Abortion program

1. Abortion program College Composition II By: Kathy Simmons

2. What is an abortion? • By definition, “an abortion is generally used to mean an induced termination of pregnancy (termination intentional)”. (MNT, 2009) • Abortion is legal and easy. • There are two ways to get an abortion. • Clinical or medical: in other words the pill (mifeprex) at least 9 weeks after conception, which blocks progesterone in the uterus. A couple of days later, they would take another pill called misprostol (cytotec).The pill is about 97% effective. • Surgical: The manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) and dilatation suction curettage (D&C) . The MVA can be used during the first 10 weeks of a pregnancy. The D&C can only be used before four weeks and the end of 13 weeks. The surgical abortion is 100% effective.

3. Why women get abortions? • Women get abortions because it could interfere with: • School • Work • Other responsibilities • Some women can’t afford a child because they could a single parent. • Only about 12% of them get one because of a physical health problem. • Rape can also play a role in abortions

4. How do women feel after an abortion? • The main that women feel after an abortion is alone!! • They go through the grieving process: • Guilt - results from violating one's own sense of right and wrong. • Anxiety - headaches, dizziness, pounding heart, abdominal cramps, muscle tightness, difficulty sleeping, etc. • Avoidance behaviors - anything remindful of pregnancy and children. • Depression- sad mood, sudden and uncontrollable crying episodes, deterioration of self-concept, sleep and appetite disturbances, reduced motivation, loss of normal sources of pleasure, thoughts of suicide. • Anxiety over fertility and childbearing issues – being convinced that God will punish by withholding future pregnancies. • Self-abuse/self-destructive behaviors – eating disorders, alcohol and/or substance abuse, cigarette-smoking, abusive relationships, promiscuity, failure to take care of one's self medically.

5. How do women feel after an abortion? (Cont.) • The Tasks of Healing • When a woman comes to a point in her life where she recognizes the need to finally deal with a past abortion, there are several tasks to be accomplished. • 1) Remembering the Pain • Keeping everything bottled inside is not a good, you must remember so you can move on. • The simplest way to access these old feelings is environment in which the woman can tell about her abortion experience. • 2) Spiritual Issues: Guilt and Forgiveness • Reconnecting with God is something that can help deal with everything. Asking Him for forgiveness will help you from stop denying the pain and anger. • 3) Identifying and Releasing the Anger • Many post-abortive women have a serious resistance to verbalizing their anger. They think, “If I go to that bleak, unlit place inside me, I may get in touch with a rage that will lead to a total loss of control.” And control is everything to a person who is barely hanging on to normal functioning in the wake of unresolved trauma. (Reisser, 2005) • 4) Grieving the Loss • Most women deal with the loss and work through the grief, when they actually think of the baby as someone real, naming them, writing out feelings, and maybe even having a quiet, private memorial service

6. Youtube video • This video really can show you how a person really thinks about pro-life. • Pro-Life? What is it? • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgDcihrotIA

7. How can the program help? • This program can give women someone that they can talk to face to face without being judged. • This program has support for those that wants counseling through their grieving and depression. • This program can show women how to get back on their feet.

8. References PersonhoodUSA June 3, 2011 Pro-life? What is it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgDcihrotIA Reisser, Teri MA, MFT 2005 Healing after Abortion http://www.heartlink.org/directors/abortion/a000000100.cfm http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/145870.php