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Madalyn Carter

21.SU.ENG.1201.5B3

Prof. Glena Madden

26 July 2021

The Harmful Effects of Abortion

What exactly does abortion entitle? What are the effects it has on the mother’s body and

on the unborn child's body? How does abortion exactly affect someone's body mentally and

physically? There are many different types of abortion options, but what exactly are those

options and how do they affect your body? People need to be educated on the practices of

aboertion and what really goes on behind the scenes of it. People also need to be educated on the

different stages of development of a baby's life as well.

Abortion has been around since way before it was legalized. Even after some states made

it illegal some doctors still practiced secret abortions. The famous Roe v. Wade seems to be one

of the most controversial judicial decisions in the twentieth century having to do with abortion. .

“Roe brought suit against Wade, a state official, claiming a Texas law restricting her right to an

abortion was unconstitutional. The court discussed the different types of interests a state may

have at different stages during the pregnancy, specifically the interests in protecting the life of

the mother and the unborn fetus. The United States Supreme Court held, that the law was

unconstitutional because a woman has a right to an abortion protected under the fundamental

right to privacy.” (Roe v. Wade.) Public opinion was split almost in half during this court

session. “The January 1972 Gallup poll showed fifty-seven percent of respondents favored
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leaving the decision on abortion to the pregnant women and her physician.” (H. and Hoffer.)

Many people back in the great depression time chose to get an abortion instead of having to

spend more money on another child since money was so scarce at that time.

It has been proven several times that abortion can cause more harm than it can good.

Many places that offer abortion procedures in different countries and even here in the USA are

not doing it safely and are causing many harmful effects to women’s bodies. The article

“Induced abortions in Pakistan: an afflicting challenge needing addressal.” talks about the

harmful effects that unsafe abortions cause on women’s bodies. “Unintended pregnancies due to

low prevalence of contraceptive use in Pakistan leads to a huge burden of induced abortions.

These abortions are a major cause of concern, as a majority of these abortions are performed in

an unhygienic environment by untrained providers, leading to maternal morbidities and

mortalities.” (Baig et al.) Unsafe abortions are a very big factor in a women’s physical harm to

her body. “Unsafe abortion is one of the major causes of maternal mortality that accounts for

approximately 4.7%–13.2% maternal deaths every year. In developing countries, every year,

nearly seven million women get admitted in hospitals for the treatment of complications related

to unsafe abortion. Some of the complications that can occur as a result of unsafe abortion

include hemorrhage, infection, uterine perforation, and injury to the genital tract and internal

organs that can be life threatening to women. (Baig et al.) Many of the techniques they use for

abortion are unsafe. “Significant morbidity and mortality have occurred following the use of

mifepristone as an abortifacient.” (Aultman et al.) This information will help prove that unsafe

abortion is harmful to a mother’s life.

It is a long and traumatic process for those women who have had the abortion to get back

to stable and mental health. For some women, they will never be able to get back to that place.
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For many women who do get abortions it can be unsafe and can leave them scarred for life, “I

found a doctor in my community. I told him about my situation, and he decided to “help” me. It

was a risky situation for him, and I did not have the large sum of money he asked for. He said he

would reduce the price if I had sex with him. Scared, I accepted. After I “paid” him, he inserted

an injection and pills into my uterus. It was painful, like cramps, but worse. I could not tell

anyone, and I was worried because through the course of the night I had not even bled. I was

afraid it would not work and that I’d wind up with a sick baby. I went to the doctor first thing in

the morning. He examined me and said that I was so early into the pregnancy that my body

reabsorbed it [the embryo remnants].” (Sedgwick.) This article helps prove that getting an

abortion can be emotionally traumatizing for a woman.

