A few questions about abortions.

[Mr Pantomime]

Sensitive subject I know, but I don't know a lot about it, and I like to educate myself.

So, why don't more people talk about abortions? Its something that I just never hear discussed.
Are they a big deal? Ive heard they cause depression, is that true?
Why don't more women have abortions when they don't want a baby?
Whats the process? Not so much the operation,but going from "I dont want a baby", to actually having the abortion.

 

[A.A.K]

There's a fair few ways it can be done, but they are a big deal to a lot of people.
Some called it taking a life, others call it flushing a parasite...
It's difficult to comment on as it's a subjective thing. I've talked at length with my girlfriend about this and we don't consider it a life until it's taken a breath. So an abortion is just flushing out a cellular growth.

Some women find it incredibly personal, it's a 'life' growing inside them and all. Other's are ashamed...You'd really have to do a bit of reading, whether online or what not.

Why it's not discussed is even though the conversation may start rational, it quickly turns to flaming and arguments. Every time.

As for depression, yea. Subjective. If you're attached to the idea of a life inside you, but can't support the child. (Assume the fetus came about through a broken condom or simple 'un'luck). Then yea, of course you'd be depressed. Other's might be relieved that the pressure of something in you is all over.


but that's my 2 cents.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

It's just a ball of cells without consciousness at that point, and women, who would have to bear that child inflating their stomach and making them get mad, vomit and piss a lot for 9 agonizing months, should have the right to do whatever the fuck they want with their bodies. What would any anti-abortion man know about it anyway, other than hearsay (yes, I realize the irony of me, a male, writing this, but whatever)? And also, how does any anti-abortion woman know what every other woman in the world feels just because she "survived" pregnancy? Just because you may be fine with birthing your rapist's spawn doesn't mean every other woman should.

Fuck what religion has to say about it. It's something that never even existed in the first place, so how can it be "murder"?

 

[EeveeElectro]

So, why don't more people talk about abortions? Its something that I just never hear discussed.
It's a very sensitive subject. It's something you want to forget about and put behind you, so there's no good in talking about it if you're trying to move on.

Unless you're the woman who was behind me at the bus stop t'other day who was shouting about the abortion she was going to have...

Are they a big deal? Ive heard they cause depression, is that true?
People are different. I don't think anyone would leave an abortion clinic and start doing cartwheels and backflips out of happiness. I'm sure everyone would feel at least something but I've never personally known someone to have full on depression for months and months afterwards. I wouldn't blame someone if they did get depressed though.

Why don't more women have abortions when they don't want a baby?
Some women don't believe in abortions, or maybe their partners don't.
[sub]So why you'd knowingly have unprotected sex when you don't want a baby is beyond me, but it happens...[/sub]
Maybe they're too scared to have one. Maybe they don't want to face the repercussions
I'm not sure what it's like in America but I'm pretty sure you have to pay for one, and I'm guessing it would be around $400 (Someone in the USA can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong... >_<)
So, price for some people. There's plenty of other reasons.

Whats the process? Not so much the operation,but going from "I dont want a baby", to actually having the abortion.
I can't tell you that, as I've never had one but I can hazard a guess they weigh up their options until they eventually decide that abortion would be the best choice.

It's difficult to comment on as it's a subjective thing. I've talked at length with my girlfriend about this and we don't consider it a life until it's taken a breath. So an abortion is just flushing out a cellular growth.

Pretty much this. I don't class it as a baby until it gets a heartbeat and starts forming properly, so if I were to have an abortion I'd have it as soon as possible. The longest you can wait in the UK is 6 months which surprised me. Pretty sure babies start developing heartbeats and such before that time.

 

[Phasmal]

Sensitive subject I know, but I don't know a lot about it, and I like to educate myself.

So, why don't more people talk about abortions? Its something that I just never hear discussed.

It's a touchy subject, you may not know someones view on it until it comes up. It's just one of those things that can instantly divide a room.

Are they a big deal? Ive heard they cause depression, is that true?

It depends on the woman. For some its a cause of depression, but it can also be a cause of relief.

Why don't more women have abortions when they don't want a baby?

Social stigma I guess? I don't know.

Whats the process? Not so much the operation,but going from "I dont want a baby", to actually having the abortion.

Not sure, you call a clinic and get a consultation, I think. I would only know about UK anyway, I think you go to your GP to be reffered? Dunno.

 

[Thaluikhain]

This is still a very taboo subject, a lot of people really, really don't like the idea of women have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies. Sexism is alive and well, and...

Actually, there's no point me saying this, this thread will soon devolve into an endless shitstorm as people opposed to women's rights come and make themselves at home and refuse to listen to reason. At which point the ways society keeps it quite and makes it a big deal will become painfully evident.

