denise L, Susteren, Holland
Normal girls would not even think of = holding a=20 gun and shooting some one to death. These same normal girls will go = ahead and=20 kill their own babies. Ofcourse this causes strain and mental health = problems.=20 It's against any mothers' nature to kill their own children. You don't = go out on=20 a hunting trip when they are 18 and then shoot them either.
It has = nothing=20 to do with God or religion. If you are not wired to kill, you are just = not wired=20 to kill. We are taught that killing is bad. Abortion is killing. There = is no=20 gray area, dead is dead, no matter how you look at it.
It is time = people see=20 that any killing is bad, would cut down on wars overall. No normal = person likes=20 to kill. Taking the life of your own child is against any rule of = nature.
L.Puetz, Moseley, Virginia, USA
Those that advocate abortion are = murderers and=20 complicit in premeditated murder. They are pagans that were born too = late...=20 they would feel right at home in ancient pre-christian Rome. These = people have=20 to be held accountable for their Crimes against Humanity. I feel no = empathy for=20 them, they are beyond redemption and have no remorse. The culpability of = these=20 people lies not just in the leaders of the pro-abortion movement but = also in=20 their blind followers, just as the German people were culpable en masse = for what=20 the Nazis did. When abortion is overturned, and it WILL be, those people = at the=20 top of the abortion chain, their political supporters and financial=20 contributors, should stand trial for CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY and be = punished=20 accordingly, death penalty notwithstanding. It is very unfortunate that = the=20 emphasis is placed on the mental health of a mother that aborts her = child and=20 not on the act of abortion-murder itself. It shows how mentally ill our = world=20 really is.
David Demar, Milton,
It's ironic that the same left-wing = people=20 screaming about the rights of children -- for instance, to consent to=20 circumcision, or not to be corporally disciplined by their parents -- = are the=20 same people ranting over the the right of the child's mother to kill = him/her=20 before birth.
A child cannot consent to be aborted. Nor would = he. Before=20 the increasingly-artificial moment of birth, or the ever-decreasing age = of fetal=20 viability, when does the child get to "choose"? Does the arbitrary act = of=20 emergence from the womb confer a sudden change in human rights? =
If you=20 are in favor of unlimited abortion, but not in favor of absolute = parental rights=20 over their children, then quite simply, you're a hypocrite suffering = from=20 textbook cognitive dissonance. Deny it how you will, but if children = have rights=20 after birth, they deserve rights protection before birth as well.
J Cline, London,
My personal experience is that = abortion can=20 definitely cause mental health problems for women. I think it can also = have an=20 adverse mental health effect on at least some men, and thus on = relationships=20 with women and with other children. This had been my experience and it = does not=20 surprise me that the scientific evidence is now confirming this. =
The=20 idea that an abortion will always be in the best interest of the woman = who=20 requests it, without looking into questions of informed consent, stress = or=20 counselling, seems to me very niaive. For no other clinical procedure = would it=20 be assumed that whatever was requested was always appropriate. Clinical=20 decisions should be based on evidence and the evidence suggests that = abortion=20 can have serious psychological consequences and this should be taken = into=20 account by a doctor.
David, London, UK
This article really hit home. My = sister has=20 spent the past 30 years regretting a "convenience" abortion that she had = while=20 in her twenties. She's also gone from a confident, free-thinking = feminist to a=20 childless, obsessive-compulsive hypochondriac.
Sis, San Francisco, CA
I have had an abortion, and I have = never=20 regretted it. From the age of a child, I was repeatedly raped and = abused,=20 resulting in an incestuous pregnancy when I was a teenager.
You = people=20 need to wake up. This is the society we live in. It's not all suburbs = and white=20 picket fences. People like me exist, who just cannot be forced to endure = anymore=20 than they already have. Perhaps if the resources my mother had needed = were in=20 place, I would have never had to endure all that I have. But that's all = 'what=20 if's' is it not? Because the facts are, those resources aren't in place = and it's=20 now 20 years after the fact. All your pipe dreams and fantasys about = God,=20 heaven, and sin are just that. Fantasys. You can't prove that they = exist, but I=20 can prove that I lived in hell on earth.
I managed to succeed in = life by=20 putting all of that behind me. Including that pregnancy. I thank "God" = for=20 medical technology. That, and that alone, is what saved me.
Anne, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Yes they may get sick with cancer or = some=20 awful disease too !
