ABORTION AND THE EFFECTS

1. Definition of abortion

An abortion is the medical process of ending a pregnancy so that it does not result in the birth of a baby. Sometimes, health care professionals may refer to an abortion as a 'termination of pregnancy', or as just a 'termination'.

An abortion is different from a miscarriage where the pregnancy ends without medical intervention. However, medical treatment may be needed after a miscarriage. Confusingly, health care professionals sometimes refer to a miscarriage as a 'spontaneous abortion'. (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Abortion/Pages/Introduction.aspx)

Another source states that abortion is ending of a pregnancy before the fetus is developed sufficiently to survive outside the uterus. Loss of a fetus at a later stage is termed premature stillbirth. Abortion may be natural (miscarriage) or deliberate (termination of pregnancy). (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Physical+Effects+of+Abortion)

From the definition of abortion above, the writer concluded that abortion is a process of ending pregnancy. There are two types of abortion, they are natural abortion or called miscarriage and abortion on purpose called termination of pregnancy. But in this paper the writer only discuss about the effects of abortion on purpose or termination.

Actually there are two kinds of abortion, first is medical abortion ( usually use drugs) and second is surgical abortion (little operation). Medical abortion is the use of mifepristone and misoprostol pills that halts the production of pregnancy hormones and makes the uterus push out the embryo or fetus. While the surgical abortion, a doctor uses the vacuum device to empty the womb.

2. The effects of abortion

The reasons why a woman has an abortion are not always the same. Some women seek abortion due to health reasons, while there are those who cite emotional and mental immaturity as the reason for wanting to terminate their pregnancy.

As the writer tells that there are two types of abortion ( medical and surgical abortion), and both of two types almost have several similar effects. And the effects of abortion can occur both in physical and psychological or mental effects.

2.1 Physical Effects

After carry out an abortion, woman who do abortion will get some of the physical effects and may be the effects will continue in several weeks. The physical effects that can occur are :

• Abdominal pain and cramping ; the woman that carry out abortion will get a sick in her stomach and this is harder than menstruation.
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Spotting and Bleeding

Those effects are usually occur for up to 2 or 4 weeks after the procedure of abortion. Although serious complications only occur in less than 1 out of 100 first trimester abortions and approximately 1 out of every 50 late term abortions; so, it is important to know the possible risks:

· Heavy or persistent bleeding

· Infection or sepsis

· Damage to the cervix

· Scarring of the uterine lining

· Perforation of the uterus

· Damage to other organs

· Death

It is important to understand that these risks are rare and some are even present with child birth. What matters is that you are aware that they exist as you make an educated decision about your pregnancy.

Besides the effects above, there are also Long term effects of medical abortion. They are :

Prolonged Bleeding

· It is normal to experience vaginal bleeding after taking the abortion pill, since it is part of the process of passing the embryo. It is not normal, however, for this bleeding to continue over an extended period of time. For some women, a long-term side effect is vaginal bleeding. It can continue for up to 12 days, and for some women, for up to six weeks.

Ectopic Pregnancy

· In the rare case that a woman is having an ectopic pregnancy (the pregnancy is taking place in the fallopian tubes), the abortion pill could lead to death. If a woman with an ectopic pregnancy takes the abortion pill, she will see blood afterward and assume it is because the pill has done its job. In reality, though, the pill could have cause the fallopian tube to burst, endangering the patient's life. If a ruptured tube is not repaired in time, the outcome could be fatal.

Incomplete Abortions

· There have been cases of incomplete abortions in 5 to 15 percent of abortion pill cases. If the pill fails to abort the embryo, the patient must then go into immediate surgery. With any surgery, major risks are involved, such as complications with anesthesia, which can lead to death. Surgeries that deal in abortion complications can also cause infertility.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

· Within four weeks of an abortion, 5 percent of women contracted pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The long-term effects of PID include chronic pelvic pain, a risk of ectopic pregnancies in the future, painful intercourse and reduced fertility. The chances of a woman getting PID after an abortion increase if Chlamydia is present.