Nightmares are a common side effect, and many women suffer from repeated

nightmares. One woman who suffered from nightmares after an abortion shared her desperation

to get rid of this nightmare: “The dream usually had a little girl crying for Mommy. I hear her

crying out to me. I can’t get to her, and I have a panicky sense that she is in danger. On some

nights I see a tiny helpless rabbit. I reach out to the struggling form and then it vanishes into a

sinking lagoon tinged red with blood. Sometimes I try to call out—but nothing comes out of my

mouth. It’s like I’m trying to scream but nothing comes out. Then the little thing plunges and

comes up again with an urgent gasp of air. With each step I take forward, I go backward as blood

swirls around, like waves coming in and out against the shore. I keep trying to save the rabbit…

as I reach out there is only sand, scarlet sand, slipping between my fingers.” (Burke and

Reardon.) This article can help argue the mental side effects abortion has on a women’s body.

According to the website South Carolina Citizens for Life they give information and

good credible sources about abortion. “The term "abortion" actually refers to any premature
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expulsion of a human fetus, whether naturally spontaneous, as in a miscarriage, or artificially

induced, as in a surgical or chemical abortion. Today, the most common usage of the term

"abortion" applies to artificially induced abortion.” (https://www.sclife.org/abortion). Research

has shown that a lot of women get abortions for social reasons and not medical reasons. “The

vast majority of all abortions performed today are done for social, not medical reasons -- because

a woman doesn’t feel ready for a baby at the time, because her partner wants her to have an

abortion, etc. Approximately 93% of all induced abortions are done for elective, non-medical

reasons such as these.” (Torres and Forrest.)

The question of is abortion safe or not is a very popluar question. Many people say that

abortion is safer than childbirth but is that completely true? “Daniel J. Martin, M.D., Ltd.,

clinical instructor at St. Louis University Medical School, St. Louis, Missouri, has said, "The

impact of abortion on the body of a woman who chooses abortion is great and always negative. I

can think of no beneficial effect of a social abortion on a body." (Martin.) If having a social

abortion is negative to the body than any deemed abortion will also have negative effects to a

woman’s body. Having an abortion is harmful to the women’s mental and physical health.
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Works Cited

"Abortion." South Carolina Citizens For Life. Available at: https://www.sclife.org/abortion

[Accessed 14 July 2021].

Aultman, Kathi, et al. “Deaths and Severe Adverse Events after the Use of Mifepristone as an

Abortifacient from September 2000 to February 2019.” Issues in Law & Medicine, vol.

36, no. 1, Spring 2021, pp. 3–26. [Accessed 9 July 2021].

Baig, Marina, et al. “Induced Abortions in Pakistan: An Afflicting Challenge Needing

Addressal.” British Journal of Midwifery, vol. 29, no. 2, Feb. 2021, pp. 94–98.

doi:10.12968/bjom.2021.29.2.94. [Accessed 9 July 2021].

Burke, Theresa Karminski, and David C. Reardon. Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of

Abortion. Springfield, IL: Acorn, 2007. Print.[Accessed 9 July 2021].

H., Hull N E, and Peter Charles Hoffer. Roe v. Wade the Abortion Rights Controversy in

American History. Lawrence, KS: U of Kansas, 2021. Print. [Accessed 9 July 2021].

Martin, Daniel J. M.D. , "The Impact of Legal Abortion on Women’s Minds and Bodies," paper

presented at the "Human Life and Health Care Ethics" national conference, April, 1993.

Available at: https://www.sclife.org/abortion [Accessed 9 July 2021].

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"Roe v. Wade - Case Summary and Case Brief." Legal Dictionary. 16 Apr.

2017. Available at: https://legaldictionary.net/roe-v-wade/ [Accessed 9 July 2021].

Sedgwick, Josephine. "'I Couldn't Tell Anyone': Women Around the World Reveal Intimate

Stories of Abortion." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 July 2018.

Available

at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/reader-center/abortion-around-the-world.html

[Accessed 9 July 2021].

Torres, Aida, and J.D. Forrest, "Why Do Women Have Abortions?" Family Planning

Perspectives, Vol. 20, No.4 (July/August 1988). P. 170. Available at:

https://www.sclife.org/abortion [Accessed 9 July 2021].