I am fed up with constant negative arguments = on=20 abortion, what's wrong with journalists, are they so afraid of the = backlash they=20 can never tell how liberating & what an enormous relief it must be = for a=20 woman who has agonised over whether or not to go for a termination. ? =
A=20 woman [ I am not talking about some drunken teenager] who makes such a=20 responsible decision is lumped together with girls who use abortion as a = contraceptive, every case is different & it's usually men who lead = the=20 bitter debate abortion.
Stop treating women as though they are = complete=20 idiots, give them the respect they deserve , allow them to be what most = of them=20 are , responsible adults.
Ernest , it IS her body, for nine months = it's her=20 body , she has every right to decide, maybe men could use condoms =3D = fewer=20 abortions
As for the younger ones, you should be more concerned = about=20 alcohol, that's the root cause of the majority of abortions.
maggie millington, brittany, france
It is strange to see an article in a = British=20 newspaper attracting so many comments from the USA where the "pro-life" = movement=20 has failed to make any significant change to the abortion laws. Lets = hope our=20 MPs are not easily fooled by quasi-scientific arguments advanced by=20 ideologically driven political movements.
Chris, Dorking, Surrey, UK
Katie, New York, NY,
Is it = truly your=20 belief that these doctors are in this practice because they have some = insatiable=20 need to kill babies, what type of mind really thinks that these people = are just=20 heartless monsters out to kill babies?
Why don=E2=80=99t these = people kill on a=20 regular basis outside of the medical office, if they are the monster = everyone=20 here seems to think they are, they should committing murder daily to = satiate=20 there twisted appetite for death.
You people need to know, that = you will=20 never stop abortions, even if the US and Britain lose contact with their = senses=20 and cave to the pressures of these religious fanatics, there are = numerous=20 countries in the world that will provide this procedure.
You = folks so=20 want the world to see sex and reproduction as you do and it never will, = why=20 waste your time in such a futile effort?
F E Lang, Wilmington, DE
As a divorced man who experianced an = X wife=20 who aborted a child of unknown fatherhood, I would have to say that she = was/is=20 quite mentally ill and still is 15 years later. I will never know if the = aborted=20 child was mine or her boyfriends.
David, greenville, SC
Unborn babies feel pain, experience = fear at=20 least 8 weeks. Watch the film a silent scream and then say that a = "mother" has=20 the right to kill an unborn child. The baby's heartbeat increases as the = instrument of death comes closer and she tries to swim away. =
Selfishness=20 causes abortion. Selfishness causes death to the soul. Two deaths occur = in=20 abortin the physical death of the baby and the spiritual death of the = mother and=20 abortionist. But their is always a chance for repentance and = healing.
Elizabeth, Long Island, NY, USA
It's about time the pro-abortion = mafia's hold=20 is loosened. Everyone is different, let's be open & fair: the truth = will set=20 you free. I'm a moderate and think we should have balance, present them = with the=20 truth and let them decide. Stop playing politics with people's minds, = bodies,=20 &/or souls, be TRULY tolerant & openminded. Live & let = live...
E. O'Neal, Peoria, IL USA
The Word of God is sovereign even in = the=20 hearts and minds of those who claim they do not believe. Do people = really think=20 that there is no cost to having an abortion? A mother has killed her = child and=20 the cost is more than a human soul is prepared to pay. Truth will = resonate in=20 the souls of men even while a lie is chosen.
The truly lost are = the ones=20 that claim, they have felt no loss and no shame. For the rest, know that = our=20 Lord is a merciful God whose love can cover a multitude of sins. You = shall=20 forget the shame of your youth and if you do remember, then remember = also the=20 love of God. Love God with every thought and through every instance of = time and=20 let him stand with you when the day of evil comes.
justin, lubbock, tx
I don't know anyone who wishes they = had been=20 aborted.
How many of those aborted would have liked to live, = given the=20 chance?
A.Newman, London, uk
Am I the only British person here = who objects=20 to all these religious Americans raving on about abortion?.A woman has a = right=20 to choose.She is the person who has to give birth and then look after = the child=20 for the next zillion years.There are far too many children in the world=20 anyway.There are also a lot of lousy mothers.I have worked with children = whose=20 drug-addicted mothers already have four or five and they continue to = breed, even=20 thought the ones they already have are malnourished and neglected.As for = women=20 who have abortions,no woman would do it lightly.