 

[requisitename]

So, why don't more people talk about abortions? Its something that I just never hear discussed.

In my experience it's because it often causes arguing (the angry kind, not the logic kind) and hard feelings. People tend to try to avoid those things, when possible, so there's a 'cardinal rule' that you don't discuss "sex, politics, or religion" in polite company. Abortion hits all three of those pretty squarely.

Are they a big deal? Ive heard they cause depression, is that true?

To some women abortion is a big deal and to some it isn't. It totally depends on the woman and her state of mind. While it can cause depression, it doesn't always. It can cause a range of emotions from severe depression to complete relief that one's life won't be derailed by an unexpected pregnancy.

Why don't more women have abortions when they don't want a baby?

There are probably as many reasons as there are women who choose not to have abortions. There are religious and political reasons, societal pressure, feelings of guilt for thinking of it, belief the pregnancy is deserved, plans to make the best of what could be considered a bad situation.. lots of reasons. If you want specifics, you'd have to talk to women who got pregnant unexpectedly and went through with having the child.

Whats the process? Not so much the operation,but going from "I dont want a baby", to actually having the abortion.

"I don't want a baby." > possibly discuss with partner, close friends, or family > give it thought > make a decision > call a clinic > jump through whatever hoops that are required by locality/law to get an abortion (waiting periods, sonograms, etc.) > have an abortion > potentially deal with the hormonal and/or emotional aftermath.

 

[bluepilot]

From a woman's point of view, if I ever get pregnant the process will go from "hamster turning blue" to "oh my god get this out of me" in less than a second. It is for this reason, that when it comes to fertilization, I take no chances.

I think most women have already decided on how they would feel about abortion but saying that, when actual accidents happen there are also women who change their minds. I don't know much about biology but maybe there is just something in the nature of women, be it hormones or maternal instinct, or maybe it is the societal pressures on women to become mothers, but abortion seems to be a hard thing to do.

I have to admit that as much as I really hate kids and don't want them, if it did happen after the initial "get it out of me" panic" I would probably accept the reality and take up knitting or something. I'm not even sure why I feel this way, maybe I'm getting old.

Bluepilot as mummy 0.0

I think that for these reasons it is hard to talk about abortion because it brings into conflict ourselves as animals and ourselves as individuals. Nobody likes abortion but society needs to provide abortion. It is an internal conflict between the need to procreate and the need to exist to fulfill our own destinies. Saying that though, for some people there is no conflict and they feel that being a parent helped then achieve the latter. I'm too inexperienced and immature to understand this though.

 

[Lugbzurg]

I once saw a post on Facebook that asked a rather deep question on the subject.

I brought up how people will freak out with so much joy if they find even the slightest sign of some kind of microbe on another planet and declare it as life. Then, it asked why a living, breathing child inside their mother's womb would not be considered life at all?

 

[direkiller]

So, why don't more people talk about abortions? Its something that I just never hear discussed.
It's a very sensitive subject. It's something you want to forget about and put behind you, so there's no good in talking about it if you're trying to move on.

Unless you're the woman who was behind me at the bus stop t'other day who was shouting about the abortion she was going to have...

Are they a big deal? Ive heard they cause depression, is that true?
People are different. I don't think anyone would leave an abortion clinic and start doing cartwheels and backflips out of happiness. I'm sure everyone would feel at least something but I've never personally known someone to have full on depression for months and months afterwards. I wouldn't blame someone if they did get depressed though.

Why don't more women have abortions when they don't want a baby?
Some women don't believe in abortions, or maybe their partners don't.
[sub]So why you'd knowingly have unprotected sex when you don't want a baby is beyond me, but it happens...[/sub]
Maybe they're too scared to have one. Maybe they don't want to face the repercussions
I'm not sure what it's like in America but I'm pretty sure you have to pay for one, and I'm guessing it would be around $400 (Someone in the USA can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong... >_<)
So, price for some people. There's plenty of other reasons.

Whats the process? Not so much the operation,but going from "I dont want a baby", to actually having the abortion.
I can't tell you that, as I've never had one but I can hazard a guess they weigh up their options until they eventually decide that abortion would be the best choice.

It's difficult to comment on as it's a subjective thing. I've talked at length with my girlfriend about this and we don't consider it a life until it's taken a breath. So an abortion is just flushing out a cellular growth.

Pretty much this. I don't class it as a baby until it gets a heartbeat and starts forming properly, so if I were to have an abortion I'd have it as soon as possible. The longest you can wait in the UK is 6 months which surprised me. Pretty sure babies start developing heartbeats and such before that time.

babies have heartbeats reltivly quickly(about 1 month in) but its more of a 1-2 chamber thing and not a full heart but it dose pump blood

as for the 6m law it was probably based around when the baby is viable without the mother.

