I've been meaning to address this issue for quite some time, but couldn't find the words. I want to put this in a way that makes sense to everyone and not just the gibber jabber in my head. I mean, I know what I want to say, and I know it's perfectly logical (obvi), but the Trolls, ever eager for anti-abortion blog fodder, might twist my brilliant words.
Fuck 'em. I'll just say what I think. As per usual.
I want to talk about this idea that abortion hurts women. I gave a snarky response to this question in another post, but I think it warrants some true elaboration. Allow me first to refer you to one of my previous posts in which I provided a handful of tips for interpreting research on the matter. This is one of my less incendiary works, so feel free to be informed, antis: Trickery
Now, on to the good stuff. I am about to make a concession to the antis (gasp!). There have been instances in which women who have undergone abortions experienced subsequent feelings of sadness, regret, and so forth (to say nothing of the bajillions of women who don't, but that's besides the point). OK. So let's say a woman has an abortion, and felt really bad afterward. I get that. I get that people often make rash decisions that haven't been properly thought out. I get that people who have abortions without being positive that they are the right decisions might have funny feelings. I get that a lot of women are pressured into having abortions by partners, families, society, or their own mixed-up emotions. I get that pregnancy is about the most tumultuous and confusing event in a woman's life, particularly for young women, and that their judgment may be clouded by racing thoughts, fear, and the moral dilemma that abortion poses for ambiguously pro-choice persons.
This is why pre- and post-abortion counseling is the standard of care for abortion procedures, and why those of us who have worked directly with abortion patients were quick to inform them that they did not have to have abortions that they didn't want to have, or didn't feel prepared for. I've spent tons of time talking to patients about their options, encouraging them to make pros/cons lists, speaking with family, friends, spiritual leaders for support and advice. I've spent as much time calling up clinic administrators and putting certain patients on their watch lists, e.g. "Jane is coming in for an appointment today but sounds like she doesn't really want this abortion. Please spend some extra time with her in counseling and don't let her mother speak for her". Abortioneers have always believed that the way one feels coming out of an abortion reflects the way they felt going in. I'd bet my bottom dollar that if you talk to one of those hurt women you will unearth some insecurity or uneasiness with having had the procedure to begin with.
DUH.
The same goes for any major life decision. Having sex, getting married, choosing a career, buying a house, determining a pregnancy outcome. These all require tons of preparation. Jumping head-first into any of them without having sufficiently weighed the consequences can lead to REGRET. Is this a secret? Abortioneers know this can happen, have known since forever! We also know that it's not nearly as pervasive as the antis make it out to be, but we absolutely acknowledge how important it is only to facilitate those procedures that are wanted. And on that note, God bless the abortion counselors!
Does that answer your question, Curious Antis?
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