Sunday, August 3, 2014

Abortion counseling lacking for older women


And we don't know why. Because of course, abortion data collection in this country is woefully inadequate as I've written time and time again. And the reasons for abortions are unknown as well, because we don't track reasons either.

But here's something else that's interesting. You know how abortion clinics love to tell us they counsel women who are having abortions? Well it seems that with these older women, they may not be getting the counseling they need:
"That’s led to what some see as significant gaps in support services for older women who are dealing with unplanned pregnancies. For Carrie, the fact that she already knew the joys of motherhood made the decision to have an abortion particularly difficult. “I knew exactly what I was giving up,” she says. “I knew I was never going to get another chance.” 
She also felt the staff at the abortion clinic assumed that because she was in her 30s and already had three children, she didn’t require counselling to help make the decision to end her pregnancy. Clinic staff told her abortion was likely her best option because of the complications with her past pregnancies. 
Four years later, now 37, she’s still struggling with the emotional fallout. “[They] assumed I was old enough, mature enough to deal with it,” she says. “They were wrong. I very much needed help and was not given it. I think they focus on young girls and making sure they are okay with their decision. No one is doing the same for older women.”

It's too bad this poor woman hadn't gone to a crisis pregnancy centre instead of an abortion clinic.

No comments:

Post a Comment