There are many reasons why women have abortions and after speaking to many women who had terminated a pregnancy it revealed that the main reasons revealed were that the pregnancy was not planned and would have a negative effect upon the women’s life.
A number of the women I spoke too referred to their financial status as a cause not to carry on with an unwanted pregnancy, knowing that a baby would cause a huge financial strain. A baby would be a burden and make life too difficult for them.
Not all pregnancies are planned and a surprise pregnancy is not always welcomed, many of the women I spoke to explained that their partners were against the pregnancy too. They were just not ready to have a baby or add to their family. The choice to terminate was a joint decision.
The majority of the women revealed relationship problems and the fact that they were pregnant with an “ex” partner were the reasons they had an abortion. Many did not want to be single mothers or knew their relationship was not stable enough.
“Too many” had an abortion due to rape.
Whatever the reason behind deciding to have an abortion, the emotional turmoil remains the same.
I asked the women I spoke too to tell me how they felt about their abortion experience;
While some felt immediately relieved after the abortion, they still had to come to terms with what they had been through and they suffered with deep sadness and a mix of emotions in the following weeks and months.
Every circumstance surrounding an abortion experience is as unique as the woman who chooses the procedure.
Guilt, shame, sadness and a sense of loss are amongst the most common reported feelings.
It is very normal to grieve the loss of the baby after an abortion no matter what the reason behind the abortion was.
A large number of the women I spoke to told me they never fully emotionally recovered from their abortion experience.
We have a collection of abortion stories on the blog which I hope will decrease the stigma attached to abortion and show that the women who have shared their own experiences, did what was best for them at that given time.
