Ever wonder what it would be like if American women’s magazines weren’t under the thrall of the abortion mindset? It’s so commonplace that we hardly notice that, year after year, these magazines uncritically hawk “wonderful” new abortion technologies (like the abortion pill), feature stories that make it look as if every abortion is a “hard case,” or indignantly deny there is any connection between abortion and depression or breast cancer.
But that is the beauty of the Internet: virtually everything from everywhere is available, including an Indian women’s magazine that recently ran a short but honest treatment of abortion’s emotional consequences. The contrast with what is available in America is startling.
The article, “Dealing With Stress After Induced Abortion” by Sanchita Chowdhury, appears in the October 22, 2013 online edition of Boldsky Limitless Living magazine. While not an academic study or a detailed presentation of the evidence, readers will learn way a great deal about the psychological consequences of abortion.
Chowdhury acknowledges that there has been debate among researchers over the extent of psychological stress associated with abortion. While some deny that there are any significant emotional changes, Chowdhury writes that “most of the studies have shown that women go through an extreme psychological trauma after having an abortion.”
Ambivalence about the abortion, Chowdhury says, leads to a “surge of various emotions.” These include guilt feelings, anxiety, depression, a sense of loss, and anger. Feelings of loss and guilt push some women towards substance abuse or other forms of self harm, and in extreme cases, women may feel suicidal.
The article also acknowledges an obvious reality that is rarely discussed: grief over the lost child. Rather than suppress that grief and struggle with all the problems that go with that suppression, Chowdhury suggests that women instead let their repressed emotions out and express their pain as a way to allow the mind to process and deal with the loss.
It is noteworthy that Chowdhury says some women “may not have actually wanted to abort the child,” but felt forced by circumstances to do so. If so, there may be anger hidden along with the pain.
Chowdhury says women may find it helpful to talk about their experience, and suggests that for some women, it might be better to seek professional help.
By contrast you’ll be hard pressed to find that sort of candid advice in the woman’s magazine for sale at the checkout counter. Instead you find many celebrations of abortion “icon” Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis: Elle magazine, “Wendy Davis: Woman of the Week… the Summer… the Year!” –www.elle.com/news/culture/wendy-davis); and Vogue, “Stand and Deliver: After Her 12-Hour Filibuster, How Far Will Texas Senator Wendy Davis Run?” –www.vogue.com/magazine/article/stand-and-deliver-texas-senator-wendy-davis/#1).
To be fair every now and then, there is the surprising admission of a bad abortion experience, such as the Marie Claire article “I Was Betrayed by a Pill” (July 2007). Here a woman shared the unexpected physical nightmare she experienced with the abortion pill RU-486. But while this prompts her to raise questions about chemical abortion and how well clinics warn women about the risks and the ordeal, it doesn’t cause her to question abortion in general.
Back on February 2, 2009, Glamour took a break from its relentless abortion promotion to publish an article titled “Abortion: The Serious Health Decision Women Aren’t Talking about until Now.” The story tacitly admitted that some women struggle after their abortions, but implies that those problems may be due to pre-existing mental conditions.
Try telling that to women whose lives have been crushed by abortions. (NRL News examined this article in detail back in March of 2009.)
There is indeed evidence that abortion is not only physically risky but psychologically traumatic, whatever means of abortion a woman employs. It’s real, and there are plenty of studies and plenty of women who can confirm that. But you aren’t likely to see that featured in the women’s magazines at your nearest newsstand or in any of their online editions. You’ll have to look elsewhere to get that story.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