Jan, London, England
My views have changed a little over = the years=20 in the opposite way to some of the (all-American) commentators. When I = was=20 younger I was completely anti-abortion. At 22 I developed a severe = illness that=20 makes day to day life very difficult. Having a child would be a huge = struggle=20 now-giving it the kind of upbringing I had would be impossible. Now I am = still=20 of reproductive age, and if were to become pregnant I still doubt that I = could=20 bring myself to have an abortion (before anyone criticises me here, it's = not=20 likely as I'm not doing the needful, one of the main reasons being fear = of=20 accidental pregnancy!). But, I now understand how someone could want to = do it,=20 and am now not 100% against it. The point of this anecdote is that it is = very,=20 very easy to criticise abortion if you know you'd never be in the = position of=20 really wanting to have one yourself.
I would be very interested = to know=20 how many of those against abortion are women of reproductive capacity? = How many=20 are not religious?
Rachel, Edinburgh,
How many grandmothes out there would = give up=20 one of her children or grandchildren? It's often only with the wisdom = that comes=20 with age that we realize the "accidents" of our youth to be the = blessings of our=20 lives.
I do know women who have made the tragic mistake of abortion = and have=20 regretted it the rest of their lives.
Elizabeth Snyder, Florence, OR USA
Have you experienced an abortion? It = is a=20 horror and it is real. It is not the "rhetoric" it is the act. From = someone who=20 knows. 23 years later, I am depressed and probably always will be = although I=20 know God loves me and forgives me, there is a hole in my heart that = cannot be=20 healed this side of heaven.
Name withheld, USA,
I have always thought that if a = woman has so=20 little respect for herself as to drop her shorts and have sex with a man = that is=20 not stable enough to be a father, not good enough to be a companion and = not good=20 enough to be in her life she was a little off level anyway. I have = always been=20 FOR abortion because most of those that have one are liberal,,and one = less=20 liberal in our society is just great.
Besides, aren't they acting = the same=20 way that the "Liberated Women" of the 60s said men acted? And shouldn't = we be=20 calling them Pigs instead of murderes?
The REAL reason we have kids = killing=20 kids, gang members carrying 9mm and STDs are so high is because life is=20 devalued. And Why does life have so little value? Think of it this = way,,,and as=20 a former Police Officer I heard this from more then one kid on the = street (At=20 3:00 in the morning) "If mom can have my baby brother or sister cut up = and=20 sucked out of her then why should I care about others or thier lives". = And that=20 came from 14 yr olds
Dutchman, Seguin, Texas
The abortion crowd lives in their = head. They=20 have forgotten how to feel with their heart. They have no patience for = those=20 that do. Is this the compassion that they claim to have? These women = have a=20 heart-ache because they followed the feminists blindly. Now that these = sisters=20 are in emotional pain, they will receive no comfort from the politicians = at=20 N.O.W.
Matt, Los Angeles, CA
Calvin
I see you have read our=20 Constitution and Bill Of Rights, now can you tell me why you believe = that a=20 Fetus is NOT a person? You can't ,you repeat what you have heard and = that you=20 argee with because it give you a way out of knocking up a female and = then=20 running away doesn't it?
The mental stress of abortion is NOT what = you face=20 afterward it is what you have to live with afterward. Again, as a former = Cop I=20 have spoken to many people about this issue. Some of them were going to = commit=20 Suicide. They knew they stopped a life that could have been a great = person or=20 that are emty inside because of it. It was once said that cancer could = have been=20 cured but the researcher that had the ability to do so was aborted. The=20 devaluation of life is the issue, not that you "have the right to do = what you=20 want with your body". The people that wrote our Constitution said our = rights=20 came from a Higher Power. Do you think that power agrees?
Our kids = are=20 watching, and emulating,,,scary, huh?
Dutchman, Seguin, Texas
Abortion is not officially legal in = the UK;=20 the law states that nobody will be prosecuted if certain conditions are = in place=20 to justify the termination of the infant's life. This could be described = as a=20 balancing act between due protection for the unborn baby against the = arguments=20 put forward by the mother. In practice abortion is on demand, and there = have=20 been nearly 7 million since 1967. Doctors sign certificates but rarely = see the=20 patient.
This report from a secular medical organisation is an = objective and=20 welcome focus on the mental health of the mother, and dove-tails into = research=20 done in NZ by a pro-choice academic, Prof David Fergusson, who has also = had the=20 honesty to acknowledge that women can suffer from abortion.
