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 your political persuasion, it always boils down to a very intimate personal decision that no teenager makes without some degree of emotional trauma. All the options – aborting, raising the baby, or allowing someone else to adopt the baby come with emotional pain and personal sacrifice.
Stats
In the United States, “adolescent” abortion accounts for 19% of all procedures of this nature. The average age of those who undergo abortions is decreasing from 19 to 17. More than 50% of abortions performed annually are performed on women under the age of 25, with the ages of 18 and 19 representing the highest number .
There are currently twenty-one states that require parental permission for adolescent abortion and eighteen states that do not. There are also fourteen states that require parental notification before aborting a minor. Notification law requires that parents be notified, but parental permission is not required to proceed with the procedure.
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.
Adolescents are at increased risk for postabortion 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 abortion or by microorganisms on surgical instruments that are inserted into the uterus.
Adolescents who abort are 2-4 times more likely to commit suicide than adults who abort, and a history of abortion is likely associated with suicidal thoughts in adolescents.
Teenagers who abort are more likely to develop psychological problems and nearly three times more likely to be admitted to mental health hospitals than teenagers overall.
Adolescents are at risk of further injury or death because they are unlikely to inform parents of any physical complications.
The most common reasons a teenager chooses abortion are:
I can’t afford a baby
You don’t want anyone to know that you have had sex or that you are pregnant
He doesn’t want to be a single parent
Her partner or father wants her to have an abortion.
I’m not ready to be a father
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: After the first trimester (12 weeks) of pregnancy, medical conditions and indications may appear that could threaten the life and / or health of the mother. Late medical conditions can include:
Heart failure
Severe or uncontrollable diabetes
Severe kidney disease
Uncontrollable hypertension (high blood pressure)
Severe depression
Some of the consequences of “compulsory pregnancy” or “forced motherhood” (ie unwanted children) are as follows. The child:
Has more emotional disabilities
· It makes it worse academically; is a low achiever
You are twice as likely to have a history of juvenile delinquency
You are 4 times more likely to have an adult criminal record
You are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs.
You are 6 times more likely to receive welfare between the ages of 16 and 21
Has worse relationships with parents.
You are at a higher risk of being abused or neglected by your parents.
Some of the disadvantages of going through an abortion are:
Create feelings of regret and pain.
It does not give the child in the womb a chance to live, which is why it is despised by many religions.
Having an abortion always reduces the chances of having children later in life.
Teenagers who have repeatedly participated in abortion report feeling misled by those who sell abortions and worrying about ‘God’s judgment and punishment’
· The “expectant 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 generally feel positive about your choice.
You can have continuous contact with your baby
You will have plenty of time to plan for yourself and your baby.
You will remember giving birth
Your pregnancy ends giving life
With abortion:
· The abortion is permanent; you cannot retract your decision
You may feel guilty and ashamed of your choice
You will lose 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 quick judgment and try to cover up their parents’ pregnancy with an abortion. Adolescents are also more likely to report wanting to keep the baby, higher levels of feeling misinformed in pre-abortion counseling, less satisfaction with abortion services, and greater post-abortion stress. Adolescents were also more likely to use immature coping strategies, such as projecting their problems onto others, denial, or “acting,” than older women, strategies that the researchers speculate could become permanent.
Despite supporters without parental consent continually leaving the spiritual devastation component out of the discussion, the facts of teen abortion tell us that teens who have participated in abortion repeatedly feel misled by those who sell abortions and they worry about God’s judgment and punishment.
Teen abortion is especially difficult to deal with, especially when you have to confront your parents and expect your partner to support you.
Teenage girls are encouraged to involve their parents in their decision to have an abortion, and most have a parent involved. In most of these states, if you cannot or choose not to speak to your parents, you can appear 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 complications occur during the procedure, the parents of the minors may be notified.
Before a teenager makes decisions in a hurry, or in an attempt to undo a mistake, teens and parents on both sides of the parental consent debate should know the facts of teen abortion and find out the same about abortion and complications of the postabortion procedure.
If you are a pregnant teenager, 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.