Is Abortion The Only Option

Sabu

9 years ago

We met, we liked, we shared our hearts. Every day was something to look forward. Holding the arms tight, the heat of hugs to transcend, the scent of our bodies mystifying and finally just unifying in hearts and body.

But slowly things started changing. I missed the menstruation and my body also felt a bit weak. Something is different – Am I pregnant?

This cant be. Nobody knows about this. Our families will create a ruckus. What about our education? What about the career? We are not mature. This cannot happen! Should we go for an abortion?

The most required move here is to retain your calm for a while and moving ahead but courageously and responsibly. So that you can come out of it with the least possible harm to anybody. Any quick and random decisions can not only be just fatal but it can also leave an impact for a life time.

To begin with – the decision of abortion. The law approves of a women above 18 to seek abortion by herself alone. But in the Indian medical setup there are high chances that they refuse it because abortion involves a medical procedure that means there is a risk of life associated with the surgery. Thereby hospitals demand the family, usually the parents to sign their consent about the abortion so that the hospital is not held responsible in case of any complication. That is where typically a lot of people resort to unsafe abortion practices and seeking inexperienced professionals. At times, the couple in question go to the extent of faking their family to get the abortion done. (A web search can give us a lot of understanding about the process of abortion, the precautions, preparations, risks and after effects of it. Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh, national Population Stabilisation Fund India, could be contacted on the toll free number 1800116555 for more information ).

The 1971 Medical Termination of Pregnancy(MTP) Act in India legalised abortion, however one woman dies in every two hours consequential to the abortion related complication (IPAS).
After confirming an unwanted pregnancy, several emotions like immense fear, worry, panic and a breakdown especially in teenage/secret romantic couples could be seen. One thing that can tend to happen in such a situation is constant blaming. You may try to blame yourself saying “why did I do this? Why did this happen? etc…” or you may also face a lot of blame from others. Any of these ways wouldn’t help and can further worsen the situation.

Lets talk about few “what if?” situations even if an abortion is done.

What if the procedure goes wrong and cause damage to the uterus, reproductive organs or cause infection and other complications. (May cause inability to conceive for a life time)
What would be the nature of relationship between the couples after this abortion, even in future? How would it affect each other?
How would the families and social support system react to it?

There are also possible psychological effects like:

Our spiritual beliefs and moral understanding about abortion can play a huge role. Some associate it to taking a life, while some associate the after effects to karma.

Maybe the future death of kins or other familiar troubles of someone can be linked to abortion.
Sexual relations later with another or the same partners could be affected.
On going stress from the time of abortion might haunt even in future situations reminding us of the same.

All these can leave a lifelong impact and also cause distress. There are instances of married couple who have had an abortion before marriage and then could not have a child later.
Abortion is certainly an easy path and immediate solution. For those who might have a spiritual inclination, there might be an ethical or spiritual dilemma. Choosing a difficult path sometime help us to grow stronger and mature to take up responsibilities as adults.

What are the other options that can be given a thought:

What will happen if the girl continues the pregnancy? (There is a chance of legally getting married)
If the girl is not supported by the family there are chances of going to shelter homes that keep her till delivery and then if she cannot take care of the child can keep the child for legal adoption.
May be informing the family. It could be the hardest part and but after the initial outburst it could give a way handle things more efficiently.

Taking a decision can be a very tough, however a lot of help and guidance could be obtained from various sources like organisations that help understanding the medical procedure, offering the required counselling pre and post abortion, or for a family counselling to deal with the issue ahead.

References
[1] Safe abortion campaign airs on radio and television in India. (2015, January 8). Retrieved July 14, 2015, from http://www.ipas.org/en/News/2015/January/Safe-abortion-campaign-airs-on-television-and-radio-in-India.aspx

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