Will I regret the decision to get an abortion?

One of the difficult questions that you might be asking yourself when faced with a pregnancy that may have been unexpected is whether you will regret the decision to get an abortion. This is a complicated question that is difficult to answer but learning about other options and making sure you have all the important information that you need will help you make the right decision.

A new study suggesting most women don’t regret abortion

You may see several articles on the internet that reference a “recent study” from 2015 that was conducted in the United States. They tracked many women over the course of the study, and the findings from the study suggest that 95% of women did not regret having their abortion years later, in the long term. Like most research, you must closely examine the details of how data was collected and who took part in the years of the study. We believe that this is your baby and your choice to move forward with your pregnancy or not, but we want to caution you to consider other options if you think you will have regret after aborting your pregnancy.

If this one study (the only one we could find, noting 95%) is correct, that means you still have a 5% chance of regretting something you can’t change. There are plenty of stories of women talking about how much they regret choosing abortion rather than parenting or adoption. Take the time to listen to women who have had an abortion and carefully consider their feelings from the experience. Will you have the same reaction?

What happens during an abortion procedure?

Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, abortion may look a little different. If you are early on, you may be able to terminate the pregnancy with medicine, AKA the “abortion pill.” Depending on the state that you live in, it may not be difficult to get a safe, legal abortion. Some states, however, have tightened up abortion laws and created restrictions, and it might be more complicated if you are further along, as some states make it difficult to terminate pregnancies.

If you are further along in your pregnancy, you may need to get a surgical abortion. States have different laws regarding how far along abortions are legal, but we can connect you with one of the organizations that we trust, such as Planned Parenthood or The Women’s Centers, and they can assist you in getting the help that you need. The first step at either of these will be to conduct an ultrasound to determine how far along you are in your pregnancy. Once you know the answer to that question, you may have different feelings about whether you would like to terminate or not, as your emotions may change if you find out that you are further along than you realized.

You don’t want an abortion but don’t want the baby either?

If aborting this pregnancy is not what you think you would like to do, or perhaps you are too far along to abort, and you don’t wish to have family help you take care of the baby, making an adoption plan might be an idea to consider. While adoption may not be something you are interested in immediately, you may feel differently after learning more about the different types of adoption. The overwhelming majority of women tend to be completely disinterested in adoption. However, after learning more about it, they often would like to consider it as an option.

It’s important to note that if you choose to learn more about adoption and contact Open Arms Adoption Network, we will never pressure you to move forward with adoption. Our Social Workers will help you process through your thoughts and all your options to figure out what option is the best for you while never pushing adoption on you.

Also, beware that some places may pressure you into a decision that you do not want while claiming to be there for you. For instance, some pregnancy centers might push you or guilt you into keeping the pregnancy after you have a positive pregnancy test. Not everyone is putting your best interest at heart, and we at Open Arms Adoption want to make sure that you get the support and guidance that you need while never being pressured into one decision.

Your Baby. Your Choice.

Now that you have learned more about all your options, you may feel differently about what you would like to do next. While adoption and abortion will both give you a sense of sadness, how you feel afterward with each one will likely feel very different. You may be experiencing negative emotions right now, perhaps because of your hormones or because you feel stressed or helpless.

If you call Open Arms Adoption, we can help you through it and give you the counseling that you need to figure out your next steps. We won’t make any assumptions about your situation. Rather, we will meet with you and work with you and learn about how we can best help and support you with this difficult decision. Women’s emotions can be intense, and even more so during an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy when you are extra hormonal. You can call us anytime at 1-888-OPENARMS or email us . We are there for you however and whenever you need us.