The disconnect between the seriousness of an abortion and the way progressives talk about it is alarming -- especially for a party that pretends to champion women's rights. It often seems as though women do not have the right to have an open conversation about abortion: If you aren't for it, you've been "brainwashed" by the patriarchy and are clearly delusional. Further, women who do have problems after an abortion procedure are practically forced to suffer in silence, as the media demands 100-percent compliance with their pro-abortion agenda.
The fact that so many women are harmed during or after one of these procedures would put a massive crack in the pro-abortion facade.
A recent study from the University of California at San Francisco found that "at least 27,941 women landed in the emergency room after an abortion between 2009 to 2013, equating to roughly 5,550 women per year." Just over 50 percent of these women received observational care, while another 30 percent needed a "repeat abortion procedure."
The remaining 20 percent suffered with much more severe complications. For 8.6 percent of those women, hospital bills would reach over $10,000. More importantly however, this data was taken from just 946 hospitals -- there are 5,535 registered hospitals in the US. This means that if 5,500 women are visiting 946 hospitals in a year for post-abortion side effects, the number nation-wide is probably much, much greater.
Despite this, proponents of abortion maintain that abortions are virtually risk-free. But the truth is that for many women, this simply is not the case.
Even if a woman doesn't have a medical issue following an abortion, mental health can still be adversely affected by the procedure -- a topic few people are willing to talk about.
For many women, terminating a pregnancy can be devastating -- even if it was elective. Liberals love to make light of abortion, but again, it is a serious medical procedure. While one would hope that no one takes the decision to terminate a pregnancy lightly, it's hard to ignore the fact that the left-wing media makes abortion seem like a walk in the park. In many cases, its even portrayed as a godsend -- something women should be happy about. This too can add to the confusion.
Do pro-abortionists have women's health in mind when they shush women who've experienced the aftermath of abortion first hand?
As one woman told the Daily Mail, "'Before I had an abortion, I was happy and outgoing - I'd never suffered any mental health problems. But I came round from the anesthetic in tears, and I've struggled with depression ever since." Sue Hulbert said she had her abortion in 2000, and in 2008, the depression was still lingering.
"Every day, I think about the abortion. Eight years on, the pain of what happened hasn't eased - and I know it never will," she concluded solemnly.
Countless other women have shared in Sue's post-abortion suffering. But the depression that so often follows abortion is hardly talked about; it would destroy the Left-wing's agenda, and lay ruin to the claims about being so concerned for women's rights and women's health.
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