Abortion on Demand: Reverberations and Vicissitudes (Part I)

Introduction

In 1973 the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade short-circuited the legislative process and, more importantly, the national conversation, and legalized Abortion on Demand. I believe the Court was acting out of a changing cultural milieu that encouraged just such a decision at the same time as it created conditions which have left the decision as a source of powerful passions unencumbered by reason. Abortion on Demand is one of the critical divides between the left and the right, between religious and non-religious, traditional and non-traditional; we may well be closing in on the time when the original decision will be re-examined and I thought it would be worthwhile to explore some of the Psychological issues that are inextricably involved in Abortion, consider how these issues have been expressed within our culture and society, and how a re-examination of Abortion may help or hinder the reconciliation of our cultural "split" psyche.

A cursory search of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association via the Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing site (available by subscription only) which covers the premier Journal of American Psychoanalysis from 1953 -2003, revealed only 48 citations for "Psychoanalysis AND Abortion". In contrast, there were ~450 citations for "Pregnancy OR Pregnant AND Psychoanalysis" and a search for "Children AND Psychoanalysis" led to too many citations to list. It is no surprise that Psychoanalysis would be so concerned with Childhood and with Pregnancy, after all these are critical developmental milestones in people's lives, but the relative dearth of articles exploring the meaning of Abortion, despite the very high percentage of patients who have been touched by abortion in one way or another, is quite striking. I believe that, among other reasons, this reflects a probably unconscious decision among Psychoanalysts to avoid the topic for reasons that I will suggest as this series develops. Prominent among the reasons would be a sense that discussing Abortion has always been extremely likely to evoke and provoke extreme reactions. Abortion is such a charged issue that reason is rarely a part of the discussion. In some ways this would make it an ideal subject for Psychoanalytic exploration, but in reality, for political reasons, most Psychoanalysts have avoided the issue.

In my work with patients who have had abortions, or whose mothers have had abortions, as well as in the psychoanalytic literature, several important themes emerge, which are germane to any discussion of abortion and will be the subject of future posts on this subject.  In this disquisition, I would like to start with some of the societal trends, especially medical trends, which made the legalization of Abortion of such urgency in 1974.

Please note that I am not taking a moral stand for or against abortion. I fully understand the view of those who believe, for religious or moral reasons, that life begins at conception. I also appreciate the views of those who believe that an unwanted pregnancy in certain circumstances, due to bad luck or irresponsibility, can be a personal disaster for the parent(s) and the child(ren). I would like to set those questions aside for the moment and concentrate on what abortion means to those who have been affected by it; perhaps through such a discussion, the moral and ethical arguments can become clearer.

As I have described elsewhere, the discovery of Penicillin, followed by the second World War, led to a unique situation in which the post-war baby boomers were born into a world where, for the first time in human knowledge, there was the reasonable expectation that every child would be able to survive into adulthood. Furthermore, the all too human desire to procreate, which always is intensified by survival of a life-threatening ordeal, was a shared experience for the "Greatest Generation." The offspring of "the Greatest Generation", the "Greatest Offspring", were raised in ways that inadvertently led to enhanced narcissism among the baby boomer cohort. I will not repeat my arguments here but suggest taking a look at Demographics & Narcissism or my series on Narcissism (on the side bar) for further elucidation.

As the baby boomers reached child bearing age, having been encouraged by their often left wing enablers to believe that the expression of their own instinctual desires, the idealization of the self, was the apotheosis of civilization up until this time (a great part of what fueled the anti-Vietnam war protests was the rage that anything could be more important than the self; ie the draft threatened the precious darling from whom little had ever been demanded int he manner of sacrifice), a problem arose.  The free expression of the instincts, "free love", all too often led to unintended consequences. During the brief moment between the anti-biotic cure for STDs and the appearance of HIV, disease was considered a nuisance rather than a reason to modify one's behavior. Pregnancy however, could be less conveniently ignored. Not everyone wanted to take the pill and the idea of responsible sex was a contradiction to the governing rubric of "do your own thing." Thus, the pressure for legal abortion, so that the newly liberated young women of the baby boom cohort would be spared the disastrous effects of their new found freedom, was compelling and powerful. Children raised to believe that their desires are primary could not tolerate the idea of being sentenced to a life in chains (ie, parenthood) before they were ready. The child had to be turned into a choice.

To be continued...

Part II: Mothers and Fathers: When Does Life Begin?

Part III: Children of Choice

Part IV: Susan, a Child of Choices

Comments

[Sandy P]

9 unelected old men needlessly split the country for almost 35 years.

[bird dog]

SW:

Good post, but you let yourself off the hook a little. We can suspend moral judgement in the office, but not in the world. My opinion: the dilemma lies in the impossibility of resolving the conflict between free choice and the sacredness of human life. Two supremely human and critical items. Our civilization cannot exist without both. But in this case, I'll fall on the sacredness side, because if humanity is not sacred, and does not "contain" a soul, then what's the importance of freedom anyway?