 

[Maze1125]

I once saw a post on Facebook that asked a rather deep question on the subject.

I brought up how people will freak out with so much joy if they find even the slightest sign of some kind of microbe on another planet and declare it as life. Then, it asked why a living, breathing child inside their mother's womb would not be considered life at all?

Of course a foetus is alive, anyone who says it isn't doesn't understand biology.
Plants are alive.
Animals are alive.
Microscopic parasites are alive.

The question isn't "Is it alive." but "Is it life worth valuing more than a woman's rights?"

 

[Palademon]

I'm not against abortions happening, but I am sympathetic to the crowd that call it murder. I wouldn't go as far, but it is kinda grim. It's not "I used birth control". It's more "If I had left this thing alone, it would live".

More people don't talk about abortions because people's opinions are very polarised. I feel sorry for people that are pro-life that get called sexist. Sure, it only happens to women, but they're talking about the condition of a possible life, not attacking someone based on gender.

Because of these radical people some women get scared and shamed from having an abortion.
And sure, depression can be expected. A woman could think to herself a bunch of what if situations involving the happiness this accident might've given them etc.

 

[Woodsey]

So, why don't more people talk about abortions? Its something that I just never hear discussed.
It's a very sensitive subject. It's something you want to forget about and put behind you, so there's no good in talking about it if you're trying to move on.

Unless you're the woman who was behind me at the bus stop t'other day who was shouting about the abortion she was going to have...

Are they a big deal? Ive heard they cause depression, is that true?
People are different. I don't think anyone would leave an abortion clinic and start doing cartwheels and backflips out of happiness. I'm sure everyone would feel at least something but I've never personally known someone to have full on depression for months and months afterwards. I wouldn't blame someone if they did get depressed though.

Why don't more women have abortions when they don't want a baby?
Some women don't believe in abortions, or maybe their partners don't.
[sub]So why you'd knowingly have unprotected sex when you don't want a baby is beyond me, but it happens...[/sub]
Maybe they're too scared to have one. Maybe they don't want to face the repercussions
I'm not sure what it's like in America but I'm pretty sure you have to pay for one, and I'm guessing it would be around $400 (Someone in the USA can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong... >_<)
So, price for some people. There's plenty of other reasons.

Whats the process? Not so much the operation,but going from "I dont want a baby", to actually having the abortion.
I can't tell you that, as I've never had one but I can hazard a guess they weigh up their options until they eventually decide that abortion would be the best choice.

It's difficult to comment on as it's a subjective thing. I've talked at length with my girlfriend about this and we don't consider it a life until it's taken a breath. So an abortion is just flushing out a cellular growth.

Pretty much this. I don't class it as a baby until it gets a heartbeat and starts forming properly, so if I were to have an abortion I'd have it as soon as possible. The longest you can wait in the UK is 6 months which surprised me. Pretty sure babies start developing heartbeats and such before that time.

The heartbeat thing is bizarre, and you're not the first person I've seen bring it up. Is there an actual reason, or are you just imposing a romanticized view of the heart? I mean, why not, say, the liver?

A point of development relating to the brain would seem a more logical choice.

OT: 1) People talk about abortions all the time, I actually can't believe you've rarely heard it talked about.

2) Yes, they're a big deal, although people's reaction will vary. The majority don't come out jumping with joy, obviously.

3) In the States, individual states often do their best to stonewall woman from getting abortions (because, hey, it's not like they're meant to be the leading country of the first world or anything), with some states even trying to prosecute women who left their state to get an abortion done in another which was far less obnoxious about the whole procedure. A rather ridiculous number of Americans also believe in a god (around 80%).

Likewise, it is a big deal, and some people may be put off, or they may leave it too late to have one.

Fun fact: it is predominantly men who are pro-life.

4) No idea. It'll vary from woman-to-woman (and couple-to-couple), situation-to-situation.

 

[Colour Scientist]

It's a very sensitive issue but as for women suffering from depression afterwards (it's a bit wall-of-texty, from http://www.abortioninireland.org/information-on-abortion/myths-facts):

