Facing an unplanned pregnancy can be very difficult and scary for a teenager, and deciding what to do will be even harder. No matter what her political persuasion, it always comes down to a very intimate, personal decision that no teenager makes without some degree of emotional trauma. All of the options: abortion, or raising the baby, or allowing another individual to adopt the baby carry emotional pain and personal sacrifice.
Statistics
In the U.S., ‘teen’ abortion accounts for 19% of all procedures of this nature. The average age of those receiving abortions is dropping from 19 to 17. Over 50% of abortions performed annually are on women under the age of 25 with the ages of 18 and 19 accounting for the highest number performed.
There are currently twenty-one states that require parental permission for a teen abortion and eighteen states that do not. There are also fourteen states that require a parental notification before performance of an abortion on a minor. The notification law requires that parents be notified, but permission of a parent is not necessary to go ahead with the procedure.
At this time in the United States abortions are legal. Teen abortion facts reveal that though the teen pregnancy rate has declined in the United States over the last ten years, the percentages have actually increased.
Teens are at higher risk for post-abortion infections such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and endometritis (inflammation of the uterus), which may be caused either by the spread of an undiagnosed sexually transmitted disease into the uterus during the abortion, or by micro-organisms on the surgical instruments which are inserted into the uterus.
Teens who abort are 2 to 4 times more likely to commit suicide than adults who abort, and a history of abortion is likely to be associated with adolescent suicidal thinking.
Teens who abort are more likely to develop psychological problems, and are nearly three times more likely to be admitted to mental health hospitals than teens in general.
Teens risk further injury or death because they are unlikely to inform parents of any physical complications.
The most common reasons a teenager chooses abortion are:
· Cannot afford a baby
· Doesn’t want anyone to know she has had sex or is pregnant
· Doesn’t want to be a single parent
· Her partner or parent wants her 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 threaten the mother’s life and/or health. Late-occurring medical conditions can include:
· Heart failure
· Severe or uncontrollable diabetes
· Serious renal disease
· Uncontrollable hypertension (high blood pressure)
· Severe depression
Some of the consequences of ‘compulsory pregnancy’ or ‘forced motherhood’ (i.e., unwanted children) are as follows. The child:
· has more emotional handicaps
· does less well scholastically; is a low achiever
· is twice as likely to have record of juvenile delinquency
· is 4x as likely to have adult criminal record
· is more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs
· is 6x more likely to receive welfare between 16-21
· has poorer relationships with parents
· is at a higher risk to be abused or neglected by parents
Some of the disadvantages of going through with an abortion are:
· creates feelings of regret and grief
· does not give the child that is in the womb a chance at life, thus it is looked down upon by many religions
· having an abortion always lessens your chances for having children later in life
· teens who have participated in abortion repeatedly report feeling deceived by those selling abortions and become preoccupied with concern for ‘God’s judgment and punishment’
· the “would-be-mother” will always wonder ‘what if’ and may feel some level of guilt for the rest of her life about the child she could have had
Adoption vs. Abortion
With adoption:
· You usually feel positive about your choice
· You can have continued contact with your baby
· You will have plenty of time to plan you and your baby’s future
· You will remember giving birth
· Your pregnancy ends with giving life
With Abortion:
· Abortion is final; you can’t go back on your decision
· You may feel guilt and shame about your choice
· You will miss the opportunity to see your child develop
· You will remember taking a life
· Your pregnancy ends with death
Teens are more likely to make a snap judgment and try to cover up their pregnancy from their parents by having an abortion. Teens are also more likely to report having wanted to keep the baby, higher levels of feeling misinformed in pre-abortion counseling, less satisfaction with abortion services and greater post-abortion stress. Teens were also more likely to use immature coping strategies such as projection of their problems on to others, denial, or “acting out”, than older women, strategies researchers speculate might become permanent.
Despite the fact that supporters without parental consent continually leave the spiritual devastation component out of the discussions, teen abortion facts tell us that teens who have participated in abortion repeatedly feel deceived by those selling abortions and become preoccupied with concern for God’s judgment and punishment.
Teen abortion is an especially difficult thing to deal with, especially when having to possibly confront your parents and hoping that your partner will be supportive.
Teens are encouraged to involve parents in their decision to have an abortion, and most do have a parent involved. In most of these states, if she can’t talk with her parents – or chooses not to – she can appear before a judge. The judge will consider whether she’s mature enough to decide on her own. If not, the judge will decide whether an abortion is in the teen’s best interests. In any case, if there are complications during the procedure, parents of minors may be notified.
Before a teenager makes decisions in haste, or as an attempt to undo a wrong, teens and parents on both sides of the parental consent debate should get the teen abortion facts and found out as much about abortion and post-abortion procedure complications.
If you are a pregnant teen, keeping your perspective at this time is critical. The most important thing to remember is that you do have a choice. There are three main paths: parenting, abortion or adoption.
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