[bird dog]

But to your point - for some reason which I cannot understand, analysts tend towards the Lefty-reflex view of the world. I know few analysts who will even speak the word "soul" in public, despite the fact that soul is what "psyche" means.

[Sandy P]

And in FLA, they just delivered a 21 week old baby.

Put THAT in your stats, UN!

[Donna]

I like your explanation about children of the baby boomers being so narcissistic they didn't want to be inconvenienced by an unwanted baby. Very well put.

I'm sure some people will share their abortion experiences with you and I'm looking forward to reading them. Never having had one, I cannot.

But I never understand why people always say that those who are pro-life have that opinion because of their religious views and pro-choice people believe children should be "wanted." Neither one should be a valid reason for an abortion. We don't use either of those criteria to decide whether to get rid of children who are already born. In fact there is NO reason to get ride of children after they're born. We don't have a "choice" and religions has nothing to do with it. It's always murder, no matter your religious beliefs or whether you want them.

So then of course we have to decide if killing a child before it's born is murder. And that's not a religious decision; it's a medical or anatomical fact. Since babies are being delivered earlier and earlier and surviving, how much longer can we say it's not murder?

But the ultrasounds will soon put a stop to most of the abortions since they show the baby in full color. Only the most selfish and totally unfeeling people will insist on killing those "fetuses" which are obviously "babies."

What I find interesting and would like you to address some time is the effect that abortion has had upon marriage and male/female relationships. My 28 year old daughter feels that men now expect to have sex on the first date and are not interested in a long-term relationship unless you "put out." And why not? With abortion, who cares if there's an unwanted pregnancy? It's not their problem. It's the woman's. Therefore, there is no more "dating" to get to know someone before you have sex, no more courting. Since there are more women than men, women are becoming desparate to have a man and will do literally ANYTHING the man wants. But strangely, none of her girlfriends or young women she talks to enjoy sex! It's quite sad.

I know there have always been men who didn't take responsibility for unwanted pregnacies, but most either got married willingly or were forced to by family. But now NOTHING is expected from men. Don't get married, get rid of any child you don't want, don't support your girlfriend, she'll support you, and keep having sex. If she has the child, move to another state so as not to pay child support. "I didn't tell her to have it. She should have aborted it." How unfulfilling. That's an effect of abortion I'd like you to address.

Enjoy all your posts. Keep up the good work.

[Bruce]

World estimations of the number of terminations carried out each year is somewhere between 20 and 88 million.(likely 55 to 60)

Over 3,500 per day / Over 1.3 million per year in America alone.

50% of that 1.3 million claimed failed birth control was to blame.

A further 48% had failed to use any birth control at all.

And 2% had medical reasons.

That means a staggering 98% of unwanted pregnancies may have been avoided had an effective birth control been used.

People have to stop using abortion as birth control.

People should be able to choose to use birth control,
so as to avoid having to make another choice.

I'd like to see effective birth control made available to all who can't afford it.

If only people would choose to use an effective contraceptive,

They wouldn't have to make another choice........

http://www.sexual-health-resource.org/hormonal_birth_control.htm

ausblog

[Kobayashi Maru]

Shrink - Great start. Looking forward to more. Can't wait for you to answer the question: "What do draft-dodging, abortion and Eve's biting the apple all have in common?"

[Dr. Willie Dohit]

The lack of discussion on abortion in our society is remarkable. One aspect that I have never seen discussed is the impact on population growth. In biological systems it is a normal expectation that a biological group will increase in population until a limit of available resources is reeached and then stabilize in balance with the available resources. The world population has continued to grow at the expected geometric rate for the past half century. Our national economy has expected this growth and indeed can only be sustained by such growth. The lack of natural population growth has necessitated large numbers of non-nationals to boost our population to the leverl reqquired by normal economic growth. So we have a situation where a population is being determined by selection in the Darwinian sense. In this case the selection is not natural, but it is still selection and the next 50 generations will be determined by what members of this population reproduce.
And a large portion of the population will reproduce at the same rate as if they had died in childhood, or in war, or their ofspring had died. That is, they will have no living descendents to contribute to the gene pool. They will be extinct.
They will be extinct by their own narcissism. Our species is only about 500 generations from the dawn of civilization. Only about 5000 to 10,000 generations from the walk out of Africa. Every one of our ancestors that managed to survive and have children has bequethed us with life. Now we take this gift and squander it as surely as if we had lost the last war and all died. Is anybody concerned with what the population of the earth will look like in a thousand years, 50 generations? Are we ethnically cleansing ourselves?
Good job SW. You are tracking right on the some of the most sensitive, but undiscussed topics in our society. Are these topics repressed by our collective unconcious?

