“Women are obliged to give birth”: what is the danger of a ban on abortion

The Polish Constitutional Court held that the provisions of the law allowing termination of pregnancy in the event of a severe defect or incurable disease of the fetus were inconsistent with the Constitution. In January 2021, the law went into effect.

This means that abortion is now actually banned in the country, even if the child is terminally ill and doomed to torment or a quick death. A woman has the right to terminate a pregnancy only if it has occurred as a result of rape or threatens the life of the mother.

And this means that the inhabitants of the country are obliged to bear and give birth not only to unwanted children who do not have moral or material resources, but also children who may not survive (or even absolutely will not survive) after birth.

In delivering its verdict, the Polish Constitutional Court referred to the fact that the protection of individual rights is impossible without the protection of the right to life. However, protecting the rights of the unborn child, we forget about the rights of a woman, about her emotional and physical condition. After all, the choice — to leave or terminate the pregnancy — in itself is difficult. And even more so when the situation is complicated by the disease of the fetus.

It is one thing for a believer to make a decision. A religious view of the world may suggest that bearing a child in such difficult circumstances is a kind of “cross”, a test. Faith supports a woman, allows you to find solace in difficult moments.

But there are also non-believers, for example, and among those who believe in higher powers, there are many who will cause unbearable pain to bear a child who is destined to suffer and die. And therefore, this prohibition speaks of a complete unwillingness to notice the experiences of another, of the desire to impose one’s view of the world and one’s will on others. It is possible that at the cost of their state of mind and well-being.

A woman who does not have the right to decide whether to give birth to her or not loses her subjectivity and becomes an object that is controlled by others endowed with power: husband, society, state. It turns out that a woman is «obliged to give birth.» But how will this affect her psyche?

“Prohibitions lead to great losses for reproductive health and even life”

Alina Nikiforova, clinical, perinatal psychologist

Women have fought for years for the right to terminate a pregnancy at will and in a safe environment. To terminate a pregnancy or not is a difficult choice. When making a decision, a woman, as a rule, focuses on the financial component, the availability of support from her partner, her own readiness and desire to have children. And there are no universal, ready-made solutions, just as there are no people without doubts.

However, in my practice, 90% of women who decide to have an abortion remain unconvinced even after consulting a psychologist. External causes are sometimes not as significant as internal causes. It is difficult to face the pangs of choice and realize your own painful feelings.

Sometimes a woman has an abortion out of fear of having children due to her own traumatic childhood experience, fear of being pregnant and facing bodily and psychological changes, and fear that pregnancy or a child will take something important from her.

Some women neglect contraception because they subconsciously want to get pregnant. Not to give birth, but to be pregnant. This state gives them a unique experience, perhaps something missing and valuable, no matter how blasphemous it may sound.

Sometimes women who terminate pregnancies in an affective state remember this experience for many years. Their memories do not let go, they return in dreams and remain a heavy emotional burden, the cause of self-accusations and self-punishment.

We know little about the psychological side of abortion. And if you solve the issue of termination of pregnancy with strict prohibitions, nothing good will come of it. But this experience can adversely affect women’s reproductive and mental health.

In Poland, it was forbidden to terminate a pregnancy for medical reasons that relate to the fetus. But such an interruption is a world practice, and for this there are measures for the early detection of intrauterine anomalies.

In the recent past, I was a member of the city perinatal council under the leadership of the chief obstetrician-gynecologist of Moscow, and I know firsthand what a depressing state couples and women find themselves in when they learn about a terrible intrauterine diagnosis.

This situation is a huge test for them, and if they are deprived of the opportunity to choose, this can be fatal to their mental health and life in general. Bearing a obviously doomed child can lead to an acute psychotic state in a pregnant woman, with the ensuing consequences, up to death.

In such situations, a woman experiences unbearable feelings of guilt and shame, the objective reasons for what is happening are ignored, and sometimes this can lead to suicide.

By the nature of my work, I have repeatedly observed cases when a woman needed not only psychological help, but also the help of a psychiatrist in order to relieve acute manifestations in such a situation. Such prohibitions are interference in the intimate affairs of a woman, it is a deprivation of her psychological, moral right to do with her body as she wants or as she considers possible.

If you look at it through a psychological prism, then the state in such matters performs a parental function, but imposes strict restrictions on its “children”. But we know: the more children are forbidden, the more they violate the prohibitions. It is unlikely that the new norms will reduce the number of abortions — rather, they will give them a marginal character.

In my opinion, the issue of abortion requires large investments in terms of social support for women who find themselves without a mate, the necessary income and housing conditions. There is also a need for sex education in schools and the distribution of contraceptives.

In our country, they try to diagnose intrauterine pathologies in time, and if a defect is found that is incompatible with the life and health of the fetus, the woman is given a choice — to terminate the pregnancy or refuse. The system of perinatal palliative care is developing. Parents are supported throughout the gestation period and allowed to say goodbye to the child after his death.

Unfortunately, today the religious lobby in Russia has been making attempts to ban termination of pregnancy at the request of a woman for several years. The topic of abortion is much broader than we sometimes think. Not only medical, but also ethical, philosophical and psychological aspects are of great importance. And they must be taken into account.

Readers’ opinions

“After the birth of my son, abortions scare me. If earlier I was definitely for them and would have done it without hesitation, now I’m more likely against it and wouldn’t do it … But I still think that this is everyone’s choice, like faith, baptism and churching — for someone it’s like that, and for someone otherwise … ”, — Daria, 30 years old.

“Abortion is a personal matter for every woman. But I think that the ban on abortion will force women and men to be more careful about contraception,” Ivan, 25 years old.

“We wanted a second child, I got pregnant. But after the screening at 12 weeks, we were told that the baby was sick and would die immediately after birth. We had to have an abortion for medical reasons. I was in extreme pain, but there was no other choice, ”- Tonya, 38 years old.

“The pregnancy was long-awaited, and I was happy about it. But the child was born sick — and the world collapsed. I quit my job and do it all. I love him, I do and will do everything that is necessary to make his life easier. But he suffers from pain and suffers a lot, and at such moments I suffer with him, my heart breaks. If I had known during my pregnancy that he was so ill and his life would be such torture for both of us, would I have had an abortion? I think rather yes. No mother would wish her child such suffering,” Tamara, 39

“My husband works and is constantly on business trips. We got married when I was already pregnant. A son was born, I took care of him, it was not easy — the boy grew up restless, I hardly slept at night for several months, it was difficult. The husband came and went again. Two years later, I got pregnant again. I decided not to write to him, to wait until he returns from a business trip and please him. But he came back and said that he met another and was leaving me. Everything was cut short for me — I loved him very much and believed in a strong marriage. When I told him that we would have a child, he coldly, like a stranger, said that it was not from him. I didn’t want to live, what kind of child is there … I had an abortion, ”Katya, 36 years old.

“The ban on abortion if the child is terminally ill is a direct violation of human rights, in my opinion. It leads to clandestine operations and deaths from them, as well as to the development of medical tourism in other countries, ”- Tatyana, 33 years old.

“I believe that it is the right of a woman to decide whether to have an abortion or not, especially in the case when a fetal defect is found. However, I don’t think this is an easy solution. At least not in every case. It’s scary to even imagine how a woman feels in such a situation. I don’t want to swear, but it’s not a fact that I could decide, ”- Elena, 28 years old.