We have = to work=20 together to create a social climate which provides support for women, = makes=20 abortion rare, and acknowledges the right to life of the unborn child. = We will=20 all be the better for it.
Josephine Quintavalle, London, UK
Here there is an official 5-day wait = before=20 you can have an abortion. Give you time to mull it over.
Nobody = I know,=20 including myself, has ever felt regret at having an abortion. More a = huge sense=20 of relief.
I figure the mental health problems are there already = to=20 begin with. And without a support system in place to let that child be = born=20 (partner, work, finances, etc), I could imagine women feeling they have = no other=20 choice, even though they don't want to.
What makes me really = mad, is not=20 women who are having abortions, but those parents that do have children = and then=20 go on to abuse them!!!!!
Marielle, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In America, We hold these truths to = be self=20 evident: that all men are created equal, that they have been endowed by = their=20 Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that amongst these rights are = life,=20 liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and to secure these rights, = governments=20 are instituted, deriving their just powers by the consent of the = governed.=20 Before these ideas were accepted, the Europeans in the British colonies = called=20 themselves colonist, and after, they called themselves Americans. My = rights come=20 from a higher power and governments are instituted to secure my rights.=20
My body is property of my mind. If I should become 'brain dead', = then my=20 body becomes property of my next of kin. A child five minutes after = conception=20 does not have a mind. Therefore, it's body belongs to it's mother. At = some=20 point, the child reacts to pain and pleasure. This seems to me to be an=20 appropriate point to recognize it's rights and to protect these rights.=20 Medically, when is that point?
Calvin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Is the "trauma" caused by the = abortion, or by=20 the anti-abortion rhetoric that calls a woman who gets one a "murderer"? = Do=20 women in countries where abortion is not stigmatized (for example, = Russia)=20 experience the same level of psychological problems?
I think = women's=20 anguish is caused by the people calling them murderers, not by having a = medical=20 procedure done.
Jacqueline, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Having been one of those pro-choice = people,=20 who either luckly or by "choice" never having had an abortion, great = weight must=20 be given before hand concerning all the very real consequences of having = an=20 abortion for convenience. And in real honesty, if the life of the mother = is not=20 threatened, the only reason for an abortion is one's own selfishness and = convenience. I have three children and have had two miscarriages, the = grief and=20 sense of loss of the "potential" that was lost was, and is still, = profound. If=20 pro-choice people were truly intellectually honest, they have to admit = that NO=20 ONE knows the damage done or the consequences endured by these needless = medical=20 "acts."
Miranda Anique, Westfield Village, , Ohio = USA
Pro-abortion activists in the U.S. = will=20 continue to deny and suppress all information, no matter how legitimate, = about=20 the negative effects on women of having an abortion. They do not = actually care=20 about the women they claim to support, they only care about their cause = of=20 fighting against the pro-life forces and they are more than willing to = sacrifice=20 the health of us women to do so. Be wary of these people.
Katie, New York, NY,
Finally a report that talks about = the=20 repercussions of someone terminating the life of their child. These = women need=20 all the support and understanding society can give them. But that's only = half=20 the horror story of abortion. The baby's life that is viscously and = brutally=20 exterminated must be told also. The silent scream from these children = will never=20 be heard. It is societies responsibility to protect children, even in = the womb.=20 No mother should have the right to say weather a child lives or dies. = It's NOT=20 her body she is aborting. It's a child not a choice!
Ernest J Filippini, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Why dont proponents of abortion ever = consider=20 the mental health of the baby? I would think that if the child could = respond, he=20 would prefer a less than perfect mother instead of having his life = terminated.=20 It is a sad commentary on our society when we dont care for those who = cant=20 respond and ask for help.
Charles, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Abortion is a betrayal of the = greatest bond=20 possible, between a mother and her child. Anyone denying this baby is = human, or=20 a person, is denying biology, human nature, and common sense. Of course = letting=20 one's baby be killed can cause mental disorder. I pity those few who are = cold=20 enough to not be troubled.
Jim, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
I hope the same "cooling off" period = applies=20 to women who want to have a child. I've known more women to go off the = deep end=20 after having a child than having an abortion, and certainly, taking a = train to=20 Crazy Town with a child in tow has a few more ramifications.
