Since the Roe v. Wade case was overturned, the US ideological battle over abortion has only intensified. north carolina The Republican-controlled Congress has become the latest state to restrict access to abortions by overriding Governor Roy Cooper’s veto on a bill banning abortions after 12 weeks. And this is he one of the less extreme laws — just last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said: signed the law Ban abortion after 6 weeks, except in cases of rape or incest.
I am not here to condemn these politicians’ personal views on abortion. One of the beautiful things about this country is that we are all allowed to believe what we want. But starting to monitor people’s personal choices can have devastating effects beyond the ballot box. I can say with certainty that when politicians restrict access to abortion and humiliate women seeking abortion surgery, they are attacking the core demographic they claim to represent: the family. It means that
Politicians in favor of abortion restrictions often portray their position as follows: “Parent family”. As a family therapist with over 36 years of experience, I believe the opposite is true. Such laws deprive women of all agency and force discord in family relationships.
Imagine this scenario in Florida. A couple who have to deal with an unwanted pregnancy and raise a rapist’s child. Stress definitely affects the intimacy and sexuality of a couple and can lead to divorce. When a child is born, parents may live in fear that the child will be known as the child of rape and how the child will be treated. Families may change the way they treat their children because of rape.And all nations persuasively custody of the rapistwomen and couples may be victimized again.
what about that relative?
Admittedly, abortion is not a decision to be taken lightly. But when governments legalize forced pregnancies and demonize women who seek help, they further divide families. While the country is in crisis, Shortage of mental health professionalsthese laws can create problems that escalate beyond family divisions.
When a mother is forced to bear a child against her will, it creates sub-optimal living conditions for the whole family. The sudden need of a family to support a new mother adds further stress to the situation. When a newborn baby is seen as a burden, mothers may not be able to form proper bonds, which can result in far-reaching child mental health problems.
The law is bad enough, but the rhetoric used to back it up makes it very easy to turn families against each other.Republican National Committee passed a resolution It confuses abortion with slavery and racism.one State Senator from Illinois I compared it to the Holocaust. When elected representatives make such uncomfortable comparisons, is it any wonder that anti-selective parents go so far as to disown their children on the grounds of abortion?
One thing I want to make clear is that the idea that abortion is only for the apathetic and irresponsible is an absolute myth. Pregnancy loss, whether voluntary or involuntary, causes immense grief and is never to be taken lightly.
Sadness is one of the most powerful emotions imaginable. As a family therapist, I have worked with countless clients who have endured grief even before they made the decision to have an abortion, torn between their desire to raise children and the realization that they might not be ready yet. I’ve been People can experience what I call a “vague sense of loss” after an abortion. They may fantasize about what the baby was like, worry about being punished (spiritual or literal), and experience feelings of guilt and shame.
With legislation like North Carolina’s, these sentiments are devalued. A 12-week schedule is considered a “compromise”, but consider the following facts: Most women don’t realize they’re pregnant until the 6th week. And now think about the emotional sacrifice required to make such an important decision. Are you saying that if a woman takes her time and makes that decision at 13 weeks, she suddenly becomes a criminal? That’s too easy a view of things. Frankly, it’s just as easy for someone who wants an abortion to automatically assume that conservative families are just as bad for their opinion.
That’s why these laws are so dangerous and fraught.
Proponents of these restrictive laws are unlikely to suddenly change their minds about the law or its rhetoric. But just because politicians don’t want to see the light doesn’t mean we shouldn’t see the light. Family is more important than being right or morally good. Is it enough to live a lifetime without the benefit of their care, even if you disagree?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life so far, it’s that families are complicated, loving and cruel. A truly pro-family politician would not legislate what should be a family’s private affairs, or use inflammatory rhetoric that would only divide them.
Marlene F. WatsonPhD, LMFT, Director of Training. Ackermann Family Institute. A chartered couples and family therapist, she is former Dean of the Department of Couples and Family Therapy and Associate Professor Emeritus of the Department of Counseling and Family Therapy at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
