The Bittersweet Effects of Abortion

Abortion has been an ongoing issue, it continues to spread in a way of not stopping because we live in a world where the economy is constantly falling in a way that doesn’t allow some people to reach a successful stable life as in people who are becoming pregnant. Certain decisions must be made when people make mistakes as in getting pregnant, so that individual must decide if they want to have the child they are conceiving. I say this is unfortunate because not everyone is given a fair chance in life, some may want children but then they suddenly get pregnant, but they’re not ready because they may not be financially supported, and this is just one of many factors in the decision of abortion. I say that if society took the right approach as in getting single mothers the help they need then they could be more aware on how to prevent abortion or be better prepared in becoming a parent. As people we will make mistakes, but when we learn from them, it makes us better people also it makes a better atmosphere and helps the people we love. As I see in today’s world abortion plagues thousands of people, but I think about how it almost took the lives of my niece and nephew, Khalia and Khamoni. When I was in the eighth grade, I was overwhelmed with some news that would forever change my life. My sister was pregnant with twins that I would eventually get securely attached to. One day she came to my mom in the kitchen of our house asking for three hundred dollars.

Even though I was only around fourteen years old deep down I knew what the purpose of the money was for. As of 2013, my sister was not mentally or psychologically prepared for a child, especially two. “Personal disappointments, for which unplanned pregnancy would typically qualify, have also been associated with higher risk for major depression in adolescents (“Termination Patients”, 270). This unplanned event caused my sister to have to come out of childish thinking and become a real adult in a way of supporting two dependent babies. However, she did have mutual support from the father’s side and from our side of the family. Without those wonderful kids in her life, I don’t know where my sister would be in this world. These types of unexpected situations show that some individuals aren’t ready for children at certain times in their life, but for some this can be overcome with love, patience and perseverance. Personal experience is not the only factor in dealing with abortion, laws come into effect as well.

Depression is something that everyone will mostly likely experience at some point in their lives, whether it’s for a week or for a whole year it still happens, but it can have minor effects on some who has had an abortion in a way that could last for quite some time. The text Anxiety, depression and self-efficacy levels expresses a variety of speculations between the relationship of abortion and depression, but they all circle around that the physical procedure of abortion is not what causes types of mental instability, rather how the person deals with the traumatic experience, leading to some form of depression (“Self-Efficacy, 28). According to a week after an abortion procedure or after five years a study showed that individuals did not experience any type of depression or anxiety.

However, individuals that contradicted the procedures were the ones most likely to experience forms of depression or anxiety (“No Evidence”). What this shows is that some individuals handle the process of abortion very readily because having this done is the most obedient decision for that individual in terms of being free from the fetus that they did not want or was not ready for. On the other hand, those who had the procedure, but try not to speak of it because it is a sensitive area tend to have the potential of experiencing forms of mental instability because they may not properly know how to deal with this controversial situation. These individuals allow themselves to build up whatever is bothering them, due to pregnancy concerns and may not be able to get the proper help in terms of talking to someone or approaching someone about this sensitive situation. Whether or not getting an abortion causes someone to develop anxiety or depression, this issue overall still affects everyone differently whether it is in a positive perspective or a negative view because everyone in this world handles a situation differently, especially when under pressure. As I can relate back to my sister, I will not ever know if she experienced depression while thinking about getting an abortion, but I can say that she did experience a lot of anxiety, because the father of her children was not around like a man should be in terms of supporting his newly born children and being there every step of the way. Aside from factors of mental instability, personal experience can also shape how someone feels about this sensitive issue.

Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers are laws that aim to prevent abortion such as initiating restrictions towards clinics and private clinicians that have abortion services (“Trap Laws”, 77). These laws have been known to cause unspecified hard labor, meaning they require spontaneous amount of repeated changes in the environment of where the abortion is being taken place. These laws act as a barrier in the attempt of limiting abortion however, without causing any intended hardships on the individual trying to get an abortion. In the article by the author, Roland Warren he expresses that abortion is considered termination of life. He states that abortions not only harm the mother and the fetus, but also the men who have helped create the fetus, the families and the surrounding communities (“Abundant Life, 53”). Many people focus on abortion solely affecting the mother because the female is the one that experiences potential side effects such as mental or emotional discomfort. However, many tend to forget that people care about the individual conceiving a child, like the father and the grandparents who created the growing family overall, so it is important to recognize outside of one’s self thinking and consider one’s surrounding environment,including the people we care for most.  Roland’s message is to stop the spread of abortion, to do this people as a society must put forth the importance of the fetus over the woman. Therefore, drawing attention must be widespread towards the advancement of family and the maturity of a man that is ready to be a parent (“Abundant Life, 53”). Not everyone has these structures in their life, so life situations related to having a child can be difficult at times without extra support, but it can still be done because my mom is a single mother who raised three children by herself, did everything for us and still had no intentions of giving her children away. Laws will always be in effect to either lower abortion or try to stop it, but TRAP laws are aimed towards African Americans and people of low income because with these obstacles making it harder for them to get an abortion, then they are less likely to get one, due to not having any other financial support.

Some states like Oklahoma, Missouri, Utah and Indiana are the most difficult states to get abortions in, due to a wide range of restrictions these states enforce (“Cheung, Particularly Difficult”). Some of the restrictions imposed from these states includes waiting periods, limits of insurance coverage, parental involvement if individual is underaged and requirements from abortion providers. Whereas, Iowa, Wyoming and Colorado have minimal limitations, although they still contain parental restrictions (“Cheung, Process Simpler”). Having these types of limitations play a role in determining how an individual approaches abortion because some say that having substantial amounts of limitations is an aid in preventing abortion. Considering, a different perspective some individuals promote the lowering of laws, therefore, to encourage the entitlement of abortion access. Laws are not the only factor in the dictation of abortion, depression can also play a role for some individuals.

Abortion is a worldwide issue that continues to effect individuals with hardship in relation to their pregnancy and relives some of the potential future hardships in pregnancy. This social issue has been going on for centuries in the aim of purging a female of her newly developed fetus because of certain circumstances such as being a homeless child bearing individual, no financial income or support from the potential sperm donor. The effects of not being ready for children at certain points in a person’s life also play a role. This issue is important because some future care givers are not fully aware on how to take certain planned parenthood steps to prevent abortion as in getting mutual assistance from family or societal programs that particularly focus on abortion cases. However, some individuals are ready for children, so they know what to expect of a needy growing child and the potential outcomes.

But, if having an unplanned child causes difficulty then getting the resources an individual need from government production services such as programs that help single mothers, should be enforced for people who can barely help themselves. In today’s world people are punished for having an abortion because this overwhelming sensitive life issue is difficult for some to comprehend in a way of trying to get help, so reaching out for assistance can be a tedious task or even just trying talk to someone about it. Whereas, in society some people have always had someone who has been with them every step of the way, so getting help is easier for those individuals. In this paper, I plan to inform the reader about the Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, which has multiple purposes aimed towards abortion. I will be interpreting the meaning of this law and how it interacts with abortion. Finally, I will also talk about how depression has potential influences on some individuals getting an abortion and bring in personal experience in how abortion almost had a significant role in one of my family members life.

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