[Ymarsakar]

The certain strains of fanaticism around abortion reminds me of the Middle East. The ME people know that they are to a certain extent, unable to influence their leaders and the law, with the only choice to obey. So if they have to obey laws which they don't like, they might as well take those laws to its logical conclusion. Which is rather extreme all in all.

Because the legislation concerning abortion was overriden in America, it has sort of bypassed entire generations. Which is unlike even black equality, because they at least had the Civil Rights Act. A matter of law and persuasion, not one of SC fiat. So it is like a never ending holy war. Since the power is in the Supreme Court... and not with the people, it doesn't matter who you convince, it only matters if you can exert the necessary power to get the people you support onto that court... which is an interesting way for the SC to maintain impartiality, by making it necessary for others to impart their partiality upon the courts one way or another. Very ironic. That was how it worked and how the systems were geared towards. Because certainly if it was a matter of law, it would have been settled all ready one way or another and people would be arguing about the law. But that is not what they are arguing about because in a sense they know that the SC can override any law, so they might as well get to the SC first and forget about the law.

[Dr. Melissa]

Abortion side effects: Women are devalued as mothers. Children are devalued as acquired or discarded objects. Men are disconnected further from the consequences and thus obligations of parenthood thus the current outrage at having to pay child support for a child they don't want. If men get their way, children will suffer further.

Solution? Repeal Roe. Let states decide. Outlaw abortion.

At a personal level, the women who endure abortion often have been coerced by a man, her parents or been the subject of abuse. In my practice, I've had only one woman express satisfaction that she had an abortion and she was addicted to illegal drugs--that is to say she was running away from something in her life.

Even though I personally believe abortion should be outlawed, I feel deep compassion for women who've had one. They are sold a bill of goods about it and are often shocked at how devastated they are long term. Oftentimes, the trauma resurfaces during child-bearing. Ironically, the Planned Parenthood clinics will offer "procedures" to rid a woman of a baby, but offer no post-op counseling (what could a woman need counseling for?). These women must go to the Pregnancy Assistance Center (a Christian charitable organization) for therapy.

I could go on and on. Thanks for a fantastic post. And the second one, too.

[Ali]

To Bruce, re: birth control/stats posted

After you posted those stats, you think the solution is birth contol?

How many years has that been pushed and how many different methods are there? Yet we still have abortions. How about morals, values, self-esteem and making the smart choice not to put themselves in the situation BEFORE?

This era of no responsibility kills me... instead, do as you wish unrestricted in privacy, until you need taxpayers to give you band-aids. That's not solving the problem. There are girls (believe it or not), who use abortion as a method of birth control... and anyone who says that's not effecting those girls mentally or physically are lying to themselves... it's not helping them.

Funny, the ones who push sex-ed and contraceptives refuse to include abstinence as well... try to include that into the curriculum, barely happens. I feel the same way for those all the way on the other side. If you inform... fully inform. If you care for them whether pre/post abortion or telling about contraceptives, make sure there is help for them through psychologists as well, or the cycle will continue... it has more to do with state of mind, history and environment than access to birth control. These women need help before and after.

There are also STDs, HPV and many other things contraceptives such as birth control pills can't stop. I would like to see the statistics on those... since they want formal immunizations for nine year olds to prevent cervical cancer and some HPV strains.

I'm sure some people will share their abortion experiences with you and I'm looking forward to reading them.

Well, I hadn't intended to, but since you expressed an interest...

An unexpected pregnancy entered what had been a solid relationship. My girlfriend simultaneously informed me that it had happened, and that it would not continue. At my first attempt to discuss it, I was disabused of the notion that I had any input into the decision, or that there was any discussion to be had.

I'm not sure if I was knocked more sideways by the pregnancy, the decision, or the way that it was dictated to me. This was a complete reversal of the prior two years that left me too confused to know what I really thought or felt about it. Until then, I had thought that I was completely in favor of abortion, and rabidly supported the notion that it was "a woman's right to choose". Until it wasn't abstract and aseptic anymore, that is.

From that day forward, everything in our relationship changed. We stopped going out and doing things, stopped talking about the news or our families or our days in anything more than a cursory fashion... in fact, we stopped doing anything but just showing up and going through the motions of being together. The procedure came a week or two later, and two or three weeks after the procedure we stopped doing even that much. We didn't make a decision, or come to an agreement, or even argue; I just didn't stop by one day, she didn't either, and neither of us called. And we did the same the next day, the next, and the day after that.

This was almost 20 years ago, and today I still don't really know what I feel about abortion as a whole. Rationally, I've been over the issue from just about every angle, and I've arrived at decisions on what I think are the major questions, but emotionally I think it's still about as confused and conflicted as it was then. I've long since given up expecting any change on this.

My wife and I went through an abortion. We didn't think we were in a position to raise the child - shorthand for economic selfishness. Within about 2 months, she was psychotic - committed as a danger to self and others. She always blamed the episode on the abortion. I don't disagree.