Partial Solution to Abortion Dilemma
It amazes me that anyone is surprised by a study by the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, claiming that women who have had abortions have higher risk of mental problems in later years.
The long term study of 500 women, claims that women who have had abortions have significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal behavior than those who had not.
The authors of the study claim that all pre-existing tendency to mental problems was factored in.
When a woman becomes pregnant, all sorts of physiological and psychological changes begin. Add to this the huge amount of cultural, spiritual, religious and emotional significance surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.
Is it any wonder that an operation that cuts this process dead, can leave mental scars with many women?
I am actually a supporter of safe legal abortion. To put it crudely, it's a property rights issue. A woman's body is her property to do with as she sees fit. At least until it reaches viability, any foetus she carries is part of her property.
I don't believe however, that we should kid ourselves over the damage abortion can do. Sucking a foetus out of a womb is not the same as removing an ingrown toenail.
There is an obvious partial solution to the abortion dilemma.
On average, 17,000 abortions are performed annually in NZ. Thirty years ago there were some 4,000 adoptions a year in this country. There was actually a shortage of parents to take children.
Today there are less than 100 adoptions of NZers, by NZers per year. There is a huge shortage of babies for adoption. This is compounded by an infertility epidemic.
The welfare state and the DPB have contributed hugely to this, but so have increasingly common anti adoption attitudes.
Perhaps the law of supply and demand should be allowed to work more effectively here. Maybe more kids would end up in loving homes and fewer in blood filled buckets.
The long term study of 500 women, claims that women who have had abortions have significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal behavior than those who had not.
The authors of the study claim that all pre-existing tendency to mental problems was factored in.
When a woman becomes pregnant, all sorts of physiological and psychological changes begin. Add to this the huge amount of cultural, spiritual, religious and emotional significance surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.
Is it any wonder that an operation that cuts this process dead, can leave mental scars with many women?
I am actually a supporter of safe legal abortion. To put it crudely, it's a property rights issue. A woman's body is her property to do with as she sees fit. At least until it reaches viability, any foetus she carries is part of her property.
I don't believe however, that we should kid ourselves over the damage abortion can do. Sucking a foetus out of a womb is not the same as removing an ingrown toenail.
There is an obvious partial solution to the abortion dilemma.
On average, 17,000 abortions are performed annually in NZ. Thirty years ago there were some 4,000 adoptions a year in this country. There was actually a shortage of parents to take children.
Today there are less than 100 adoptions of NZers, by NZers per year. There is a huge shortage of babies for adoption. This is compounded by an infertility epidemic.
The welfare state and the DPB have contributed hugely to this, but so have increasingly common anti adoption attitudes.
Perhaps the law of supply and demand should be allowed to work more effectively here. Maybe more kids would end up in loving homes and fewer in blood filled buckets.
posted by Trevor Loudon at
1/04/2006 02:16:00 PM
3 Comments:
I'm surprised Xavier, I thought this was common knowledge. Am I misinformed?
And then Oliver talks about "Rights" and "justice"....
I researched tis some years ago Xavier. I think about one in 12 couples have trouble conceiving. Sperm count levels have fallen in the western world for years, if memmory serves me right. Also diseases such as chlamydia have effected female fertility. Women are having children later which also effects fertility levels.
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