Michelle, Atlanta, GA,
Of course they are going to have = mental=20 breakdowns... they just killed their baby!
jj, austin, tx
I had an abortion 25 years ago, at = 17, and=20 have never once regretted or been depressed by my decision. If I were in = a=20 similar position today, I would be highly insulted if a doctor told me = that I=20 needed time to think about my decision, as if I had made the appointment = on a=20 whim with zero forethought. The attitude that women must be saved from=20 themselves is incredibly patronizing.
Moreover, where do these=20 statistics come from? Are they from a representative sample of people = who have=20 had abortions, or are they based on people being treated for depression = or other=20 mental health issues (thus ignoring those of us who did not experience = regrets)?=20
People are merely looking for a reason to outlaw abortion--I'm = sure that=20 people become depressed over their decision to have children, to marry, = to=20 divorce, to attend or not attend university; no one is trying to outlaw = those=20 things. It's ridiculous.
Diane, Norman, Oklahoma
Gee whiz!! You mean that the = slaughter of an=20 innocent healthy baby could possibly leave its mother with a guilty = conscience?=20 And they talk about catholic guilt...give me a break, would I rather = have=20 knowledge that all are short of divine grace as mere mortals, and lose = some=20 sleep over it...or kill a baby and take pills to calm down over it.... = the=20 choice is simple.... Catholics are comfortable knowing they are not = divine, just=20 mortals who try to live by God;s teachings.
William R. Smith, Marietta, Georgia, = USA
This is not a surprise. God has = given women=20 this wonderful gift of being able to bring a new life into this world. = Just like=20 we experience motion sickness when our balance is off and our = equilibrium is=20 confused, when it is a "baby" when it is wanted and a nothing when it = isn't, our=20 minds get confused with the deception.
It is not the pro-life = crowd that=20 is causing the confusion, it is a woman's own built in sense of right = and wrong.=20 No matter how much they want to think it is just a "choice", inside they = know=20 different and it tears them apart. They bought into the lie and now they = risk=20 suffering the fate of Emma Beck. She believed the lie and in the end it = cost her=20 the lives of her babies and then her own life.
Dale, Michigan, USA
It's hideous and barbaric and used = too often=20 as just a form of birth control by irresponsible, careless people.
Linda, Toronto, Canada,
None of the women I know who have = had=20 abortions regret it. It's not a decision to be made lightly, but I'm = tired of=20 the usual pushy christian, patriarchal types insisting that every woman = regrets=20 this choice. They don't.
Christine Almeida, Newark, NJ, USA
What about the New Yorker article on = post-partum depression that never goes away? Counterpoint, please.
Erica, NYC,
I guess people who don't want = abortions=20 shouldn't have them... except I wonder what all the babies who are = slaughtered=20 would opine.
Jake, Austin, TX
First poster, it is not true that = post partum=20 depression happens to all new mothers, this is a modern day myth. It is = actually=20 pretty rare. About the mental health effects of abortion --
I can = tell you=20 from personal experience that you are haunted for the rest of your life = by an=20 abortion. You may block it out for years, a decade even, but you will = never=20 forget. The terrible decision you made will be with you forever. Even if = the=20 decision was forced on you by your partner, as mine was, or by = circumstances, it=20 will make no difference. Later in life I was blessed with two children . = A part=20 of me will always feel I don't deserve them,because of what I did to my = first=20 baby. It's time people were honest about the evil of abortion and the = long-term=20 consequences.
Lynda Weber, Dallas, TX, USA
Gee, why would they get depressed = and have=20 breakdowns? Could it possibly be from the never-ending rhetoric from = anti-choice=20 folks who make it their duty to demonize, harass, and attack women who = have had=20 the procedure? Nooooo, never! After all, what possible effect could this = constant negative input from people who have no business in the matter=20 whatsoever have?
Jesse, Toronto,
Just like women can't legally commit = suicide,=20 take illicit drugs, or abuse their born children for moral reasons, they = shouldn't be allowed to kill their unborn children. It is not her body; = half the=20 time it has a penis. God will continue to pull back His Hand of = protection as=20 the "legal" slaughter continues. It is murder in His eyes, the breaking = of the=20 Sixth Commandment. Just like in the Old Testament, God will allow other = nations=20 to invade the nations that are guilty of shedding innocent blood. Can = you say,=20 terrorism? Mothers are not psychologically created in a way by God that = they can=20 kill their own children and not be affected by it. Abortion does not = cover up=20 the sin of fornication or greed; it compounds it. Pastors better start=20 encouraging their best church members to run for office so that we can = get this=20 abomination illegal again. We need to be salt and light in the = leadership=20 positions so we can love and protect our neighbors with just laws - even = the=20 smallest & voiceless.
