Abortion is the expulsion of a human child from the protection and safety of the mother’s womb. Early abortion occurs before the child is able to sustain life outside of the mother’s womb, while close to the 28th week a child stands a chance of surviving outside of the mother’s womb if given the necessary care.
Abortion falls into two categories: naturally spontaneous (often commonly referred to as miscarriages) and artificially induced (majority of people often consider this to be abortion).
There are several ways of inducing abortions depending on the age of development of the unborn child. For the purposes of this discussion we will mention the most commonly done procedures in this environment.
Suction Aspiration. In this procedure, the cervix may require being dilated to allow for the insertion of a powerful suction tube into the uterus. The tension created tears the unborn child and the placenta from the womb and deposits the dismembered foetus into a container.
Dilation and Curettage (D&C): here the cervix is dilated, and then loop-shaped steel knife is inserted to scrape the walls of the uterus. The foetus and placenta are sliced to pieces and scraped through the cervix.
Abortion: Facts and Figures
In Nigeria, there are no reliable statistical data in respect of abortion; however we present the American statistics for easier understanding of the extent of this very important issue
One in four teenage girls get pregnant by age eighteen; half become pregnant by age twenty one.
Of the more than one million teens that become pregnant every year, roughly half choose to have abortion.
About one third of all recorded U.S abortions are performed on teenagers. It is definitely highest for 18 and 19 year olds.
The above facts is considered to be this low as a result of underreporting, Planned parenthood estimates that even in America where abortion is legal, nearly two-thirds of teen abortions are never reported.
All over the world, the number of abortions performed continues to be on the increase.
One out of every six women who have an abortion describes herself as an evangelical Christian.
In Nigeria, abortion is still illegal and its practice still encourages the patronage of quacks which pushes the complications and consequences of this act underground.
Much money is charged for this act thus necessitating the patronage of quacks and inexperienced medical personnel for financial reasons.
Many people including Christians have come to accept abortion as the option for unwanted pregnancies
The Effects of Abortion
The Spiritual:
Guilt: Both moral guilt and psychological guilt. There is no one who commits abortion who does not know. The steps involved ensures that each person carries out a well calculated effort before being rid of the unwanted foetus, thus it cannot be carried out without the person feeling the impact of this serious act.
Some form of regret comes to play as a result of this act. Every pregnant person knows it is a baby that is being born; hence every woman who aborts is aware that it is their baby that is being forcefully ejected before time.
Physical Effects
Medical complications associated with abortion may occur at the time of abortion – immediate, within 30 days following the procedure; delayed – or at some time later in life-late.
The following has been statistically proven: women who abort their first babies when compared with those who carry theirs to term were found to:
Have had 85% higher miscarriage rates (in subsequent pregnancies)
Have experienced 47% higher labour complications
Have experienced 83% higher deliver complications
Have 67% more chance of giving birth to premature babies
Abortion-inflicted uterine damage has also been found to be one of the probable causes of increase in infertility, and in America, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that infertility among American women aged 20-24 has risen from 3.6% to 10.6% since 1965.
Other Consequences of Abortion
Damage to
reproductive organs occur in 42.6% of cases
Uterine rupture or perforation of the uterus in 5.6%
Cervical lacerations, 11.1%
Haemorrhage (bleeding), intractable, 13%
Pelvic pain and pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia), 11.1%
Infertility and repeated miscarriage, 7.4%
Incomplete operations; subsequent passage of foetal parts and tissue, 74%
Bowel resection with colostomy (an operation which becomes necessary following
a particular type of complication), 1.9%
Deaths which may go unreported
Please note!
The most catastrophic complications occur in teenagers
Emotional Effects:
Emotional stress and pain
Women who have undergone abortion have been found to be prone to anxiety and depression
Societal Effect:
Abortion has changed the societal value towards virginity, it is now lightly esteemed.
It has changed the societal value towards children; they are of no value as such.
It has developed a society where being made to face the consequence of our actions becomes less and less necessary (parents now abort for their children regardless of the damage done to the future of such children).
Societal values and norms are being greatly eroded.
Make a Choice!
You can avoid aborting. One mistake is enough!
Before you take that step, remember I care enough for you to let you know that there are consequences to every step!
Realizing that Christ cares enough to die for you long before you knew shows you that God also cares and possibly has a plan for your unborn child.
Do you think you are suffering now because you did not abort? NO! You may need help but you are definitely not suffering. You are passing through a phase. Seek for further help. YOUR ARE NOT ALONE.
MAYBE YOU HAVE DONE IT ALREADY! God loves you still. You may need to ask for forgiveness, but seek for more counselling to ensure you do not fall again because the consequences that follow are grievous.
I love you, but Jesus loves you so much more
Dr.(Mrs.)Kemi Babalola
info@schoolofvirtue.org
