Psychological Effects of Women after Abortion - Essay Example

Psychological Effects of Women after AbortionWomen face the psychological and emotional impacts after abortion. The effects vary from woman to woman. However, they share common psychological and emotional ramifications. The effects include regret, anger, shame, sense of isolation, guilt feelings, suicidal thoughts, insomnia and nightmares, depression, and anxiety (American Pregnancy Association). Similarly, a woman may experience phobic responses, denial, interpersonal distancing, damage in self-esteem, and amnesia.

The majority of the women who struggle with the post abortion trauma express it through self-destructive behavior, alcoholism, eating and panic disorders, and workaholism. The stress involved in the abortion brings about depress and post-abortion syndrome. Women with post-abortion syndrome manifest signs of grief, guilt, and heartache emanating from the feeling of victimization and loss of a child. Similarly, women in denial tend to repress their feelings and thoughts about the abortion. The avoidance of thinking about the incidence seeks to alleviate the psychological pain (American Pregnancy Association).

In essence, the stressful experience of the abortion can plunge women into emotional and psychological trauma. The feelings of uncertainty about the choice the women make when they abort can result in psychological and emotional trauma. Hence, women should undergo counseling to familiarize with what abortion entails before attempting the procedure. Since the consequences of abortion present psychological and emotional trauma, counselors should not exacerbate the problem by negating the women who undergo the excruciating pain of the procedure.

Both pre and post counseling procedures are equally crucial to alleviating the post-abortion trauma (Dadlez and Andrews 449). Essentially, counseling equips women with the right information ready for the procedure. In addition, moral support is significant to enable women to overcome the aftermaths of the abortion. Works CitedAmerican Pregnancy Association. Abortion Emotional Side Effects. Web. 2 Apr 2015 < http://americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/abortion-emotional-effects/> Dadlez, Elizabeth and Andrews, Wesley.

Post-abortion syndrome: creating an affliction. Bioethics 24.9 (2010): 445-452. Print.