Spoiler

'If I have an abortion, will I get "post-abortion stress syndrome"?
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, anti-choice organizations continue to spread the false idea that it is common for abortion to have severe, emotionally negative effects. They want people to believe that most women who choose abortion suffer severe and long-lasting emotional trauma. This is not true. In fact, studies show that most women, in the long-term, experience feelings of relief after they have an abortion.
Anti-abortion groups have invented this so-called "post-abortion syndrome" to further their efforts to make abortion illegal. But neither the American Psychological Association nor the American Psychiatric Association recognizes the existence of so-called "post-abortion syndrome." These medical professionals found the anti-choice research flawed. For example, the authors of many "post-abortion syndrome" studies only interviewed women who claimed to have emotional problems after an abortion procedure.
About 20 percent of women who have abortions experience symptoms of depression that pass fairly quickly. This is also true for 70 percent of women immediately after childbirth. These passing depressions - after abortion or childbirth - are most frequently caused by the drastic shifts in hormones that occur after either experience. Up to 10 percent of women who have abortions experience lingering symptoms of depression. This is also true of 10 percent of women after childbirth.
But in all, most scientific studies have found that long-term emotional reactions to having an abortion are relatively positive. In general, women at high risk for ongoing psychological problems after abortion - or childbirth - are women who have psychological problems before their pregnancies. And women who have to terminate a wanted pregnancy for medical reasons are more likely than other women to be emotionally disturbed afterward.'

EDIT:

Fun fact: it is predominantly men who are pro-life.

I always found that interesting.

I think maybe, from my own experience, a lot of women wouldn't necessarily be comfortable with the idea of abortion but would understand the need for countries to have it legally and safely available for other women. I think, when discussing the legal situation of abortion, it's worth considering the amount of women who, out of pure desperation, attempt to get rid of the child themselves which is, obviously enough, extremely dangerous.

 

[Triple G]

Sensitive subject I know, but I don't know a lot about it, and I like to educate myself.

So, why don't more people talk about abortions? Its something that I just never hear discussed.
Are they a big deal? Ive heard they cause depression, is that true?
Why don't more women have abortions when they don't want a baby?
Whats the process? Not so much the operation,but going from "I dont want a baby", to actually having the abortion.

Depressions after abortions only come if you experience some kind of guilt about doing it. Like if society tells you that abortion is murder, just because you have a little cluster of cells, which even don't has a conscience, removed. The argument here is that you kill life, or potential life. So is jacking it also murder, because you kill a bunch of sperm cells? Should you get depressed, because you killed an ant or a cluster of cells, which even hasn't evolved into a humanoid form?
I think NO, because in my book, it's only murder, if the terminated entity has a conscience.
Also there is the religious argument about how fetuses have a soul, but I have never heard of any religious texts stating precisely that. What if a child gets a soul along with it's conscience?

 

[EeveeElectro]

The heartbeat thing is bizarre, and you're not the first person I've seen bring it up. Is there an actual reason, or are you just imposing a romanticized view of the heart? I mean, why not, say, the liver?

A point of development relating to the brain would seem a more logical choice.

Well I suppose I should have included other vital organs such as brain and liver. I just think something with a heartbeat is alive, although a foetus can't survive without it's mother so I'd say this is different. I'd rather abort before they have chance to fully develop such things as organs and features.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

It's a very sensitive issue but as for women suffering from depression afterwards (it's a bit wall-of-texty, from http://www.abortioninireland.org/information-on-abortion/myths-facts):

Spoiler

'If I have an abortion, will I get "post-abortion stress syndrome"?
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, anti-choice organizations continue to spread the false idea that it is common for abortion to have severe, emotionally negative effects. They want people to believe that most women who choose abortion suffer severe and long-lasting emotional trauma. This is not true. In fact, studies show that most women, in the long-term, experience feelings of relief after they have an abortion.
Anti-abortion groups have invented this so-called "post-abortion syndrome" to further their efforts to make abortion illegal. But neither the American Psychological Association nor the American Psychiatric Association recognizes the existence of so-called "post-abortion syndrome." These medical professionals found the anti-choice research flawed. For example, the authors of many "post-abortion syndrome" studies only interviewed women who claimed to have emotional problems after an abortion procedure.
About 20 percent of women who have abortions experience symptoms of depression that pass fairly quickly. This is also true for 70 percent of women immediately after childbirth. These passing depressions - after abortion or childbirth - are most frequently caused by the drastic shifts in hormones that occur after either experience. Up to 10 percent of women who have abortions experience lingering symptoms of depression. This is also true of 10 percent of women after childbirth.
But in all, most scientific studies have found that long-term emotional reactions to having an abortion are relatively positive. In general, women at high risk for ongoing psychological problems after abortion - or childbirth - are women who have psychological problems before their pregnancies. And women who have to terminate a wanted pregnancy for medical reasons are more likely than other women to be emotionally disturbed afterward.'

Wow, thats interesting. Im glad I know that. I do find it a bit funny that the Anti-Abortion groups have so little confidence in their cause that they have to make things up to scare people rather than use the facts.

 

[Vault101]

some people think its a child

some do not

hence why its an issue bound to cause shit-storm with strong opinions on eather side

 

[Total LOLige]

I think the abortion debate is only a big issue where there is a strong religious community. I haven't noticed it being a sensitive issue in the UK, it probably was in the past but not now.