Sharon G. , Ontario, USA/California
This study gives scientific = underpinning to=20 what the culture should have already known - aborting a child goes = against a=20 woman's purpose and psyche. We were fed a bunch of lies for decades, and = our=20 generation is a graveyard of broken hearts, lives, and marriages as a = result. At=20 the very least women should be fully counseled and given time to think = deeply on=20 their decision, and it should be ascertained that they are free of = outside=20 pressure.
One quick decision can have consequences that last a = lifetime.=20 But those who have regrets should always remember - God loves, forgives, = heals,=20 and restores. Give your mistakes to Him and place your trust in Him. He = will=20 accept you.
Paul B., NY, US
I am satisfied that abortion is = available to=20 any woman in the UK. 12% are performed after 13 weeks, (24000 in 2003) = 1% were=20 due to abnormality.
The theists should be happy the rationalists are = not=20 multiplying.
Maxie, drogheda, Ireland
Why don=E2=80=99t proponents of = abortion ever=20 consider the mental health of the baby? I would think that if the child = could=20 respond, he would prefer a less than perfect mother instead of having = his life=20 =E2=80=9Cterminated.=E2=80=9D It is a sad commentary on our society when = we don=E2=80=99t care for=20 those who can=E2=80=99t respond and ask for help.
Charles, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Abortion should be outlawed, period. = It is=20 abhorrent in every way.
KB
Kathleen, Santa Maria, California USA
It has been shown that most women = would have=20 chosen life for their babies if the man had supported them
Where = are the=20 feminists????? To have the men support the mother of their child?
lu, cindytown, ny, usa
Every woman I know who had an = abortion has=20 problems later on. At least one had a mental breakdown and needed = psychiatric=20 help. She would used to say how old it would be if she hadn't killed it. =
Abortion is killing of someone who cannot scream and dies alone. = A child=20 looks to a mother as the one protector. Some adults even die with the = word=20 'Mother', the last words on their lips.
Abortion is a betrayal = of the=20 highest order. I cannot imagine the guilt and grief felt by the = mother.
Kate Dommett, Brussels,
I think it is wonderful to read so = many sane=20 persons on this commenting about the manifest danger that abortion poses = to all=20 involved INCLUDING the sleeping society. Our culture just "accepts" that = somehow=20 we must A, defend and rationalize irresponsible (but now fashionable) = behaviour=20 in the first place and then reward it by granting the "right" to simply = kill the=20 product off. How absurd! But I suppose it is all part and parcel of the = post=20 modern notion that we-lah-dee-dah- dream up our morality as we go along = and that=20 the more traditional moral thinking pre-Roe v Wade or pre- Sargent = Pepper or=20 something was the province of poor beknighted fools. We're NOT = progressing,=20 dears, as so many believe we are. We're actually regressing into a = category of=20 horrors unthinkable even in the ancient world. And I fear, as I listen = to=20 reports of the "abortion generation" and the latest shoot up at an = american=20 campus, that this is "only the beginning of sorrows".
john frantz, Syacuse, NY
The question in this case is not if = abortion=20 can cause depression. Nor is it whether or not this, in practice, = outweighs the=20 remorse, hormonal changes and economic strain that can accompany = unwanted=20 pregnancy. The question is how much the government should have to do = with=20 enforcing descisions about when women can get abortions and what = information=20 they may have. Currently in the UK GPs have a tremendous amount of = discretion.=20 This is undoubtably as it should be, given the wide spectrum of women = and=20 circumstances under which abortions are desired and performed. The law = isn't=20 meant to confrom to black and white cases (the woman who hung herself, = etc) but=20 rather to encompass gray areas and individuals, from a mother at 23 = weeks who=20 finds out her child is deformed to a teenage mother who has to travel = two hours=20 to get to a clinic and for whom waiting period hurts. An increase of = arbitrary=20 regulations means the government steps into the private realm of = descisons=20 between doctor and patient.
