If you’re considering abortion, you may be wondering how your decision could impact other important people in your life.
Do couples stay together after an abortion? How does abortion affect the family? What about surviving or future children?
And if you’re asking these questions, you’re far from alone.
When you Google “How will abortion affect my relationship,” the results clearly demonstrate the fact that so many others have experienced negative effects on their relationships after an abortion.
Abortion and Intimate Relationships
A 2009 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Public Health surveyed 658 men and 906 women to examine how abortion had affected intimate partner relationships.
Individuals who had experienced abortion in a prior relationship were more likely to report problems in a current relationship. Abortion predicted greater incidence of intimate partner violence and more negative perceptions of quality of life.
For current relationships in which abortion had occurred, couples reported significantly more arguments about children — a 116% increase for male respondents and 196% increase for women.
Women who had an abortion had a greater risk of sexual dysfunction, arguments about money and more conflicts about their or their partner’s relatives.
Men whose partners had experienced abortion reported more feelings of jealousy and more arguments about drug use.
Abortion and Family Relationships
Women who have abortions often experience negative emotional outcomes including numbness, hostility and anger.
This can have a harmful impact on family relationships, including with the woman’s parents and children.
Abortion frequently causes a woman to have trouble bonding with surviving or future children. There is also an increased risk of abuse of future children.
Many times women are coerced into having the procedure by parents or their boyfriend. This scenario leads to feelings of betrayal, anger, depression, sadness and a loss of trust.
A man whose wife or girlfriend has an abortion may suffer from a loss of control and pride, especially if the procedure was done without his input.
If a woman who is already a mother has an abortion, her surviving children may experience confusion, fear, sadness, anxiety and loss of trust in their parents.
Are you considering whether to have an abortion? Are you struggling to cope with the effects of abortion on your relationships or your overall well-being?
Contact Mosaic Health at 618-451-2002 or reach out to us online. We provide free, confidential abortion information, as well as a compassionate abortion recovery program that offers hope and healing.