2.2 Psychological and Emotional Effects

The main negative consequence for the mother is called ‘post - abortion trauma’. The following is a list of emotional and psychological side effects that may be experienced following an abortion. The intensity or duration of these effects will vary from person to person. Here is a list of potential side effects that may be of concern to you:

· Regret ; it means that woman who carry out an abortion will get a feeling of sadness because of something that lost and never comeback again.

· Grief (including constant crying); the woman will cry and feel sorrow if she remember her abortion.

· Problems with self – image; she will have problem with her confidence.

· Anger against partner, parents, doctors and those who suggested the abortion, leading to a collapse in relationships.

· Self – pity; she feels that she is a poor woman.

· Moodiness; she will get problem to control her mood.

· Withdrawing from others; she will assume that withdrawing from other can decrease her guilt.

· Using drugs; to take mind of her problem and to omit her depression, she will use drugs and let her disappear.

· Sleeplessness and nightmares; her feeling will be very hurt and also feels guilty because of the abortion. That makes she can not sleep and always nightmare.

· Going off sex or using it to overcome the pain.

· Anger; she feels that she is a bad woman, and that feeling make her always angry.

· Guilty feelings; she will feel guilt because she had killed someone's life although that is an embryo.

· Shame; she will shame to the society because she had done something without worrying abortion her pregnancy.

· Loneliness or isolation; she feels that her action to abortion the pregnancy is wrong and there is no other that want to be her friend or partner.

· Impaired self confidence;

· Insomnia or nightmares; she always thinking of the abortion and it makes she can not fast sleep.

· Relationship issues;

· Suicidal thoughts and feelings;

· Eating disorders ( over eating or under eating); besides of the physical effects that makes her stomach sick, she also feels that she is guilt so that she can not eat as usual.

· Depression; because of her action to abortion her pregnancy, she feels very sad, anxious, and guilt. As the result she can not sleep.

· Anxiety; she feels not safe and always remember that she is a killer. This because of the guilty.

It is possible for anyone to experience an emotional or psychological side effect following an abortion. Women commonly report that the abortion procedure affected them more than they thought it would. However, there are individuals who are more susceptible to experience some type of emotional or psychological struggle. Below is a list of circumstances that may increase a woman’s chances of having an emotional or psychological side effect:

· Individuals with previous emotional or psychological issues

· Individuals who have been coerced, forced or persuaded to get an abortion

· Individuals with religious beliefs that conflict with abortion

· Individuals with moral or ethical positions that conflict with abortion

· Individuals who obtain an abortion in later stages of their pregnancy

· Individuals without support from significant others or their partner

· Obtaining an abortion for genetic or fetal abnormalities

These are another psychological effects of abortion :

• Emotional Aftermath

It is normal to mourn after the loss of a pregnancy, regardless of the reason for the loss. In the case of an abortion this may be particularly difficult because the abortion may have been freely chosen to resolve other problems. Most women feel some relief immediately after the abortion procedure, though there is often sadness as well.

Natural hormonal changes related to pregnancy can cause a woman to feel more emotional than usual. Post-abortive women may experience a variety of feelings, including sadness, anger, regret, guilt, or even numbness.

Women who have experienced abortion often report symptoms typical of depressive and anxiety disorders, such as sleeplessness, tearfulness, anxiety, hopelessness, irritability, and an inability to concentrate. These problems can be confounded by relationship difficulties that are often both a cause and effect of the abortion decision. When a pregnancy loss occurs in secret, this can prevent others from offering the support and guidance needed to navigate this stressful time.

• Post-Abortion Syndrome

Although many women experience these problems for only a short period, many others have emotional difficulties for a long period after the abortion. These may manifest as clinical depression, an anxiety disorder, substance abuse, an eating disorder, or sexual difficulties. Women who already have problems such as these before an abortion may have a worsening of symptoms as a result of the abortion. Such difficulties can last for months or even years.