Ingrid , Austin, TX
I do hope that women who read this = and may in=20 future find themselves having to make this toughest of choices will = understand=20 that people who paint the decision to have an abortion as murder do not = have=20 women's interests at heart. No one wants to have an abortion, and yes, = women=20 need more information rather than less, but the decision cannot morally = be taken=20 out of women's hands. The day governments are willing to provide tax = credits and=20 other real benefits and assistance for women who become mothers and lack = financial support, and the day good childcare is not so expensive that = most=20 working women cannot afford it, is the day we can finally say goodbye to = "social" abortions, because no one I know would choose to have one = unless they=20 absolutely believed it was necessary. I am sure the overwhelming = majority of=20 women who choose to have one are of perfectly sound mind and heavy = heart. And=20 who's to say what mental problems they might have in later life if they = didn't=20 have an abortion?
Ellie, Washington, DC
We CANNOT know how life will turn = out. I have=20 never met someone who was sorry they did not have an abortion. Ever. I = HAVE met=20 people who will feel sad and sorry and guilty for the rest of their = lives=20 because they did. Abortion was available to my daughter when she became = pregnant=20 4 years ago at the age of 16. Actually, her father offered to take her = for one.=20 She decided that she believed that ending a life would be ending a life, = no=20 matter if that human being lived inside her womb or outside it. Now, it = is=20 impossible to imagine this planet without my 4 year old granddaughter on = it. It=20 has been quite amazing to see how life has changed and molded itself to = enable=20 my granddaughter to grow and thrive...and to be loved beyond = imagining.
Martha, Centreville, Virginia
The RCoP went on to say that studies = have=20 shown many women become depressed and have suicidal (not to mention = homicidal)=20 thoughts (and actions) brought on by post partum stress. PPS almost = always only=20 occurs in women after giving birth to a child, so the MP's will have to = look=20 into allowing women getting pregnant and having children at all as it's = just too=20 great a risk.
Further, the RCoP noted that since many people = commit=20 suicide during their teen years, the MP's will next consider banning the = teen=20 years.
R Greeene, Greene, Waltham, MA
People who don't want abortions = should not=20 have them.
Clarissa, Alger, WA
No woman can imagine what good a mom = she will=20 be until she has children. I was a drunk and a sleaze until my = (unwanted)=20 daughter was born. Now I have five kids (same man), grind wheat, and = make my own=20 play dough. It's a wonderful life of joy, laughter, and fun.
The = tragedy=20 of Emma Beck shouldn't happen. May God have mercy on her poor soul.
Sammi, Atlanta, USA, GA
In the 60's and 70's I was = regurgitating the=20 pablum we were being fed, "A woman's body is hers to do with what she = wants".=20 Taking a human life is not easy and we are finding that out. Just as in = physics,=20 with every action there comes an equal and opposite reaction. What we do = to=20 unborn children is horrific and I am ashamed to have once been a = supporter.
Randy 2, Michigan, USA
How can we provide maximum = opportunity for=20 foreign immigration unless we maximize opportunity for domestic = abortions? There=20 simply is no free lunch. Immigrants from foreign lands must have = priority over=20 immigrants from heaven.
Jack Castle, Notus, ID
How can this be surprising? =
Abortion=20 is the greatest evil being committed on earth; to assent to one, to = support one=20 is to assent to this evil, and to be responsible for the spilled blood.=20
And it appears your country, like mine, turns everything into a = disease.=20 To rationalize it, we play games with language, especially euphemism, = and we=20 make it all complicated, when it is dead simple: abortion is murder, and = most=20 murderers have consciences that suffer.
Jeff Johnson, collegeville , minnesota
200,000 a year. what a tragic loss. = So many=20 people want children- it's a shame.
Kim , athens, GA USA
In my simplistic view, I am = convinced of the=20 desperate need for three things before any abortion is performed. =
1. The=20 mum to be must watch an utra-sound of the infant including any possible = sexing=20 of the infant.
2. Mandatory counseling independant of the = abortionist=20 altogether with printed background information regarding the possibility = of=20 severe mental health issues.
3. A waiting period for the mum to be = to=20 assimilate everything enabling her to make a reasoned decision. =
Having=20 known a number of women having had an abortion, I can tell you first = hand that=20 overwhelming feelings of guilt are far from a passing issue. I know of = one case=20 where after many years had passed, the regret one woman had only grew = worse with=20 time.
Walter Gee, Copperhill, TN, USA
Given time to think about it,most = women will=20 not want to kill their own children. Those who decide without enough=20 information, upon later finding the scientific fact that they have = killed their=20 child, will undoubtedly suffer something. Information and time are = important.=20
Patrick J. McGervey
Patrick J. McGervey, Avon Lake, Oh