Here's an interesting comment I read on a blog by a blogger in regards to the above question, 'Should All Abortions Be Illegal?'
The way unwanted children were dealt with BERORE abortion was legalized, was through adoption. Unwed mothers today are encouraged to keep a child rather than to abort it. The reason they abort is because they DON'T want to keep the child! And when they they keep it they often end up on welfare, putting aside educational or vocational goals.
Releasing a child for adoption was once considered an "unselfish" and loving act. Today with all the aids to fertility, fewer couples "have" to adopt. Some still want to...but they must meet requirements of age, income etc that even many good natural parents cannot meet. Some travel to a foreign land with all the expense and red tape to find an adoptable child.---Donna66 on 12/5/10
Jen, as a child who was not raised by my birth parents, I am appreciative that my birth mother did not abort me. I still believe that there are quite a lot of couples with fertility issues who want to adopt. In fact, I know of two couples who did adopt babies. There are even some couples without ferility issues, albeit fewer in number, who want to adopt. Adoption is a preferable option to abortion for both the mother and the child, given there is no health threat to the mother. Although people don't readily admit it, it has been demonstrated that abortion emotionally impacts the mother.
Tuesday, March 8th 2011 at 8:39PM
Nona Ogunsula
Thanks Sister Nona. I really appreciate your honesty regarding being adopted. In fact, honesty is a good quality that we as Black women need to practice more often instead of hiding how we feel. When I read the comment by the blogger Donna, I just had to post it here. Adoption is so much better than aborting a child. There are always people who want a child and besides Donna is write. Adoption is the most unselfish thing to do. Thanks for sharing.
Tuesday, March 8th 2011 at 10:32PM
Jen Fad
You are so right Nona when you say that the mother is impacted emotionally by aborting a child. Research studies have been done to sustantiate this fact. How can anyone really be the same after "killing" their own flesh and blood? Here's some info ... [A 1994 "Post Abortion Research Study of African-American Women" showed that of 126 women who respond to a questionnaire 81% indicated one or more psychological complaints.
Of the complaints identified, 60% felt feelings of guilt, 49% reported that they had feelings of regret and remorse, 55% reported crying and depression and 35% stated an inability to forgive herself for having an abortion.
Other complaints noted were low self-esteem, feelings of despair and helplessness, anger, rage and suicidal tendencies. 30% of the respondents also complained about physical complications that included hemorrhage, infection, incomplete abortion and perforated uterus and intense pain. Only 1% of the respondents stated that they would recommend abortion for others.]
Tuesday, March 8th 2011 at 11:03PM
Jen Fad