In addition to these reactions, other symptoms seem to be unique to post-abortive women. These include avoidance of babies, fear of future pregnancies, or a quick attempt to become pregnant again to create an "atonement child" to replace the one lost by abortion. Women may also have flashbacks and nightmares about the abortion. This constellation of symptoms is sometimes called "post-abortion syndrome" (PAS). PAS can be successfully treated via individual or group counseling. Most pregnancy resource centers offer such counseling or can provide a referral.

Women who have had abortions clearly need to seek help to restore balance in their lives and to help release them from the guilt they might feel from their actions.

how to teach reading and writing

Here are some tips to teach reading and writing.

1. Teaching Reading

1. Remember to consider your student’s interests and goals when planning any kind of lesson and when choosing teaching materials.

2. Help build your student’s background Information by reading and discussing interesting news articles.

3. If your student has children, encourage him/her to read to them. Discuss the importance of letting children see their parents reading.

4. Model what good readers do. (We don’t complete worksheets! We do talk about books and other things we’ve read!)

5. Encourage silent reading.

6. Spend time in our library and become an expert on books at your student’s level.

7. Talk about the strategies that good readers use: drawing conclusions, finding the main idea, reading for specific information, sequencing material, making predictions, understanding text organization, summarizing.

8. Encourage reading outside of the lessons.

9. Many of the lesson ideas on this site make use of "manipulative letters"; these could be magnetic letters like the ones that might be on your fridge, or "Scrabble" letter tiles, or ones you make yourself with a marking pen and card stock.

10. Include Word Recognition, Vocabulary Instruction, Fluency Practice and Comprehension Strategies in every lesson.

By raising students' awareness of reading as a skill that requires active engagement, and by explicitly teaching reading strategies, instructors help their students develop both the ability and the confidence to handle communication situations they may encounter beyond the classroom. In this way they give their students the foundation for communicative competence in the new language. Teachers can help their students become effective readers by teaching them how to use strategies before, during, and after reading.

Before reading: Plan for the reading task

v Set a purpose or decide in advance what to read for

v Decide if more linguistic or background knowledge is needed

v Determine whether to enter the text from the top down (attend to the overall meaning) or from the bottom up (focus on the words and phrases)

During and after reading: Monitor comprehension

v Verify predictions and check for inaccurate guesses

v Decide what is and is not important to understand

v Reread to check comprehension

v Ask for help

After reading: Evaluate comprehension and strategy use

v Evaluate comprehension in a particular task or area

v Evaluate overall progress in reading and in particular types of reading tasks

v Decide if the strategies used were appropriate for the purpose and for the task

v Modify strategies if necessary

2. Teaching Writing

1. Struggling writers tend to focus on the mechanics of writing rather than the ideas they are trying to express. As the tutor, you need to initially focus on reading the student’s writing versus evaluating it. Later when the student is more fluent will be a better time to focus on writing conventions such as spelling and punctuation.

2. Many students are very reluctant to write anything, let alone a complete essay. Start small and provide lots of topic suggestions

3. When students write about a topic that they know and care about, their motivation and ownership increase.

4. Encourage your student to write frequently and regularly.

5. Have your student read his writing aloud to you, and give positive feedback.

6. If you need help teaching writing, Steck-Vaughn’s GED Essay has an excellent step-by-step process that students seem to really like.

The easiest way to improve writing scores is to use the Fry Formula. The
students must write at grade level. It only takes a few minutes to show the students how to use this formula. Next, you spend an extraordinary amount of time on making sure that the opening sentences don't start with the, a, and, I or any other simple word. They must start with the most important part of the topic sentence by using a phrase.

1. Directions for Use of the Fry Readability Graph

· Randomly select three 100-word passages from a book or an article.

· Plot the average number of syllables and the average number of sentences per 100 words on the graph to determine the grade level of the material.

· Choose more passages per book if great variability is observed and conclude that the book has uneven readability.

· Few books will fall into the solid black area, but when they do, grade level scores are invalid.