Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome? does not really pose the question in the title: the article makes clear that there is no evidence of such a syndrome, nor is there any evidence that abortion leads to to any more psychological problems than childbirth. Instead, the article describes the chilling, largely religious (but federally funded) brand of so-called "women-protective" anti-abortion activism. I have actually bestirred myself to send the following letter to the editor of the Times Magazine in reaction to the article:
To the Editor of the Magazine:
The polarized rhetoric of the public “debate” on abortion might have been designed to insure that a woman will suffer psychological distress after her abortion by denying her any complex point of view from which to grieve for her foregone child: she must either admit to having murdered a baby or deny that what will never be born was ever a “person” worthy of consideration. A woman who wants to understand her abortion as the act of a loving mother doing what is best for herself and her family finds herself without the language or imagery to help her do so. Meanwhile, the post-abortion “counselling” provided by the new “women-protective” anti-abortion activist featured in Emily Bazelon’s chilling article, who calls on women to “wonder how does your baby’s body look, since it went through that little tube,” is breathtaking in its cruel manipulation of women’s sadness.
Don't forget that Monday is Blog for Choice Day.
Technorati Tags:
Feminism, Abortion
3 comments:
Yeah right.......
I hope they publish this!
Bossy knows of a post event syndrome way worse and non debatable: having a baby when you're unprepared, underage, inexperienced, undervalued, underpaid, and largely unloved.
Hope it gets published.
Post a Comment