How Forced Pregnancy Effect Women’s Mental Health

Abortions have long been a contentious issue. The majority of individuals believe that abortion causes physical suffering as well as long-term emotional distress such as sadness, worry, guilt, and shame, rather than relief. Most people, however, are unaware that refusing to have an abortion or being made to take an undesired pregnancy can lead to medical, mental, social, financial, and emotional problems. If legal abortions are no longer available, there will be an increase in risky, self-inflicted pregnancy termination attempts. The study was conducted in 2018 to see how forced pregnancies affect mental health. The participants studied in this study by a team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, were not those who had abortions, but those who were denied abortions because they were past the gestational age restriction.

The Guttmacher Institute reported in 2016 that over half of abortion patients fall within the federal poverty level, and 26% are considered low-income people. According to the studies, denying a woman an abortion leads to increased economic uncertainty that lasts for years. It also demonstrated the difficulties that people who are obliged to bear pregnancies confront. The survey also discovered that women who are forced to carry pregnancies have raised their expenses, putting their families in a worse financial situation. Women who had abortions were three times more likely to be unemployed. In the long run, no salaries and increasing expenses lead to even more financial issues and mental health consequences.

• Researchers also discovered that between 6% and 22% of women seeking abortions are in abusive relationships.

• It is said that leaving an abusive relationship after having a child with an abusive partner is difficult to handle.

• This is why the majority of women in violent relationships want an abortion or are forced to stay in an abusive relationship for another two and a half years.

• This influences the partner’s mental health, including feelings of guilt and shame, as well as anxiety, despair, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

As many as 60% of women seeking abortions have already given birth to a child. Restricting a woman’s access to abortion may have negative effects and economic implications for the children she already has, according to a 2019 follow-up study. They fall below the Federal Poverty Level due to higher expenses and lower wages as a result of not having an abortion. These consequences have a significant impact on the mental health of both the mother and the children.

Parents’ and children’s mental health are inextricably intertwined. A child’s social, economic, and behavioral growth has an equal impact on a mother. When a child lives in a home with a parent who has a chronic physical ailment like diabetes or heart disease, the youngster’s mental health suffers, resulting in anxiety or depression. This could happen to the woman who was denied an abortion. Due to limited money, the mother’s mental health is highly impacted, and increased expenses contribute to mental health concerns and medical health access. This mother’s mental health issue may have an impact on the children’s mental health in the future, making their situation even graver than it is today.

Mood swings, maternal sadness, and anxiety are all common mental health difficulties during pregnancy. Forced pregnancy, on the other hand, has much more negative consequences for mental health, especially for people with a history of mental illness. According to the study, people who refused abortion suffered from mental health problems at a quicker rate than those who had abortions. In a lady who was denied an abortion, anxiety, low self-esteem, and low life satisfaction all worsened. Many individuals still believe that abortion leads to guilt, shame, and depression. Those who chose abortion, on the other hand, stated it was the right decision they made, even though it is a difficult one to make. The idea that abortion causes emotional and mental issues are debunked by this study. Finally, the study discovered that within a year, women who had had abortions may track their lives, fulfill their goals, and have a positive attitude toward the future. Women who are denied an abortion are more likely to experience economic, financial, social, and mental health issues. Which, unfortunately, lasts for more than a year.