Teenage pregnancy: the pros and cons of abortion

Facing an unplanned pregnancy can be very difficult and scary for a teenager, and deciding what to do will be even more difficult. No matter what her political persuasion, it is always a very intimate personal decision that no teenager makes without some degree of emotional trauma. All the options: aborting, or raising the baby, or allowing someone else to adopt the baby takes emotional pain and personal sacrifice.

Statistics

In the United States, ‘teenage’ abortion accounts for 19% of all procedures of this nature. The average age of those who receive abortions is falling from 19 to 17 years. Over 50% of abortions performed annually are on women under the age of 25, with ages 18 and 19 representing the highest number performed.

Currently, there are twenty-one states that require parental permission for a teen abortion and eighteen states that do not. There are also fourteen states that require parental notification before performing an abortion on a minor. The notification law requires that the parents be notified, but a parent’s permission is not necessary to proceed with the process.

Right now in the United States abortions are legal. Data on teen abortion reveals that although the rate of teen pregnancy has decreased in the United States over the past ten years, the percentages have actually increased.

Adolescent girls are at increased risk of post-abortion infections, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and endometritis (inflammation of the uterus), which can be caused by the spread of an undiagnosed sexually transmitted disease to the uterus during the abortion , or by microorganisms on surgical instruments that are inserted into the uterus.

Adolescent abortions are 2 to 4 times more likely to commit suicide than adult abortions, and a history of abortion is likely to be associated with adolescent suicidal thoughts.

Adolescents who abort are more likely to develop psychological problems and almost three times more likely to be admitted to mental health hospitals than adolescents in general.

Adolescents are at risk of further injury or death because they are unlikely to inform parents of any physical complications.

The most common reasons why an adolescent chooses abortion are:

I can’t afford a baby

You don’t want anyone to know that you’ve had sex or that you’re pregnant.

He doesn’t want to be a single parent

Your partner or father wants you to have an abortion

Not ready to become a parent

She is too immature to have a child.

She was a survivor of rape or incest.

She or the fetus has a health problem.

Medical Reasons for Partial Birth Abortions: Medical conditions and indications may develop after the first trimester (12 weeks) of pregnancy that could endanger the life and/or health of the mother. Late-onset medical conditions may include:

Heart failure

Severe or uncontrollable diabetes

severe kidney disease

Uncontrollable hypertension (high blood pressure)

severe depression

Some of the consequences of ‘forced pregnancy’ or ‘forced motherhood’ (ie unwanted children) are as follows. The boy:

have more emotional handicaps

· is doing worse academically; it’s a poor performance

are twice as likely to have a juvenile delinquency record

are 4 times more likely to have a criminal record as an adult

more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs

are 6 times more likely to receive welfare between the ages of 16 and 21

have worse relationships with parents

is at increased risk of being abused or neglected by parents

Some of the disadvantages of going through an abortion are:

creates feelings of regret and grievance

it does not give the child in the womb a chance at life, which is why many religions look down on it

having an abortion always decreases your chances of having children later in life

adolescents who have repeatedly participated in abortions report feeling cheated by those who sell abortions and worry about ‘God’s judgment and punishment’

the “wannabe mother” will always wonder “what if” and may feel some level of guilt for the rest of her life for the child she might have had

adoption vs. abortion

With adoption:

You usually feel positive about your choice.

You can have continuous contact with your baby

You will have plenty of time to plan for your future and that of your baby.

You will remember giving birth

Your pregnancy ends with giving life

With Abortion:

· Abortion is definitive; you can’t go back on your decision

You may feel guilt and shame about your choice.

You will lose the opportunity to see your child develop

You will remember taking a life

Her pregnancy ends with death.

Teenage girls are more likely to make snap judgments and try to cover up their pregnancy from their parents by having an abortion. Adolescent girls are also more likely to report wanting to keep the baby, higher levels of feeling misinformed in preabortion counseling, less satisfaction with abortion care, and greater postabortion stress. Teenage boys were also more likely to use immature coping strategies, such as projecting their problems onto others, denial, or “acting out,” than older women, strategies that the researchers speculate could become permanent.

Despite the fact that advocates without parental consent continually leave the spiritual devastation component out of discussions, the facts about teen abortion tell us that teens who have repeatedly engaged in abortions feel deceived by those who they sell abortions and worry about God’s judgment and punishment.

Teen abortion is an especially difficult thing to deal with, especially when you may have to confront your parents and hope that your partner will support you.

Adolescents are encouraged to involve their parents in their abortion decision, and most have a parent involved. In most of these states, if you can’t talk to your parents, or choose not to, you can go before a judge. The judge will consider whether she is mature enough to decide for herself. Otherwise, the judge will decide if the abortion is in the best interest of the adolescent. In any case, if there are complications during the procedure, the parents of the minors may be notified.

Before a teen makes hasty decisions, or in an attempt to undo a mistake, teens and parents on both sides of the parental consent debate should learn the facts about teen abortion and find out as much about abortion as possible. and complications of the post-abortion procedure.

If you are a pregnant teen, keeping your perspective at this time is critical. The most important thing to remember is that you have a choice. There are three main paths: parenting, abortion, or adoption.